My BringATrailer.com Selling Experience
Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2021 12:40 pm
So, my Laguna Blue '75 914 2.0 has been accepted by BringATrailer.com ("BaT") for auction on its site. This thread will be a timeline of how that experience as a seller goes. I bought this car in a private-party deal where the car was never advertised online. I'm selling this car because I had another 914 offered to me in another private-party deal that was too good to pass up, but approval from the wife came with the caveat that I sell this blue 914.
I am often asked "How should I sell my (fill in the blank classic/enthusiast car)." If it has any value to it, I normally recommend using BaT as it appears to consistently get top-of-the-market sale prices. Plus, the seller's fee is only $99. When I was in the market to buy this 914 in spring 2020, I bid on several BaT auctions. They all either went significantly above my estimate of fair market value, or ended as "no sale - reserve not met."
I have sold two cars on BaT in the past - a Sterling kit car in 2016 and an older Jaguar XJR in 2017. I offered both at "no reserve" and they both brought many bids and a fair price. The prices weren't top-of-the-market back then, but I was happy with them. The popularity of BaT has skyrocketed since 2017, though, and consequently reaches many more buyers, resulting in better sales prices.
The downside to BaT for a seller appears threefold:
1. It's a hassle to get all of the info together for the writeup, and then you have to take a TON of pics, including detailed underside pics;
2. It's hard to get your car accepted - according to online reports, BaT only accepts about 25% of the cars offered to them. And you must do all of the work required for #1 before you even submit your car for consideration, meaning that 75% of the time, you did all of that work only to be turned down. I submitted my X1/9 for sale back in the fall of 2019, and it was promptly turned down;
3. It takes a long time for the car to come up for auction once it is accepted by BaT. I submitted the car for consideration on July 11th (Sunday), and on July 12th it was accepted by BaT. So, that was very timely. I got a few additional form emails about the process, but didn't get anything that indicated it would be coming up for auction anytime soon until August 11th, when I was given the name of the person assigned to write the ad. In fairness, they said on July 11th that it would be several weeks before it would be its turn to be auctioned. I replied to the August 11th email from my writer with a brief introduction and letting the writer know that I can provide any additional info or photos or video that he needs. I haven't received a reply as of this writing (8/18). So, if you want to get your car on the market right away, BaT probably isn't the best way. I did all of the sale prep work so that I could have listed on eBay back on July 11th. Would it have sold by now, and at top dollar? I'm not confident on either point. Don't get me wrong - I'm not complaining about the BaT wait nor upset about it. I'm just pointing out for potential sellers that BaT isn't instant gratification. I don't recall anywhere near this wait back in 2017.
I'll keep updating this thread as things continue. This car is a nice driver quality car, but definitely not perfect. There are plenty of warts on it, and I'll be very upfront about the condition. Consequently, I am expecting the peanut gallery to have several critical comments. So, the auction itself should be pretty entertaining. I can't wait for the first person to ask me if the IMS bearing has been replaced . . .
I am often asked "How should I sell my (fill in the blank classic/enthusiast car)." If it has any value to it, I normally recommend using BaT as it appears to consistently get top-of-the-market sale prices. Plus, the seller's fee is only $99. When I was in the market to buy this 914 in spring 2020, I bid on several BaT auctions. They all either went significantly above my estimate of fair market value, or ended as "no sale - reserve not met."
I have sold two cars on BaT in the past - a Sterling kit car in 2016 and an older Jaguar XJR in 2017. I offered both at "no reserve" and they both brought many bids and a fair price. The prices weren't top-of-the-market back then, but I was happy with them. The popularity of BaT has skyrocketed since 2017, though, and consequently reaches many more buyers, resulting in better sales prices.
The downside to BaT for a seller appears threefold:
1. It's a hassle to get all of the info together for the writeup, and then you have to take a TON of pics, including detailed underside pics;
2. It's hard to get your car accepted - according to online reports, BaT only accepts about 25% of the cars offered to them. And you must do all of the work required for #1 before you even submit your car for consideration, meaning that 75% of the time, you did all of that work only to be turned down. I submitted my X1/9 for sale back in the fall of 2019, and it was promptly turned down;
3. It takes a long time for the car to come up for auction once it is accepted by BaT. I submitted the car for consideration on July 11th (Sunday), and on July 12th it was accepted by BaT. So, that was very timely. I got a few additional form emails about the process, but didn't get anything that indicated it would be coming up for auction anytime soon until August 11th, when I was given the name of the person assigned to write the ad. In fairness, they said on July 11th that it would be several weeks before it would be its turn to be auctioned. I replied to the August 11th email from my writer with a brief introduction and letting the writer know that I can provide any additional info or photos or video that he needs. I haven't received a reply as of this writing (8/18). So, if you want to get your car on the market right away, BaT probably isn't the best way. I did all of the sale prep work so that I could have listed on eBay back on July 11th. Would it have sold by now, and at top dollar? I'm not confident on either point. Don't get me wrong - I'm not complaining about the BaT wait nor upset about it. I'm just pointing out for potential sellers that BaT isn't instant gratification. I don't recall anywhere near this wait back in 2017.
I'll keep updating this thread as things continue. This car is a nice driver quality car, but definitely not perfect. There are plenty of warts on it, and I'll be very upfront about the condition. Consequently, I am expecting the peanut gallery to have several critical comments. So, the auction itself should be pretty entertaining. I can't wait for the first person to ask me if the IMS bearing has been replaced . . .
