Bring a Trailer Reviews
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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.
- Free CARFAX reports available
- Writes listings in-house
- Multiple service levels for sellers
- No guarantees
- No financing
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.
Still have questions?
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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- 4,899,405 reviews on ConsumerAffairs are verified.
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- 4,899,405 reviews on ConsumerAffairs are verified.
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Reviewed June 9, 2026
Don't bother unless you are willing to pay waaaay more than an in person private party sale. This site has become basically the Ebay of car auction sites where listings get bid up thousands of dollars in the last minutes and are then won by, what a little research will tell you, are basically people with deep pockets who flip cars. You may do all right as a seller, if you enjoy fees, but buyers are going to be disappointed unless money is no object.
Reviewed May 2, 2026
As a Pontiac lover and a lover of muscle cars in general I enjoy this site but cannot understand how they cannot list the Correct HP for 2002 Ws6 trans ams collector 2002 trans ams etc. They have been corrected on many occasions by myself & others but continue to list 345 HP instead of 325. 2002 firehawks 345 HP. MPG also sometimes incorrect 6speed vs. auto.
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Reviewed April 25, 2026
Horrible service, don't waste your time!!! Poor service, long waiting time and very stupid responses. Been a car dealer for 40 years, and these people are crazy and at helpful at all. It's obvious they need some help... Hire some car people that care!!!!
Reviewed March 19, 2026
I have bought two cars from BAT (Bring a Trailer), both were classic Morgan Plus 4 Dropped Coupes. The first sale in December 2025 went well enough except the the Packys who attempted to scam me on transporting the car from Louisiana to California ... They tried to hold the car hostage unless I Zelled a third party money mule an extra $300! They even emailed a photo of the car sitting on a flatbed saying the the car would not move until their ransom was paid! Their money mule ended up being a girlfriend who was a rear estate agent in California and I had to threaten to write the Board of Realtors about her acting as a money mule to get my money refunded ...
The second car was a 1959 Morgan DHC that was listed by someone who was a friend of the owner's son. I got caught up in a questionable bidding war which drove the price to $2900 before the other bidder backed off. Within minutes of the auction close I was contacted by another BAT member who was familiar with the car who informed me that when the owner restored the car the rear body frame was reconstructed using cheap particle board where the Morgan factory used the correct marine grade plywood. Also the section was not cut out to allow the proper upward movement of the rear axle resulting in damage to the area in question... Also no photos of the damage were included in the auction listing.
Because of the discrepancy I refused to complete the payment unless some price adjustment was made to allow me to have the framework repaired using the correct materials. I made the seller an offer of $24000 (which I am happy that he refused)... The seller then re-listed the car on BAT, but this time including more photos showing the damaged area. The car ended up being bid to only $17000 and resulted in a NO SALE. BAT is now refusing to refund my bidding and buyer's fees! It appears that I will now have to obtain a small claims judgement against BAT to recover my money ... What a way to do business, way to go BAT!
Reviewed March 18, 2026
I had mixed experience with BaT, making two purchases across three years, amid many unsuccessful bids. The first car was almost entirely honestly presented - except for a string of door dings not mentioned or visible in any photos of restoration quality paint. The owner (not the dealer) opted to reimburse me after some pressure from Bat. In the end, a very good purchase.
The second car was a very much misrepresented 1980 Porsche by one of BaT's top three (by volume) dealers, out of Portland OR and Scottsdale AZ. The ensuing month of attempted negotiations brought all sorts of feints and dodges and denials, and I slowly realized I had been set up. Broken AC system, can't pass smog, bad electricals, vinyl for leather - not just the little stuff, fraud. A 19,500 purchase is costing me nearly 10,000 to put right, and my tainted car will re-sell at best at 16,000, for a net 14,000 loss. And BaT promotes as many as ten of this dealer's cars at a time. Bat is a good place to sell an "in demand" vehicle, you get wide exposure and bidding is the buyer's friend. A less special car (to the market, if not to you) will falter, and as reviewers above note, the BaT team is not qualified to help edit or present - or to protect you. Want to be fair, but you are on your own.
Reviewed Nov. 27, 2025
Bring A Trailer I'm extremely disappointed in your customer service. You have some nerve telling me how much to set my reserve price on for my vehicle. I know the value of my vehicle. Just because there are other ones like it does not mean my truck is worth what you think it is, it is a much more higher dollar truck than the basic entry level vehicle and the fact that you did not let me choose my reserve is why I'm giving you a poor review. Not all trucks are the same.
Reviewed Oct. 26, 2025
BaT was a great resource for individual car enthusiasts to buy and sell their cars. What has been a growing trend over the years is the dealers are now using BaT as their primary on line marketing source. Many of these dealers have bad customer reviews stemming from misrepresentations to extremely slow delivery of legal documents necessary to title the car. Bidders need to look at the name of the dealer and do a google review search on these dealers as part of their due diligence. Bat assumes NO RESPONSIBILITY.
Reviewed Oct. 16, 2025
Don't count on help after the fact from BaT customer care. I bought a car at auction and found serious issues with the TPMS and tires. James at customer care responded after some cajoling. He seemed polite, concerned and willing to help. In the end he took the smoke, the car dealer was blowing up his ** and left hanging out to dry without a clothespin. Stay away from BaT, go to car shows, see the cars in person and don't trust the shady characters or BaT customer care.
Reviewed Oct. 16, 2025
Very difficult to contact. Their new verification process requires a cell phone in hand in order to review or bid. Not ideal for bidders looking to make a purchase with a cell not in reach or accessible when attempting to use the system. Plus they make it difficult to submit a review as I am encountering now.
Reviewed Oct. 9, 2025
Bring-A-Trailer is terrible. I have been involved in multiple auctions, and the seller has had multiple accounts and bid on the car to drive up the purchase price. I contacted BaT, and they confirmed that the bidding was coming from the same IP address, but they never did a thing about it. They do zero validation on sellers. So if a seller does a bad job with an auction, misrepresents the car or something, and gets called out on it. If they want to list another car, they just open a new account, so you won't see their past auctions.
I purchased a car on the site, and the car was completely misrepresented by the seller. "Does it have any leaks? No, nothing is leaking. I received the car and could barely find one thing that wasn't leaking. I am now about 10K into repairs on it. I blame myself as I took their word, but what Bring a Trailer does a horrible job on is not allowing buyers to provide feedback on the seller after the purchase. They need a seller reputation score and the ability for other buyers to see reviews of how past buyers' purchase experiences were. I reached out to Bring a Trailer multiple times after the purchase and never got a response.
Bring-A-Trailer Company Information
- Company Name:
- Bring A Trailer
- Website:
- bringatrailer.com