Let’s compare how the two sites stack up across different value propositions.
What Is Bring a Trailer?
Bring a Trailer is a vehicle auction website, similar to RM Sotheby’s, Avantgarde Collection, and Mecum Auction. It specializes in the sale of classic cars, collector cars, hot rods, and custom vehicles (such as Factory Five cars). A Bring a Trailer auction typically lasts for 7 days.
What Is PrivateAuto?
PrivateAuto is an end-to-end platform for individuals to buy and sell vehicles of all types. The PrivateAuto app includes vehicle listings, a self-serve auction component, an integrated payment gateway, integrated third-party services, in-app messaging, a scheduling feature for arranging test drives, and e-signing of documentation.
Bring a Trailer pros and cons
Bring a Trailer Pros and Cons
Bring a Trailer has an intuitive website that’s simple enough to navigate. Their seller fees are fairly reasonable, while their buyer fees are on the higher end.
Bring a Trailer’s biggest issue is their lack of transactional infrastructure. Until recently, buyers and sellers were left to navigate all the logistics of the deal, including payments, on their own. In March 2024, Bring a Trailer announced their Verified Checkout feature.
Verified Checkout facilitates payment, title transfer, and more, and is included in Bring a Trailer’s standard buyer’s fee of 5% of the vehicle’s purchase price.
Bring a Trailer Pros
- Wide selection of vehicles, including classic cars
- Trusted brand (even if there are some horror stories—see below)
- Vehicle advertising available
- Vehicle history report available
- Reasonable seller fees
- Integrated vehicle financing option
- Integrated car shipping option
- White glove service to provide support, including auction specialists on staff
- Payment processing feature
- Integrated vehicle photography service
Bring a Trailer Cons
- High cost to buyers
- No integrated banking gateway
- No integrated insurance option
- No integrated warranty option
- Auction is the only sale format available
PrivateAuto pros and cons
PrivateAuto Pros and Cons
PrivateAuto is a vehicle marketplace combined with an integrated banking and payment gateway and a full array of other transactional features to get the deal done. It is fully tech-enabled, meaning that it doesn’t offer human assistance for transactions, but instead relies on well-crafted technology solutions at an affordable pricepoint.
PrivateAuto Pros
- Tech-enabled transactionality for every stage of the deal
- Seller can choose auction or standard listing
- Self-serve, intuitive auction process
- Low seller fees
- No buyer fee
- Start a deal on another platform, finish it with the DealNow transaction platform
- Vehicle advertising available
- Vehicle history reports available
- Integrated vehicle photography service
- In-app messaging and test drive scheduling
- Intuitive mobile app and website
- Buyer and seller verification
- Integrated car shipping
- Integrated banking system enables instantaneous payments of any amount, 24/7/365
- Instant payments provide escrow-like safeguards so you can drive the deal
- In-app car financing
- In-app car insurance provider integration
PrivateAuto Cons
PrivateAuto doesn’t have a lot of downsides. We designed it that way after looking at the pain points associated with other platforms. If you find any flaws, let us know!
Which platform has better pricing?
PrivateAuto vs Bring a Trailer: Pricing
Both PrivateAuto and Bring a Trailer have seller fees, which sellers pay when creating a vehicle listing. However, PrivateAuto doesn’t take a cut from the buyers, while Bring a Trailer charges a buyer transaction fee.
PrivateAuto Fees
PrivateAuto fees are among the lowest in the online car selling market. The seller pays a $150 listing fee with no additional costs thereafter. The buyer is responsible for paying for the vehicle only and has no transaction-related costs.
Bring a Trailer Fees
Bring a Trailer has fees for both buyer and seller. The seller pays a listing fee of $99. In addition to paying for the actual vehicle, the buyer has to pay a 5% transaction fee to Bring a Trailer, with a $250 minimum and $7,500 maximum.
Which platform has better advertising?
PrivateAuto vs Bring a Trailer: Advertising
PrivateAuto and Bring a Trailer both offer vehicle advertising, with a detailed car history report on their websites. PrivateAuto offers an array of useful features Bring a Trailer lacks. For instance, PrivateAuto offers a window brochure with QR codes and an easy-to-use live chat so buyers and sellers can communicate in real time without ever exchanging contact information.
PrivateAuto also enables sellers and buyers to start a deal on another platform—whether Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, eBay Motors, or Autotrader—and finish it on PrivateAuto with our transactional infrastructure. The DealNow fast-track workflow bypasses the listing and negotiation steps and gets the deal done safely, quickly, and conveniently.
Which platform is more transactional?
PrivateAuto vs Bring a Trailer: Transaction Features
Bring a Trailer’s Verified Checkout brings transactional functionality to what was previously a very non-transactional platform. Functionality includes payment processing, help with paperwork, and other conveniences. The platform has also integrated add-on services, such as vehicle photography, car transport, and financing.
PrivateAuto is a fully transactional marketplace, with technological solutions for every stage of the deal. Buyers and sellers can schedule test drives, do a step-by-step walkthrough of the entire transaction process, sign the bill of sale, and transfer funds–all through the PrivateAuto app. Because payments are instantaneous, a PrivateAuto deal can be done very quickly.
Which platform offers better payment options?
PrivateAuto vs Bring a Trailer: Payments
Bring a Trailer’s new Verified Checkout includes payment processing. Essentially, the platform acts as an escrow service to receive payment from the buyer and deliver it to the seller after the transaction is done. The entire process takes days.
PrivateAuto allows for instantaneous payments of any amount, 365 days a year, 24 hours per day. Its integrated banking system, PrivateAuto Pay, functions as an internal bank transfer when funds move from the buyer to the seller. PrivateAuto also allows buyers to pay with a card (credit or debit), crypto, or cash. Buyers can also split the vehicle payment across multiple channels, and even apply for financing within the PrivateAuto app.
The instantaneous nature of PrivateAuto Pay allows real-time deals and even remote transactions.
Which platform delivers the best user experience?
PrivateAuto vs Bring a Trailer: User Experience
PrivateAuto and Bring a Trailer both have websites. PrivateAuto has a mobile application, while Bring a Trailer does not.
PrivateAuto Website
PrivateAuto has an intuitive website. It’s easy to shop used cars for sale and filter by make, model, geographical proximity, and other criteria. Sellers can quickly list a vehicle for sale and choose from standard listing or auction format, with a step-by-step guide helping them through the process.
Bring a Trailer Website
The Bring a Trailer website is easy to use, for the most part. The process of listing your vehicle is quite simple. For the potential buyer, Bring a Trailer’s search and browsing features could be improved upon; finding particular vehicles can be time-consuming. Users can add vehicles to a watchlist, which can be helpful.
PrivateAuto App
PrivateAuto offers an app that’s available on both iOS and Android. You can list your car for sale, look through available vehicles, contact sellers, e-sign the bill of sale, and pay for your vehicle, all from your phone.
Bring a Trailer App
Bring a Trailer does not have an app, so all aspects of the vehicle buying and selling process are done through their website.
The verdict
Choosing the Best Online Car Selling Platform
The verdict on Bring a Trailer vs PrivateAuto?
PrivateAuto if you want fast, easy transactions with low costs.
Bring a Trailer if you want white glove service and don’t mind a drawn-out transaction and higher costs.
Bring a Trailer horror stories
Bring a Trailer Horror Stories
Bring a Trailer has its share of dissatisfied customers, with online complaints falling into the following seven categories:
- Reserve prices and auction handling: some sellers have expressed frustration with BaT’s approach to setting reserve prices, feeling pressured to lower them against their wishes. In extreme cases, disagreements over reserve prices have led sellers to abandon BaT altogether and opt for private sales.
- Moderation and comments: BaT’s moderation of comments has come under fire, with sellers claiming that negative or misleading comments have unfairly impacted their auctions. Some have also reported instances where BaT failed to post sellers’ comments after auctions ended, denying them the opportunity to address concerns or clarify misconceptions.
- Shill bidding and market manipulation: allegations of shill bidding and market manipulation have surfaced, with stories of sellers or their associates bidding on their own auctions to artificially inflate prices. Such practices raise serious concerns about the integrity and fairness of the platform.
- Customer service and communication: users have reported unsatisfactory experiences with BaT’s customer service, citing issues such as lost emails, delayed responses, and inconsistent guidance on the auction process. Some sellers have described the process as inefficient and prolonged, with conflicting information from different BaT representatives.
- Vehicle presentation and auction timing: Complaints have arisen regarding the selection of photos used in listings and the timing of auctions. In one case, a seller expressed disappointment that BaT chose what they considered to be the worst photos provided and scheduled the auction over a holiday weekend without prior notice.
- Technical issues: some users have encountered technical problems that disrupted the auction process, such as discrepancies in auction timing displayed on bidders’ screens. These issues can lead to confusion and disputes over the legitimacy of the auction results.
- Transparency and business practices: as BaT has grown and evolved, particularly since its acquisition by Hearst Communications in 2020, some users have expressed concerns that the platform has strayed from its enthusiast roots and become more commercially oriented. This shift has raised questions about transparency and the platform’s overall business practices.
These complaints represent a subset of experiences on Bring a Trailer. Many transactions on the platform are successful and satisfactory for all parties involved.
Bring a Trailer vs PrivateAuto FAQ
How much does Bring a Trailer cost?
As a seller, a Bring a Trailer listing will cost you anywhere from $99 to $349, depending on how long you want the listing to be up for. Buyers also have to pay a hefty fee: 5% of the price, up to $7,500.
Is Bring a Trailer worth it?
Bring a Trailer auctions have long been renowned as one of the best ways to sell a classic car or collector vehicle online. Nowadays, there are better, quicker ways to sell a car online, whether you’re selling a newer model, a classic car, or a unique custom vehicle. For example, selling (and buying) a vehicle through PrivateAuto is much more simple, intuitive, and quick.
How much does PrivateAuto cost?
If you want to buy a vehicle through PrivateAuto, you can do so with no transaction fees. As a seller, you pay $150 for your listing. This price includes all premium features PrivateAuto offers.
How secure is the PrivateAuto Pay feature?
Your PrivateAuto Pay account is an FDIC-insured bank account that you own, hosted on the PrivateAuto app. You control your funds, and can easily move money between your PrivateAuto Pay account and an external bank account.
PrivateAuto Pay uses the highest levels of encryption and other safeguards so that your funds are as safe as they can possibly be.
Can you cancel a bid on Bring a Trailer?
No, you cannot cancel a bid on Bring a Trailer. This company functions similarly to auction houses, in that you have to be ready to pay the amount you bid. So long as your bid remains the highest, you will win the auction. Backing out of a purchase can get you banned from Bring a Trailer for life.
Can you pay with a credit card on Bring a Trailer?
Bring a Trailer can process credit card payments, for an additional processing fee. PrivateAuto Pay, in contrast, has no additional fees associated with the transfer of funds.
How does PrivateAuto vet buyers and sellers?
In order to provide a safe experience for the buyer and the seller, PrivateAuto vets and verifies both using the latest facial recognition technology.
Verified buyers must provide an email address, driver’s license information, and phone number. This information is only used to verify the buyer’s identity and is hidden from other buyers and sellers.
Similarly, sellers must enter their vehicle’s VIN and create a PrivateAuto profile before they put up a listing. A vehicle’s VIN is critical to determine the ownership of the car and ensure that the title is clean.
How does the PrivateAuto loan process work?
The PrivateAuto loan and financing process is quite simple for both the buyer and the seller.
Buyers don’t have to pay the full asking price directly from their bank account. Instead, they can apply for financing through our convenient mobile app.
The buyer in need of financing is connected to a trusted partner bank to discuss their financing options. When the buyer is approved, the seller receives a direct transfer for the total amount, while the buyer makes payments according to the lender terms they have agreed upon when receiving a vehicle loan.
Are there reserves on Bring a Trailer?
Yes, there are reserves on Bring a Trailer. A reserve is the minimum price the vehicle will sell for. Sellers set their own reserves, so you may run across a vehicle with an unreasonably high starting price when buying a car through Bring a Trailer.
What is the best website for buying and selling cars privately?
The best website for buying cars privately is PrivateAuto. Not only can you quickly and securely buy a car in any US state, you can do so from the comfort of your phone, through our app, and you can get the deal done quickly and securely.
PrivateAuto is also the best website to sell your car because we give you tech-enabled solutions for every stage of the deal. Get listed, meet the buyer, sign the bill of sale, and get paid.
If you have a used car to sell, get started on PrivateAuto by creating a listing.
Is it better to buy a used car from a private seller or a dealer?
You usually get a better deal buying from a private seller instead of a dealer. Dealers charge markup and fees.
Will PrivateAuto sell my personal information?
No, PrivateAuto does not sell your personal information. We pride ourselves in our ability to ensure safe and secure transactions, and only use your information to make the process of selling or buying your car frictionless.
How long does a BaT auction last?
Bring a Trailer auctions usually last for 7 days.