Seeking - Bring a Trailer (BAT) Advice

[masraum]

Man, two cars being sold by Pelicanites that I want, and not the right time for either. Between Matt's SL63 and Angela's 550 (bit of a dream car, that one!), I need to cash out the retirement fund.
no, better not.

[1990C4S]

My takeaway here is that you shouldn't sell that car.

You're welcome.

[reachme]

I sold on BAT.
A few things you should know.
BAT is the forum, auction happens and BAT gets paid before connecting buyer and seller. They don't really care if buyer walks away at that point. Their job of selling is done, not yours.

Lots of buyers have multiple accounts, they will very skillfully trash cars in comments section before bidding gets too high hoping to get a deal. "I saw this car last summar bashed up, must have been cleaned up quickly for sale" or "these have that pherabolic engine problem blah blah" to spook and create uncertainty. BAT will not remove any comments no matter how unverified. I have seen buyers boasting of a 'score" by doing this.

So while buyers can post and keep anything they want, BAT will rewrite your ad to make sure your claims are all substantiated. In the end the wording is theirs, not yours and you just get to approve it.

Finally auction goes on whey they want to, not you. The slot you in around other auctions so there are not 3 similar cars on at once, but it's dealers who sell many cars through them will get much more control.

They also set the limit, and you agree to them. They want cars to sell, not advertise but it is a little frustrating

I sold one through them, it went fine but would not do it again. I sold another through eBay, went a lot smoother but different kinds of cars so apples and oranges.

[flipper35]

Originally Posted by 1990c4s

my takeaway here is that you shouldn't sell that car.

You're welcome.

+1

[slow&rusty]

I have an interesting BaT story to share while we're all chiming in.

In 2019, I listed my Guards red on tan 1987 Porsche 928 S4 Manual.
This was a car I bought for $16.5k, that had been sitting for years in a private collection and really I overpaid for it based on its rough condition. I decided to sell it after doing nothing to it and owning it for over a year. I set my BaT reserve for $15.5k which I felt was really fair based on the condition, work it needed but also it represented a somewhat rare model as 90% were automatics.

Well Mike Tyson punch me in the face and call me Buttercup, all the 928 experts came out of the woodwork and really chomped the car alive based on what it needed and all the catch-up maintenance, it was unbelievable, even the BAT auctioneer private messaged me on "keeping my composure". Anyway bidding flat lined at $12k. The highest offer off BaT was a local restaurant owner who offered $13k (he was lurking on my BaT auction).

I licked my wounds, and then decided to make this car really awesome, I addressed EVERYTHING on this car, I even fixed the R12 AC, new leather, new suspension, new brakes you name it...I figured I had about 700-hours of my time on it. I asked BaT if I could re-list it as it was basically a whole different car and they flat denied me.

With heart in my hand, I decided to list it on Rennist and sold it for than my asking price in less than 1-day. It was a wild ride and goes to show good cars will sell.
Yasin

[Laneco]

Originally Posted by mattdavis11

I would mention in the ad that they do not need to bring a trailer.

Of all the wonderful advice listed here - I love this one the most!

We'll probably get this listed end of April, early May. The oil pressure/temp guage decided to go completely DOA so it has been shipped out for repair. We'll clean thoroughly and shoot plenty of pictures. We have access to a hoist to lift it for good full body under shots. Has some need things that you can only see from the bottom side, like the removable aluminum panel that lets you access the steering rack and fuel pump/filter, etc.

Thank you everyone!

angela

[ckissick]

I don't know BAT, but I sold my Beck Spyder recently, using a dealer who specializes in such things. For reference, it sold for $40K. The link below may be of help. I miss the car, but not too much. I just noticed there were no pics of the engine - that's strange. It looked great.

https://www.carsauto.com/1955-porsche-beck-550-spyder-c-1968.htm

[flipper35]

Originally Posted by Laneco

Of all the wonderful advice listed here - I love this one the most!

We'll probably get this listed end of April, early May. The oil pressure/temp guage decided to go completely DOA so it has been shipped out for repair. We'll clean thoroughly and shoot plenty of pictures. We have access to a hoist to lift it for good full body under shots. Has some need things that you can only see from the bottom side, like the removable aluminum panel that lets you access the steering rack and fuel pump/filter, etc.

Thank you everyone!

angela

You could save a lot of trouble and just give it to me as is!

[speeder]

Originally Posted by slow&rusty

I have an interesting BaT story to share while we're all chiming in.

In 2019, I listed my Guards red on tan 1987 Porsche 928 S4 Manual.
This was a car I bought for $16.5k, that had been sitting for years in a private collection and really I overpaid for it based on its rough condition. I decided to sell it after doing nothing to it and owning it for over a year. I set my BaT reserve for $15.5k which I felt was really fair based on the condition, work it needed but also it represented a somewhat rare model as 90% were automatics.

Well Mike Tyson punch me in the face and call me Buttercup, all the 928 experts came out of the woodwork and really chomped the car alive based on what it needed and all the catch-up maintenance, it was unbelievable, even the BAT auctioneer private messaged me on "keeping my composure". Anyway bidding flat lined at $12k. The highest offer off BaT was a local restaurant owner who offered $13k (he was lurking on my BaT auction).

I licked my wounds, and then decided to make this car really awesome, I addressed EVERYTHING on this car, I even fixed the R12 AC, new leather, new suspension, new brakes you name it...I figured I had about 700-hours of my time on it. I asked BaT if I could re-list it as it was basically a whole different car and they flat denied me.

With heart in my hand, I decided to list it on Rennist and sold it for than my asking price in less than 1-day. It was a wild ride and goes to show good cars will sell.
Yasin

I think that I already commented on another thread that I'm glad you came out alright on that one. The porsche market is strong enough right now that people can get the BaT price on Pelican or Rennlist because the same people are watching and everybody knows what the 2021 price is on a given car. BaT does have a wider reach but glad it wasn't needed in your case.

BaT can be a great place to sell but they have their own policies, that's for sure. It's a hell of a lot easier to get a car on there now than it was before the sale, that's for sure. They will now list absolutely anything. But only once per owner. If the car changes owners, they will gladly list it again.

[Ryan_Cunningham]

I just sold a Land Rover Discovery II on BaT and could not be happier with the experience. $100 total cost for seller regardless of sales price.

[Deschodt]

Definitely a place to sell (not buy).
They'll fight you on reserve. They'll make you wait. Their copy will be terrible. Once sold they are useless in your dealings with the seller or payments. Be ready to wait, defend your valuation, and be super engaged with comments and maybe repost "your" original description of the car because they'll largely rewrite it. Also have patience with idiots. I had to measure a bumper off a flat floor in 4 places to prove that the bumper wasn't crooked on my car and the guy's eyes were ;-) Still, did very well... was a little worried on the $ transaction because they are not engaged in that and do not vet buyers at all. Great place to sell.. If you buy there you have more $ than sense.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Deschodt

Definitely a place to sell (not buy).
They'll fight you on reserve. They'll make you wait. Their copy will be terrible. Once sold they are useless in your dealings with the seller or payments. Be ready to wait, defend your valuation, and be super engaged with comments and maybe repost "your" original description of the car because they'll largely rewrite it. Also have patience with idiots. I had to measure a bumper off a flat floor in 4 places to prove that the bumper wasn't crooked on my car and the guy's eyes were ;-) Still, did very well... was a little worried on the $ transaction because they are not engaged in that and do not vet buyers at all. Great place to sell.. If you buy there you have more $ than sense.

Having listed two cars with them I totally agree. If you have a rare or hot car it’s worth the trouble as it could bring more than expected. If you have something more normal where you are just trying for fair market value there are better forums. My SL63 would be a waste of time to deal with BaT, I can write a better ad and have it sold before they even get it listed for sale.

[notmytarga]

I sold my '75 Targa in 2016 after rebuilding it almost twice - https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1975-porsche-911-2/

I feel my listing and the process proceeded very well and reviewing the listing and comments would be informative.

I provided many pictures taken late afternoon with HDR (high dynamic range) mode on as cellphone. I provided them in an organized and labeled manner. I provided a whole bunch of lists of work done and the story behind the car. Their staff wrote up the description (they used a consistent 'formula', which helps make the listings comparable). Primarily they describe the car objectively using picture and provided evidence. I had three pages of information (in the Gallery) which really helped to beef up the information that was written into the listing by BaT.

The buyer pays a percentage and pays transport. The seller does some valuable work promoting during commenting, pays a smaller listing fee and makes the vehicle available for transport.

In the end my Targa sold for much more than I expected. $36,500 To a German buyer. Early on and before many comments the bids surpassed the reserve I had considered. The comments were primarily positive - which helped a lot. During the week the auction was active I made a video to further enhance the listing - I upped the game.



The German buyer was required to change to H4 headlights, replace the chipped windshield, Europeanized the rear bumper etc and two years later I heard from a new owner in Germany.



Good luck Angela -

[bcgreen]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

I would totally echo what the others said, photos and video sell the car. Your investment in a pro is wise and may pay off quite literally. Considering how unique your car is I think BaT is a good fit, there’s a very good chance it could bring more than expected. One other note, don’t let the BaT folks push you into an artificially low reserve. Remember that they really only get paid when a car sells, so that is their primary motivation.

In my case they did just that - set an artificially low reserve. Can I say what the reserve I want? Can they reject my reserve?

[Scott Douglas]

Originally Posted by bcgreen

Can I say what the reserve I want? Can they reject my reserve?

Yes you can, that is your choice.
Of course they can reject your choice. They're in the business of selling cars, not getting the most money for the sellers.

[jhynesrockmtn]

Originally Posted by bcgreen

In my case they did just that - set an artificially low reserve. Can I say what the reserve I want? Can they reject my reserve?

They'll try and low ball you or convince you that you'll do better in the end with a no reserve sale. Don't cave in. If you don't get your reserve, move on to a different venue. Best of luck!

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by jhynesrockmtn

They'll try and low ball you or convince you that you'll do better in the end with a no reserve sale. Don't cave in. If you don't get your reserve, move on to a different venue. Best of luck!

Yup, that’s why I haven’t listed several cars with them. Ultimately I got way more than the reserve price they were pushing for.

[bcgreen]

Originally Posted by jhynesrockmtn

They'll try and low ball you or convince you that you'll do better in the end with a no reserve sale. Don't cave in. If you don't get your reserve, move on to a different venue. Best of luck!

I am on the wall - go with BAT or consign. I have been leaning slightly towards BAT because of the convienence where I don't have to ship to the consignor and don't have to pay their rather high fee.

[porsche4life]

Originally Posted by bcgreen

I am on the wall - go with BAT or consign. I have been leaning slightly towards BAT because of the convienence where I don't have to ship to the consignor and don't have to pay their rather high fee.

Why not just list it yourself? The market is hot right now, cars priced well are selling quick.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by porsche4life

Why not just list it yourself? The market is hot right now, cars priced well are selling quick.

Agreed. If you like the auction format then sell it on EBay.