Bring A Trailer Reviews 122

A no reserve auction (by a well known BAT seller) i’m bidding on was supposed to end today at 3pm EST. It was then extended to 5pm EST due to “outages.” Then extended again 24 hours later. BAT claims it is because of outages affecting all auctions but many other auctions ended today on original time.

Not to mention, 1 of the commenters stating there were outages and its affecting listings also happens to be bidding.

Seems fishy to me.

Any action under $15k is considered a no reserve auction. When asked if I had to honer bids under the value of my vehicle there was complete silence. I have transcripts showing that after the auction started, I would not accept any offers less than $10k. Silence, the car sold for $6500, the money i have in this car is $9500. Not taking a hit, refused to sell it, my option, not theirs. Well they blacklisted me which is fine, don't need them. Please do not waste any of your time with these guys. Bunch of penny pinching customers who expect to pay unrealistic values for your classic and customer service sucks to say the least.

Is anyone else tired of all the "additional security" websites are implementing to they can do less verification and provide minimal value for the fees they charge?

BAT has long had a history of providing a market for privately held unique (in most cases) vehicles at high prices. It is definitely built for sellers.

I purchased a vehicle using BAT in 2022 and paid their overpriced auction fee for literally listing some photos and information on their site. I had to do all the coordination with the seller, logistics to transport the vehicle, and took all the risk sending payment over a wire to the seller.

If BAT is going to charge such a high commission and provide no value then their business will fail as soon as the market turns which I expect it to do so soon.

It was fun while it lasted BAT but there are other more friendly auction sites for vehicles that I will use from here on out.

As this review site does not allow me to paste my actual review in question I will write what I wrote then:

I am beginning to get somewhat concerned and disappointed about the free flow of honest comments and information that is flagged by the “moderators” of this site and in this case of a post I made here with about two days left in this auction - that was not allowed. Firstly, as an owner of not one but two nut and bolt restored gold award-winning 1953 Skylarks I had made a comment about hoping the seller got as much money as possible for his beautiful automobile while making what ended up being a fairly accurate prediction on where the price would end up. I put to you BAT and dare you to not only allow this comment here to be posted but to respond in kind. I and would predict that many others would like to be assured that you’re not yet another victim infected by the “safe space” pandemic at the cost of cancelling honest, accurate, relative and productive conversation.

Bring a Trailer unfortunately cancelled my post as written. Makes me wonder- just like the news these days - what they’re not telling you. Market manipulation? Disappointing in the very least. Just sayin.

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.

Went to advertise my car, it’s not some type of regular mass produced vehicle, got told by Bring a trailer I could ONLY list it without a reserve.
They pushed it on 4 emails.
Don’t listen to them!
I’m not the only person
Bring a trailer is only out for sales
commission, will NEVER use that platform ever again!
They wanted me to sell my vehicle at 4 times below book price!
Avoid

Avoid this place. My experience was extremely disappointing. Vehicles sold here can have serious hidden problems, and you’re essentially bidding without knowing what you’re really getting. When it comes to selling, they pressure you to set a very low reserve so the car sells quickly—benefiting their commission, not you

Want to buy someone’s polished disaster of a failed project for the price of a clean car? Where the seller states’ hard hot starts’ but really means ‘engine is blown to hell’ or ‘minor fender bender’ but really means ‘car was totaled’. And good luck getting in contact with the bat customer service, non existent. You can get the same car on marketplace without the mark up and/or headaches.

This company is an absolute disgrace will try and sell your car at the lowest price possible what do they care what you sell your car for all they want is there commission this company should be investigated for shady business practices and shut down

I have been a fairly long-time participant in BaT, 5 years or so now and I have expert knowledge and huge experience in specialist marques. The level of censorship on BaT when that experience is being given for potential buyers to watch out for the traps they can easily fall into is shameful and the feeling that all the BaT team is looking for is commissioned staff pushing for maximum sales commission is tangible.
I have recently bid on a couple of vehicles and it was obvious that at least one was being bid up by a 'shill', whether it be an autobot, or just someone being mischievous. Same nonsense comments, as detailed by other Trustpilot contributors, goading the bidders, but when checking the suspected shill's background, loads of mid-level bids on a broad range of vehicles with about a one-month history. No sales, no purchases, no substantial input.
I raised a flag to BaT - forget it - ranks closed and all my comments are continuing to be reviewed by staff.
I really don't care any longer - BaT legitimacy is in the toilet and it's only a matter of time before this is more broadly exposed.
I have no intention of future bidding after the past two events experience, because the pattern is repeated all over the place once you look a bit more closely and there's already something pretty odd with a) the number of completely run-of-the-mill standard vehicles capturing prices way over what they are worth and b) the number of 'No Reserve' auctions on 'good' vehicles which others are regularly pointing out.

Whatever riposte you care to place, BaT, only continues to underline your 'teflon-shoulders' and real lack of a fair and open process. I expect it will be another 'AI' generated bucket of bile. Yawn...
The process only seems to serve you best and those sellers/buyers in your 'inner clique'.
The clock is ticking down on this house of cards - as the old saying goes, 'There's a fool born every minute'...

First hand experience here. Purchased a 1991 land cruiser. The seller took pictures of the car and purposefully did not put pictures of the items that were in bad shape. The cracked dashboard was shown as a minor crack ( turns out i could fit my whole hand in the dashboard from the other side), he took a picture of surface rust on a small section of the exhaust pipe ( did not show that a whole section was rusted badly). I contacted BAT and they said he showed the items.. well he did show pictures but not the actual extent of the damage. Purposefully did not take pictures at the right angles. I wouldn't use BAT again knowing they side with sellers while clearly misrepresenting the items.

Selling dealer was helpful with transportation & paper work, but did not disclose some items that did not function. Dealer didn't even have lift to get underside pictures. Most used car dealers put some effort into detailing their product, not with this car. Leaves & woodchips in cabin & trunk, French fries in map pockets.

I'm thankful for the reviews and comments on TP. I almost purchased from them.

Bring a Trailer has blocked my (second) comment on a withdrawn auction, "for review". But still not posted. Probably never will be.

I can only assume it is because I pointed out the truth that they do not want known.

Regarding this auction on Bring a Trailer;
(yellow) 302-Powered Cobra Replica
Withdrawn on 8/26/25

The seller previously listed in June and reserve not met. Then BaT re-listed "No Reserve". Let auction run for 6 days, then withdrew the auction.

This looks like fraud. People bid in good faith on "No Reserve". That Bat blocked my post that explained why this seems fraudulent, suggests they are complicit in a fraud. My comments below are the post they will not print.

-------------
Seller claims “The auction was removed at my request due to a submission mistake on my part”.
What was the mistake? That you agreed to “No Reserve” then backed out when you saw you might not get a good price? That is certainly what it looks like to the community. Please clarify.

If this car goes back on BaT with a reserve, that would absolutely confirm that this was a fraud against the community.

The ONLY right action here is to put the car back up as “No Reserve” and honour whatever price is bid, no matter how low. Otherwise, this appears to be conspiracy to defraud by the seller and BaT.

@BaT Again, if this is not sorted out clearly and transparently to the community, why would anyone honour a “No Reserve” sale if they don’t like the bid? This stinks of fraud. And not for the first time. REALLY BAD LOOK BaT."
-------------

Is it fraud? I don't know. But it sure looks that way and the actions by BaT support that conclusion IMO. Especially the blocking of relevant posts by users. I know mine was blocked. How many others were too?

They say, "It's not the crime that gets you, it is the cover up."

And yes, I have the screenshot/PDF of my post status as awaiting review.

I will revise this review should BaT decide to post my comment and explain their actions fully.

EDIT: Nov4 2025.

The worthless reply from BaT prompted another look at their site.

Sure enough, another Cobra, previously listed and not meeting reserve, re-listed 'No Reserve'. Pulled 24 hours before closing with low bids.

This one: 408-Powered Johnspeed Cobra Replica 5-Speed - Withdrawn on 11/4/25

Almost exactly like the previous one that, when I noted it, prompted BaT to block my posts. BaT supports fraudulent 'no reserve' listings. Pretty obvious now.

Beware of BaT. "No Reserve" means nothing. Shameless and despicable conduct.

(Second update)
And just today, this "No Reserve" auction;

Japanese-Market 1999 Subaru Impreza Sedan 2.0 5-Speed - Sold for USD $2,860 on 11/4/25

Except seller says they will not sell at that price. So, NOT SOLD.

NO RESERVE MEANS NOTHING. BaT is complicit. they do nothing to solve this. Well, nothing but block users who point out what is going on.

Quite pleased to see that this review comes up on top with a "bringatrailer no reserve fraud" search. Hopefully some people will avoid being taken in by "No Reserve" at BaT.

Customer service is HORRIBLE! No one responds to email, and they do not provide a phone number.

I was a successful bidder on a vehicle in May ‘25 and my credit card was charged the BAT fee, as expected. However, I wasn’t comfortable with some of my business interactions with the seller. After several email communications with BAT customer service, they acquiesced and returned my fee. I appreciated their responsiveness and flexibility on their policy.
ND

After relocating to Thailand in 2024, I initially planned to ship my 2007 Bentley GT overseas. The car had been fully maintained and stored securely in a private garage. But after learning that international shipping would cost nearly the same as buying a new Bentley locally, I changed course and decided to sell it instead.

Just prior to my move, the check engine light reappeared — likely due to something minor, possibly a loose connection related to recent exhaust work. The car had recently undergone $39,000+ in documented maintenance, including full EGT sensor replacement, both front air shocks, front-end alignment, and all recall work completed at Bentley St. Louis. It had also received a professional ceramic coating and was stored per Bentley’s long-term guidelines.

The vehicle is not currently registered or insured because it remains in private, secure indoor storage. It’s titled in my name, fully documented, and ready to sell.

I submitted the car to Bring a Trailer, requesting a fair and reasonable $26,000 reserve based on comparable sales and its condition.

White Glove Manager Beck Diefenbach initially pressured me to drop the reserve and sent a canned email explaining that BaT supports no-reserve auctions. When I pushed back and reiterated my desire to keep the reserve in place, he again tried to push the no-reserve route. After I finalized my position and confirmed I would only move forward with a reserve, he emailed again and essentially said he could no longer do business with me.

There was no serious engagement with my documentation, no recognition of the investment made into the vehicle, and no effort to work with me professionally. Just boilerplate replies and a refusal to respect a legitimate seller position.

This isn’t the service BaT advertises. It’s not “white glove” — it’s checkbox management and an attempt to push every listing into no-reserve territory to protect their metrics, not the seller.

I’ve since chosen not to list with BaT and have made a very wise decision to use a professional organization.

UPDATE;
Received this BS response from Dave Duke
Director of Customer Experience on August 1st

Hello Dennis,
Thanks for reaching out and sorry to hear that we were not able to come to an agreement on listing your Bentley.

A large part of our process is curating the vehicles that are submitted to us and trying to establish reasonable reserves to lead sellers toward a successful auction. We appreciate that you've put money and time into getting the Bentley prepared for sale, but based on the information you've provided us this is something we'd only be able to list in a no-reserve format. That's not a reflection of the car itself or of you as a seller, but is based on an understanding of our marketplace and trying to set expectations accordingly.

We would be happy to revisit your submission if you'd like to proceed at no reserve.

Thank you for your understanding.

Absolutely the worst online auction company operating in the United States.
Once all of the fees have been paid BAT hands off the transportation and payment seriously to their "partners" and supposedly relys on the "partners" to communicate with BAT customers. After a week of absolutely no communication from BAT or their partners I reached out to BAT and the customer service rep said all the right things to give the appearance BAT was still engaged in completing the entire transaction and then went back to absolutely no communication of any kind. When I reached out to BAT customer service I was unable to get anyone to answer the phone, but someone from BAT customer service did finally reply to my email requesting an update to scheduling the transport four days later. When the transport finally showed up they sent a trailer that was several inches narrower than the dimensions the seller provided to the transport broker. I called BAT shipping back at 10 the following morning and they were completely oblivious as to the trailer was too narrow and the vehicle was not picked up as scheduled. The seller who is a repeat customer of BAT described this transaction as a "clown show" and I can't disagree as none of the details listed on the BAT website when I decided to utilize BAT shipping and the payment process to the seller turned out to be what BAT actually did. Apparently they advertise one thing, but feel it is well within their rights to do whatever they please regardless of the service process steps they advertise on their website. If you enjoy paying a company to repeatedly frustrate you with absolutely zero foxtrot in regard to providing the services the represent on their website, then this is definitely a company you should do business with. If you do not enjoy paying someone to do as they please with zero foxtrot in regard to their customer support, then you definitely don't want to do business with them.

Bring a Trailer transport what a disappointment, Expensive ,unreliable, commits to a date and then it doesn't happen NEVER again. They are just paper pushers the act like brokers, and have no control of drivers or trucks. Call Auto Broker direct and save some money.

Communication with bring a trailer is really bad have sent many emails and they don’t respond since they have already received there commission,telling you vehicle is ready for pickup and not receiving any information from them . Luckily I had an earlier email with contact information for the seller, but I went with bring a trailer to handle all paperwork since I paid a commission for the vehicle . I got more information from the seller why it was taking so long and got his address to have a carrier pickup the vehicle ( still waiting) for the fees they charge I would have thought they would have communicated with me , bought through hagerty last year zero problems with communication , they give phone and email so you can communicate. First time with BaT and probably won’t use again since communication sucks.