The Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA) will officially reopen its Queen’s Warehouse (230) facility this Wednesday, March 28, 2018, following its closure in November 2015.

The warehouse, located at 230 Spanish Town Road, Kingston, has undergone extensive refurbishing, making it more conducive for staff as well as bidders participating in scheduled auctions done by the agency.

The JCA, therefore, takes this opportunity to remind people interested in purchasing goods on auction to comply with the agency’s standard operating procedures in order to prevent being scammed by unscrupulous people.

The public is asked to note the following guidelines:

• All public auctions are advertised in the newspaper 30 days before the date of the auction (Section 88, sub-sections 1 & 2 of the Customs Act specify the process by which goods deposited within a Queen’s Warehouse shall be sold).

• The JCA only sells goods on auction and will not sell any item outside of the guidelines laid out in the Customs Act and its regulations. Any item placed on public auction, such as a motor vehicle, which is not sold at that auction, will only be resold at a subsequent auction.

• All motor vehicles are sold through competitive bidding and no individual bidder is accorded special treatment or privilege.

• The agency will not use e-mail or telephone to offer items for sale, and all payments are only to be done at the Jamaica Customs Agency’s cashier on the day of the auction. Cheques must be written in the name: ‘Collector of Customs’.

REGISTRATION FOR AN AUCTION

People wishing to participate in an auction must register through the JCA. Registration takes place at Queen’s Warehouse — 230 Spanish Town Road; Queen’s Warehouse — Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA); Queen’s Warehouse – Sangster International Airport; Monday – Friday, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm. Registration of bidders closes at 3:00 pm on the day before an auction.

Applicants are required to submit the following:

• Two passport-sized photographs

• Taxpayer registration number (TRN) card

• Valid government -issued identification (driver’s licence, passport, electoral ID)

• Bidder’s registration fee of $2,000. The bidder will be given a bidder’s registration card which expires on December 31 each year.