Five online collector car auctions for enthusiasts.
While Bloomberg reports a strong Collector Car Market during the first quarter the transcript of eBay earnings call for Q1 2020 highlights the struggle in daily driver and used car trading. eBay Motors has been involved in collector car auctions for decades and even purchased a physical collector car auction in Auburn, IN back in 1999. Today it seems that eBay is all but ignoring this segment of the market as new competitors come on to the scene.
Possibly the most recognized online collector car auction platform is Bring A Trailer (BaT), which started as a grass roots forum and now boasts approximately 50 cars per day that cross the virtual block. Others that are worth taking a look at include Motorious.com, Hemmings Auctions, PCarMarket, and the newest undertaking from Barrett-Jackson (powered by Proxibid).
| Auction | Pros | Cons |
| BaT |
Community Policing Realistic Reserves |
Potential Misrepresentation Trolls! |
| Motorious |
Dealer Backed Inventory Niche Specialists Ease of Use Mobile App |
Limited Events Dealer Only Listings |
| Hemmings |
Established Brand Target Market |
Complicated Registration |
| PCarMarket |
Enthusiast Focused |
Porsche Only Complicated User Interface |
| Barrett-Jackson |
800-pound Gorilla Marketing Experts |
Multi-day Venue 800-pound Gorilla |
Many of us can remember a time when purchasing a product online was met with a great deal of skepticism. Today people spend tens of thousands of dollars, sometimes more on a vehicle that is represented by text, images and video. The reputation of the online marketplace is paramount in making buying decisions. In the areas where you’d expect eBay to thrive, they are leaving plenty of space for other auctions to prevail. Motorious’ newest muscle car focused auction begins tomorrow, and will feature carefully curated inventory for enthusiasts who love growling machines in this segment. See the inventory here.
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Jeffrey N. Ross
Neil Pitt
