Bring-A-Trailer

Bring a Trailer Reviews

About Bring-A-Trailer

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Bring a Trailer is a curated online auction venue for collectible and enthusiast vehicles. Its auction specialists create listings with materials provided by sellers, and many features focus on transparency. Buyers and sellers handle purchasing transactions directly.

Pros
  • Free CARFAX reports available
  • Writes listings in-house
  • Multiple service levels for sellers
Cons
  • No guarantees
  • No financing

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What is Bring a Trailer?

Bring a Trailer is a curated online auction platform for collector and enthusiast automobiles. The site provides listings at three service levels:

  • Classic service includes a seven-day auction with a custom-written listing from an auction specialist.
  • Plus service adds professional vehicle photography. Plus listings stay on the site for seven to 21 days.
  • White Glove service is available for significant cars and collections. Just contact a Bring a Trailer representative and let them know you want to sell, and a concierge will do the rest, assuming you qualify.

Bring a Trailer also provides shipping for some vehicles purchased on its site. If the vehicle is eligible, the Bring a Trailer shipping quote box will be active on its listing.

How does Bring a Trailer work?

Bring a Trailer works differently depending on whether you’re buying or selling:

  • Buying: Potential bidders can use Bring a Trailer to ask questions, schedule a viewing or inspection, or set up a test drive. The minimum price the seller is willing to accept, called a reserve, is not shown on the site, though.
  • Selling: For Classic and Plus service, start by submitting information about the vehicle online. You need to call for White Glove service. Once the listing is approved and scheduled, the auction eventually goes live with an informational listing, photo gallery and additional seller features.

Auctions continue online for a set period, and Bring a Trailer does not announce if or when a reserve has been met (if there is one). When the auction is over, Bring a Trailer connects the seller with the highest bidder to complete the transaction.

Selling a car on Bring a Trailer

To get started, first choose a service level and submit your vehicle. This involves answering questions on the submission form and uploading photos so the auction team can evaluate if it’s a good fit.

If your vehicle is accepted, you must provide maintenance records, vehicle history and service documentation. Then an auction specialist writes a comprehensive, honest listing.

With Classic service, you approve the listing, and the Bring a Trailer team then schedules the auction. This process typically takes a few weeks from submission to auction. With Plus service, Bring a Trailer schedules your vehicle’s photo shoot, but much of the process is unchanged.

You can lower the reserve during the auction if desired. If the auction reserve is met when the listing ends (or there is no reserve), Bring a Trailer provides you and the winning bidder with each other’s contact information. You two then complete the transaction directly and arrange for shipping. Bring a Trailer provides support during this part of the process if needed.

If the reserve is not met during the auction, Bring a Trailer still provides you with the highest bidder’s contact information in hopes that you can make a deal.

Buying a car on Bring a Trailer
Buying a car on Bring a Trailer starts with browsing current auctions. You can look at detailed listings, photo galleries and additional seller features. Each auction also has a comment thread to discuss the vehicle and ask the seller questions. Potential bidders can also set up a test drive.

You must register to bid on Bring a Trailer. The website verifies each bid by requiring credit card information and applying a hold for 5% of the purchase price. When the auction closes, the hold is released for losing bids.

Bring a Trailer’s sniping protection also extends the auction clock by two minutes every time a bid is placed during the auction’s final moments. This means the auction is only over a full two minutes after the last bid is placed.

If you win the auction, Bring a Trailer shares your contact info with the seller and gives you theirs. Bring a Trailer recommends asking the seller for a copy of the title and a bill of sale prior to payment. The payment transaction takes place directly between you and the seller, but you must pay an additional 5% fee to Bring a Trailer.

Bring a Trailer fees and financing

To sell a vehicle, Bring a Trailer costs start at $99 for Classic service and $349 for Plus service. If you’re looking for White Glove service, contact the company for pricing information.

Buyers pay a 5% fee to Bring a Trailer on top of the sales price, with a minimum of $250 and a maximum of $5,000. Bring a Trailer does not provide financing for vehicles since all transactions are direct between buyers and sellers.

Bring a Trailer FAQ

Who owns Bring a Trailer?

Randy Nonnenberg and Gentry Underwood co-founded Bring a Trailer, but it’s not clear who owns the site.

Where is Bring a Trailer located?

Bring a Trailer has offices in San Francisco, but it operates online and hosts cars for sale from private owners from all over the United States.

Does Bring a Trailer have an app?

No, Bring a Trailer does not have an app.

What types of vehicles does Bring a Trailer sell?

Bring a Trailer specializes in classic, collector and enthusiast cars. Sellers can also list wheels, engines and automobilia.

Is Bring a Trailer legit?

Bring a Trailer is legit, but that doesn’t guarantee it’s safe. It aims to be as transparent as possible, asking sellers for documents, maintenance records, photos and videos of the vehicles before listing a vehicle. Buyers and sellers can communicate during the auction process, and buyers can request an inspection. However, purchase transactions (except for the buyer’s fee) take place exclusively between buyers and sellers, and Bring a Trailer doesn’t guarantee the authenticity or condition of the vehicles on its site.

Bring-A-Trailer Reviews

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    Page 1 Reviews 0 - 10

    Reviewed Feb. 8, 2025

    Heard so many good things until I started to deal with them. I wish I had read about them ahead of time. I would deal with one person then another. Zero experience when looking for VIN numbers on older cars. They give you no direction and you have to investigate and find the information yourself. Took hours and when I finally found it and sent it to them they disregard the information sent. I send them an official form with what is needed to confirm the VIN and that is still not enough because they DIDN'T READ THE FORM!!!! Honestly MORONS!!! I believe kids are running this and have no idea. STAY AWAY!!!!

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    Reviewed Jan. 25, 2025

    I bought a motorcycle through BaT, and it was delivered to me with damage. The seller and their own shipper didn't have a pre-shipment inspection completed, and now there is nothing to show liability or a way for me to recoup my loss. The seller has been one of BaT's customers for many years and has made huge profits off of them. BaT should ensure that they do not allow their bikes to be shipped without any means of insuring for damage while in transport, but they do not.

    On their forum, people post experiences with their purchases or problems encountered. I posted a video of the damage I incurred, so people will know to have their bikes inspected before shipping, and I did not place blame on anyone in the post, but BaT deleted the post because the seller complained to them about it, and now all of my posts are being monitored for review, and if I mention anything about shipping or what occurred, BaT won't let it go through. They are protecting a rice-bowl seller, even though the seller was in the wrong. Buyer beware.

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      Price

      Reviewed Jan. 15, 2025

      I contacted BaT to list my 1972 Firebird, complete re-build with all the best parts out there. BaT didn't like my reserve that I wanted to set for my auction. First they tried to get me to go to a no reserve auction, then they wanted me to limit it to what THEY wanted it to be at, which was half my reserve price. Because I would not lose all my money by putting the reserve where THEY wanted me to, they refused to list my car. I will never buy or sell with them and I will make sure that I spread the word to the car community.

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      Price

      Reviewed Jan. 12, 2025

      Do Not use BAT, EBAY is better, all they care about is to make a sale and charge your credit card, Most of the comments made in the comment section, when for sale, are people that have nothing better to do but degrade your car, just jealous because you have something they don't and can't afford, then you have the know it alls, and the deaders that make things up, been there 3 times, no more for me.

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      Staff

      Reviewed Jan. 10, 2025

      I am echoing the sentiments that I read here. With all the reviews and very little positive speaks volumes about BaT. BaT didn't want a reserve even though it was significantly below the recent selling prices of the same model. Nonsensical irrational reasons provided. I didn't get the impression that my assigned assistant truly understood classic and collector cars or was interested in being helpful. It was clear from his communications that this was just a job for him. Without the feeling of trust with BaT staff, I feel that I may have dodged a bullet here. I would suggest to anyone considering offering their lovingly looked after vehicle to a new home to go elsewhere. BaT appears to have lost their way.

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      Customer Service

      Reviewed Jan. 3, 2025

      Seller was very nice until I flew up to pay and drive the car home. I got an AIRBNB in the area the seller instructed me to. When I wanted to start the car before I wired the money, the seller became extremely irate and demanded I wire the money right away and tell him the second the money got into his account. This of course was impossible since I did not have access to his account. So, I booked the next cheap flight home. There was no way to contact anyone at BAT promptly. You can only email them. It took me a few months but I got my deposit money back through my credit card company. Not only was the seller irrational but by the emails I got from BAT, it seemed that they were in cahoots with the seller. They refused to instruct the seller to treat me, the buyer, civilly. They refused to instruct the seller how money wires work.

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      Customer ServiceStaff

      Reviewed Dec. 23, 2024

      Run away. Any site is better. All the nightmare stories online are true. Is not only the users, but a staff that is rude, unprofessional, and dishonest. I had a nightmare buying a car that was completely misrepresented, and thought it was just the seller. I sold a car, and that’s where the nightmare really began. Run away. Any site is better. Fake shill bids, buyers that don’t follow thru, misrepresented cars, dishonest staff, on and on. Run!

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      Customer Service

      Reviewed Nov. 6, 2024

      While BaT talks a good talk, they appear loathe to accept cars with a reserve, even though they state on their website and application that they take such cars. I signed up to list a classic car and received an email in return saying they did not want to accept the car with a reserve attached and asked me to reconsider a reserve. I explained that if they were as good as they say, they should have no problem meeting or exceeding what I would expect as a minimum. I offered to lower the reserve 20% but received an email two days later declining to list the car with a reserve, but if I wanted to "unlock the full potential" of the sale, they would be happy to list it with no reserve.

      Interestingly, BaT does say that if a sale comes up short of the reserve, they want the option to pay the difference from the highest bidder and that I would agree the car would be listed as "sold." I found that a bit deceiving to potential buyers and customers who might be evaluating BaT's success stories in their decisions. I am sure they have their algorithms that tell them which cars have a better chance at success than others, so that might have been a factor in rejecting my car. I made the case that my car's pedigree and pristine condition would easily clear the reserve. BaT should state up front (while you are filling out forms before handing over personal information like copies of the car's title) that a reserve listing is subject to their own determinations.

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      Reviewed Oct. 31, 2024

      I use to trust BaT until I found that they do not vet the VIN number stampings and even though they ask for a copy of the title, they don't always match that to the car's VIN number and if they don't ask for detailed photos of the VIN, you need to be very aware and do your research prior to any purchase or even before you bid. This auction platform is the perfect venue for some unscrupulous seller to dump a vehicle on an unsuspecting buyer as BaT basically will wash their hands of this type of situation after a fraudulent sale and say that you as the buyer, should have asked more question and received more photos of areas of concern even after we as buyers are paying thousands of dollars in purchase fees to BaT.

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      Reviewed Oct. 26, 2024

      The sale of my 68 Cadillac Eldorado with BAT auctions was the worst experience I have ever gone through. It took 2 weeks to get my money through their Caramel sale completion service. The buyer was dragging his feet on making payment and signing documents. Then the buyer has used completely incompetent broker services to arrange shipping. It has been 5 weeks since the buyer agreed to buy the car and it is still in my storage building. I have even tried helping him by providing contacts that I know of for shipping. I have notify BAT several times over the weeks and they have done very little to help the buyer mover forward with shipping. So much for the name Bring A Trailer.

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      Bring-A-Trailer Company Information

      Company Name:
      Bring A Trailer
      Website:
      bringatrailer.com