Frequently Asked Questions

Buyers in the UK pay 7.2% including VAT (£300 minimum and £7,200 maximum), buyers in Australia pay 6% plus GST if applicable.

It costs nothing to register with Collecting Cars.

Our passion and experience encompass cars and automobilia of all types and eras, from vintage icons through to popular modern classics. Click the SELL link in the top menu to tell us more.

If you have an interesting car with realistic price expectations, then we are likely to want to help!

Not every offering will be consigned, but every offering will be given equal consideration.

Vehicles and registration plates/automobilia are submitted for consideration by their owners and are subsequently reviewed and curated by an in-house team, with input from independent specialists.

When you submit a consignment for consideration, we will ask for key details about the auction lot. When we make a decision to consign an auction lot, our copywriters will contact you to gather further information.

We aim to ensure our listings are the most accurate of any online auction platform. For this reason, tell us as much as possible about the auction lot — even the less desirable parts of its history or appearance.While Collecting Cars does perform some verification processes, (including HPI and MOT checks in the UK), Collecting Cars shall not be liable to the seller or the buyer for any error or misstatement in or omission from the description of any Auction Lot.

Sellers can request that the lot is auctioned with a reserve. The value of any reserve is agreed in consultation with the Collecting Cars team to ensure that it is realistic. Once a reserve is agreed by Collecting Cars, you may reduce it or withdraw it by written notice to Collecting Cars, but you cannot increase it without our prior written consent.

Please note that Collecting Cars, at our own discretion, has the right to make up the difference between the highest bid and the reserve if the highest bid does not meet the reserve.

Once an auction lot is open for bidding, any registered user can ask a question about it in the comments below each listing. Sellers should respond as soon as possible.

Our moderators will allow people to add constructive opinions about an auction lot, but if you believe any comment is inaccurate, please contact us.

Many of our buyers will be willing to purchase an auction lot unseen, but others may request an inspection. We therefore ask that sellers make auction lots available for viewings whenever possible.Buyers and sellers shall not engage in any activity designed to complete or facilitate a transaction for the sale or purchase of an auction outside of the site.

If any sale of an auction is concluded outside of the site, you will be obliged to pay the fees to Collecting Cars that would have been paid by the buyer had the auction been sold via the site. This is calculated on the last reserve you agreed with Collecting Cars or if none our minimum charge will apply (see the fees section below).

Every listing is presented to the seller for approval before it goes live. It is the seller’s responsibility to ensure that the listing is an accurate description of the auction lot.

No, you can NOT bid on your own auction, nor can you have a friend bid on your auction on your behalf.If we believe that you or someone on your behalf has bid on your Auction Lot and the Auction Lot does not sell to a real bidder as a result, you will be responsible for covering all costs incurred by Collecting Cars that have resulted from skewing the results of your Auction Lot and your breach of the Terms and Conditions.

If it is found that you or someone on your behalf has "bid up" an auction, we will have to divulge this information to the buyer and provide them with the option to no longer purchase the Auction Lot at no expense to them. If they would like to no longer purchase the Auction Lot, you (the Seller) will be responsible for covering all costs incurred by Collecting Cars, you will be banned from using the platform in the future and you may be pursued for committing an act of fraud or other criminal offences.

Once you have submitted your auction lot to Collecting Cars and the auction has gone live in our ‘Coming Soon’ section, you cannot withdraw your car. If you do withdraw your car, you will be obliged to pay the fees to Collecting Cars in accordance with clause 11 in the Terms and Conditions that would have been paid by the Buyer, calculated on the last reserve you agreed with Collecting Cars, or if none, a minimum charge as detailed in our fees section below.

When an auction lot sells successfully on the platform, a the premium (as detailed in our fees section below) is automatically deducted from the winning bidder’s credit card. This is a fee for using the platform and not a down payment on the auction lot. The seller and buyer are then digitally ‘introduced’ to complete the transaction.

Once the highest bid has been accepted on an auction, the auction listing will be moved to our ‘Sold’ section, where the highest bid, end date of the auction, all photos and the description will be displayed.

The bids and comments made on the auction while it was live will be removed. If an auction did not meet reserve, the listing will be removed from the website but can still be accessed through old links and Google searches. We do not remove an auction listing, but if we were to, it would be done at Collecting Cars’ own discretion.

If the auction lot fails to meet its reserve price, then Collecting Cars may provisionally sell the auction lots to the highest bidder if the bid is within 10% of the reserve. The seller will be notified of the highest bid submitted during the auction. The seller will then have 24 hours from the end of the auction to either accept or reject this bid. This 24-hour period can be extended by agreement between us and the buyer. If there is no agreement to extend and the buyer is not notified of the acceptance of their final bid within 24 hours from the end of the auction, it will be deemed to be rejected. If the bid is accepted by the seller, we will put the buyer in touch with the seller for the sale of the auction lot.

If the highest bid after the auction is rejected by the seller, then we will offer the seller the option of listing the auction lot in our ‘Buy Now’ section. This allows the possibility of a post-auction deal.

Please note that Collecting Cars, at our own discretion, has the right to make up the difference between the highest bid and the reserve if the highest bid does not meet the reserve.

If the auction lot does not sell when the auction period is finished, the auction lot will continue being listed on the site for a minimum of seven (7) calendar days (or more if agreed by the seller) in our Buy Now section. In this section, the car can be purchased for the price listed (buyer’s premium included) via the ‘Buy Now’ button or you can make a ‘Final Offer’ to the seller, who can choose to accept or counter until a price is agreed.

If you have a consignment to discuss, but you are not ready to sign up with an account, please contact us now.

The entirety of the winning bid will be paid to the seller of the auction lot.

When you are the highest bidder in a Collecting Cars online auction, and the auction lot has met or exceeded the reserve, we charge you a premium (as detailed in our fees section below). There are no additional administrative fees on top of this from Collecting Cars.

If you have a question about the auction lot, post it in the form of a comment on the listing. The seller can then reply. This avoids duplicated questions from other bidders.

Buyers can always request a viewing to see an auction lot in person. We ask that sellers make auction lots available at convenient times.

Buyers and sellers shall not engage in any activity designed to complete or facilitate a transaction for the sale or purchase of an auction outside of the site.

Unless being sold at ‘No Reserve’, all auction lots have a reserve.

Our platform prevents sniping by automatically adding more time. Any bid received within the last two minutes will automatically trigger an extra two minutes to be added. After this point, only once there are no further bids within a two-minute window will the auction end.

Once a bid has been placed, you cannot withdraw it. If you as the successful Buyer fail to complete the purchase of an auction for any reason other than the default of the Seller, you will be obliged to pay the premium (as detailed in our fees section below) of your high bid.

When an auction lot sells successfully on the platform, a premium (as detailed in our fees section) is automatically deducted from the highest bidder’s credit card. This is a fee for using the platform and not a down payment on the auction lot. You are then digitally ‘introduced’ to the seller to complete the transaction.

There are NO refunds on the buyer’s premium.

If the auction lot fails to meet its reserve price, we offer sellers the option of listing the car in our ‘Buy Now’ section. This allows the possibility of a post-auction deal.

Collecting Cars hosts auction listings, but the seller is responsible for confirming the accuracy of the listing. As a bidder, it is your responsibility to satisfy yourself of the details and condition of the auction lot before placing a bid.

All sales by traders made to consumers, whether sold by an individual or a business, do fall under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. The Act provides that wherever goods are purchased by a consumer, they must meet certain minimum standards.

If purchased from a trader, the sale item must be of “satisfactory quality”, be “as described” and be “fit for purpose”. Therefore, items sold by traders must not be inherently faulty at the time of sale, allowing for the fact that they are second-hand, must match the description and, allowing for factors like price, must be fit for their purpose.

For more information on United Kingdom consumer rights please see the Citizens Advice website at www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer

The buyer’s premium is a fee for using the platform. Collecting Cars is not responsible for the transport or storage of any auction lots, and any cost associated with this is the responsibility of the buyer.

After the opening bid, the increments will be as below and will work in this way when opting for absentee bidding.

(£/€/$/CHF/AU$)100 increments up to (£/€/$/CHF/AU$)10,000

(£/€/$/CHF/AU$)250 increments from (£/€/$/CHF/AU$)10,000 to (£/€/$/CHF/AU$)50,000

(£/€/$/CHF/AU$)500 increments from (£/€/$/CHF/AU$)50,000 upwards

For UK residents, you can find more information on the documentation you will need to import your car at www.gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk

For buyers outside the UK, please check your country’s import laws for the appropriate documentation needed to import your car.

For UK residents, you can find more information on the VAT, duties and taxes associated with purchasing a vehicle at www.gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk/paying-vat-and-duty.

For buyers outside the UK, please check your country’s laws on VAT, duties and taxes for imported cars.

We classify our sellers into three different categories: trade, private and managed.

TRADE SELLERS are acting as a business not as an individual consumer. The business may own the car or they may have been given the authority by the end consumer to manage the sale of the auction lot on their behalf on a Sale or Return basis. The person listed has been appointed by the business to be the point of contact with arranging a viewing and with whom you will conclude the sale of the auction lot if you've won the auction. As a trade seller, they must follow all government requirements and regulations and operate under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. The Act provides that wherever goods are purchased by a consumer, they must meet certain minimum standards. If purchased from a dealer, the sale item must be of “satisfactory quality”, be “as described” and be “fit for purpose”. Therefore, items sold by dealers must not be inherently faulty at the time of sale, allowing for the fact that they are second-hand, must match the description and, allowing for factors like price, must be fit for their purpose. For more information on your consumer rights please see the Citizens Advice website at www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer

PRIVATE SELLERS are acting as the direct end consumer. The person listed as the private seller will personally own the car. You will deal with them directly to arrange a viewing and they will be the person with whom you will conclude the sale of the auction lot if you've won the auction.

MANAGER SELLERS are not the end consumer but have been given the authority by the end consumer to manage the sale of the auction lot on their behalf. The managed seller will have a relationship with the end consumer, such as a friend, business associate, storage facility manager, mechanic, etc. but they will not personally own the car. The person listed as the managed seller will be the point of contact when arranging a viewing and with whom you will conclude the sale of the auction lot if you've won the auction.

Do your research and price the car realistically to encourage interest. Rather than aligning to speculative asking prices that are often not based in reality, take a look at sale prices for similar vehicles with comparable specification and mileage, and pay particular attention to recent sales, as market values can change quickly.

The quality of your photography is critical to gaining attention for your listing, and can help you achieve the best price. Ensure the car is thoroughly cleaned inside and out, and take high-quality landscape photos from a range of angles. We recommend using a DSLR. Choose a well-lit area, and ensure that the location does not distract from the vehicle. For more tips see our photography guide.

Your description should include anything buyers will need or want to know about the vehicle. Call out any notable elements of the specification, condition, or provenance of the vehicle that you feel will be of interest.

Listing out the service history, dates and mileages is also very helpful to prospective buyers. Your vehicle must be ‘as described’ so please be as transparent as you can about any faults or damage.

As soon as possible! Once we have the necessary details and have agreed your vehicle meets our criteria, we’ll publish your listing in our Classifieds section. We’ll email you to confirm this, and let you know about any enquiries immediately.

We’ll display your Classified listing for 30 days. As soon as your car sells, just let us know, and we’ll remove it from our platform.

All enquiries will be handled within the platform and your personal or contact details will not be visible to buyers. We’ll share any enquiries with you immediately for you to make contact.

Classifieds on Collecting Cars are free-to-use for both buyers and sellers. There are no fees to list with us and you’ll receive 100% of the price you negotiate with the buyer.

With a 24/7 auction your car sells after 7 days to the highest bidder, and one of our consignment specialists will manage the entire process for you. We’ll introduce you to a professional photographer who’ll take around 150 high-quality images of the vehicle, and one of our copywriters will ensure that your description tells buyers everything they need to know. We’ll also ensure that your vehicle benefits from targeted marketing to our global community.

If you’d prefer to manage the sale yourself, a Classified listing runs for 30 days, and you are responsible for taking photos and writing the description. We’ll forward any enquiries on to you directly.

24/7 auctions enable you to sell your vehicle in just 7 days, and get the best results through competitive bidding. Contact us if you would like to discuss this option.

Talk to us. Our consignment specialists have a deep understanding of the market, and we may be able to offer another option, such as a 7-day auction, or Buy Now or Best Offer listing. Contact us now.

If you sell your vehicle elsewhere or change your mind about selling, you can withdraw your listing at any time in your My Account section. Just let us know why you want to withdraw your listing and we’ll do the rest.

We have designed our Classified offering specifically to enable enthusiasts to connect with one another directly. All sellers must show the registration document in their name for their listing to be considered.

Don’t be afraid to participate in the auctions, as we welcome bids of any level. Because owners can lower their reserve at any moment, you never know when you may get a great deal. We do not state when reserves have been met, so please be sure you can afford to buy the car before making a legal bid.

Photography is key to achieving the best price possible when selling a car, so if you feel you don’t have the capacity to do this, please contact us to request a professional photographer at very competitive rates (£100 to £200 in the UK, maximum of AU$250 in Australia).

Be sure to clean your car thoroughly to ensure it’s as well-presented as possible.

If you can use your smartphone to record a detailed and landscape-oriented walkaround video, this is a very useful addition to the listing. If it is safe to do so, then a video of the car driving is also highly recommended.

If you need assistance and cannot find the answer on the website or in this FAQs section, please contact us.

We are here to make the online auction process as transparent as possible, and provide you with all information necessary to buy or sell your next collectable car. If you feel you need a deeper explanation, please contact us.

If you have a complaint that you would like to raise with us, please contact us at your earliest convenience and we'll do our best to resolve matters promptly.