Bring a Trailer is an American online auction platform with a large enthusiast community, and cars located in Europe, the Netherlands included, are auctioned there too, from dealers and private sellers. Octane is an online auction for enthusiast cars, focused on Western Europe. So the question is not whether BaT can sell your car, but where the serious bidders for your car are: does it need American reach, or the right European bidders? And what does it cost those bidders to take part?
On paper the auctions look alike. On both, the car stays with the seller, the platform writes the listing, bidders ask questions in public comments and the seller answers them. And on both, buyer and seller complete the sale directly with each other afterwards. The difference lies in what each platform is built for. Bring a Trailer is an American company, part of the Hearst network of media companies, with a European presence: cars in the EU are auctioned in euros, European terms apply and there are local partners, the Netherlands included. At the same time, BaT’s own shipping and escrow services work only in the United States, and outside the EU and the UK bidding is in dollars. The centre of gravity of its services is in America. Octane is built for Western Europe. Around every accepted car we build a campaign that brings enthusiasts from across Western Europe to the auction, at our cost on regular auctions. And the buyer pays 3% including VAT with a €3,600 maximum, against 5% plus VAT with a €7,500 maximum at BaT.
You submit your car, we assess whether it fits and agree a realistic reserve together. We then write the listing copy and structure the specifications and history. For the photos we match you with a photographer from our network, whom you pay directly, or you take them yourself following our photo guide. The car stays with you throughout. The car is usually live within days. Then the real work starts: we build a campaign around the car to bring new buyers to the auction, usually at our cost. The auction takes seven days; you answer bidder questions yourself in the comments.
You submit the car with photos, details and a requested reserve, and BaT assesses whether it fits. If it is accepted, you pay the listing fee and an Auction Specialist writes the listing based on your information and photos. You take those photos yourself following BaT’s photo guide: Plus, with a professional photographer, is not offered to a visitor from the Netherlands, though BaT does point to independent Local Partners, the Netherlands included, whom you pay yourself. According to BaT, a Classic auction usually takes a few weeks from submission to going live. The auction takes seven days. You answer questions in the public comments, and bidders can arrange a viewing or test drive with you through Contact Seller. If the reserve is not met, one offer and one counteroffer with the highest bidder follow; at its discretion, BaT can also make up the difference.
Up to and including the listing, both platforms work in a comparable way: the platform writes the copy, you take the photos yourself or have them taken by a professional you pay yourself, and you answer the questions. The difference lies in the lead time and in how bidders find their way to your auction.
| Sale price | Octane | Bring a Trailer | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| €15,000 | €450 | €750 | +€300 |
| €25,000 | €750 | €1,250 | +€500 |
| €75,000 | €2,250 | €3,750 | +€1,500 |
| €150,000 | €3,600maximum fee | €7,500 | +€3,900 |
At Bring a Trailer the minimum fee applies below a sale price of roughly €5,000.
At Octane the €3,600 cap applies above a sale price of roughly €120,000.
Octane's amounts include VAT.
Bring a Trailer publishes its buyer fee excluding VAT; the applicable VAT rate is not published, so the amounts are shown excluding VAT.
BaT’s amounts in the table are the rates BaT states for a car located in the EU: 5% on top of the winning bid, minimum €250 and maximum €7,500, excluding VAT. BaT’s FAQ ties that euro maximum to cars located in the EU, its How BaT Works page to bidders from the EU; BaT does not make clear which of the two applies. Elsewhere BaT charges in dollars (minimum $250, maximum $7,500) or, in the United Kingdom, in pounds. Buyers in the EU and the UK pay VAT on the fee, at a rate BaT does not publish; buyers in the US and dealers with a VAT number pay no VAT. Motorcycles, parts and a few other categories carry 10%, with a €4,000 maximum. At the low end BaT’s minimum is below Octane’s: below a €7,000 sale price, BaT’s fee is lower before VAT.
For the seller, the costs are close: at BaT you pay a €99 listing fee for a Classic auction, excluding VAT, only once the car is accepted and with no commission; at Octane you pay nothing. On both you receive the full winning bid. The difference lands with the buyer, and that is exactly why it concerns you as the seller. At BaT they pay 5% on top of their bid, minimum €250 and maximum €7,500, plus VAT if they live in the EU. At Octane they pay 3% including VAT, minimum €350 and maximum €3,600. A buyer looks at their total purchase price: what they save on the fee they can spend on the car itself, and that can affect how high they bid. To be fair: at the very bottom BaT is cheaper. With a €250 minimum against our €350, the buyer pays a lower fee at BaT before VAT on a car below €7,000. Above that it turns around, and BaT’s maximum is more than twice ours.
BaT describes itself as an auction platform and an enthusiast community, and that community is a real strength: knowledgeable members weigh in under every auction. According to BaT there are more than 750,000 registered bidders, but BaT does not publish how many of them live in Europe. The company is American, and its own shipping and escrow services work only in the US. An American buyer of a car from the Netherlands arranges transport and import themselves, and according to BaT a car under 25 years old generally has to meet US emissions and safety standards. Octane takes the opposite approach: an audience of enthusiasts in Western Europe, and around every accepted car a campaign to reach buyers beyond our own user base too. For those bidders, transport and handover stay within Europe. A large audience says how many people know a platform. What counts for a seller is how many serious candidates for this car are reached, and whether they can collect it after the auction.
Octane is built to be more than just the place where the highest bid lands. Around the platform we are building a Western European network of specialised partners for transport, inspections, detailing and other services around buying and selling special cars. If your car is in the Netherlands and the strongest bidder is in Belgium, that buyer does not have to find an inspector or transporter from scratch. On request, we connect buyer and seller with a suitable specialist. That way we can help not only to bring buyer and car together, but also to complete the transaction as smoothly as possible afterwards.
The overlap is large: a Porsche 911, a BMW M3 or an Alfa Romeo with history fits both platforms, and BaT also auctions cars from the Netherlands. The question then is not which platform accepts it, but where the serious bidders are, what it costs them to bid and whether they can collect it after the auction.
For a sports car, youngtimer, classic or modern performance car in Western Europe, whose buyers are there too, we usually consider Octane the more logical choice. First, reach. Around every accepted car we build a campaign aimed at enthusiasts in Western Europe, including beyond our own user base, at our cost on regular auctions. Your car reaches bidders for whom transport and handover stay within Europe. Second, the cost to the buyer: 3% including VAT with a €3,600 maximum, against 5% plus VAT with a €7,500 maximum. What a buyer saves on the fee remains available for their bid, and at Octane they can also bid without a credit card after identity verification, up to a limit. Third, the whole sale: we write the listing, the car is usually live within days, and on request we connect buyer and seller with specialists for inspection or transport.
Bring a Trailer can make more sense when the natural buyers for your car are in the United States: an American model, a car originally built for the US market, or a classic over 25 years old with a strong American collector market. For the last two, the import rules BaT itself describes are a lower hurdle, and its large American audience weighs more heavily. If you deliberately want the BaT community, with knowledgeable members weighing in through the comments, you will find it there. And if you want bidders to be able to see the car or take a test drive before the auction ends, BaT allows that; Octane does not. The trade-off is whether that American reach is worth it for your car, against a buyer who pays 5% plus VAT, up to €7,500, and a longer run-up to the auction.
Bring a Trailer and Octane both auction special cars online, in a comparable way. The difference is where the bidders are. Are the buyers for your car in the United States, for an American model or a classic with a strong American collector market? Then BaT is a logical choice. Is your car in Western Europe, with its buyers there too? Then we consider Octane the stronger choice, with a campaign per car aimed at enthusiasts in Western Europe and 3% including VAT for the buyer, at most €3,600. It is not about the largest number of bidders in the world, but about the bidders for whom your car is within reach.
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Octane next to the other auction platforms:
Looking for an alternative to Bring a Trailer? See all options side by side →
| Item | Octane | Bring a Trailer |
|---|---|---|
| Platform type | Online auction for enthusiast cars | American online auction platform and enthusiast community for classic, collector and enthusiast vehicles. BaT acts as an intermediary: buyer and seller conclude the sale directly with each other |
| Types of car | Sports cars and supercars, Youngtimers and classics, JDM and modern performance, Rare specifications and low mileage | Classic, collector, exotic and enthusiast vehicles, from inexpensive project cars to multi-million-dollar collector pieces. Also trucks, 4x4s, race cars, campers, motorcycles, boats and aircraft, plus parts and automobilia |
| Seller cost | None. You receive the full winning bid | €99 listing fee for a Classic auction, as shown to a visitor from the Netherlands; excluding VAT and payable only once the car is accepted. No commission: you receive the full winning bid. Plus with a professional photographer ($429) is not offered to a visitor from the Netherlands; White Glove costs $2,500 on its own page* |
| Buyer fee | 3% of the winning bid, including VAT, minimum €350 | 5% on top of the winning bid, minimum €250, excluding VAT. Buyers in the EU and the UK pay VAT on it, at a rate BaT does not publish |
| Maximum buyer fee | €3,600 | €7,500 for cars located in the EU, excluding VAT; see the note under the fee table |
| Auction length | 7 days | 7 days; Premium auctions 7 to 21 days |
| Reserve price (minimum) available | Yes, confidential and agreed with the team | Yes, agreed with BaT and not visible to bidders; BaT also does not announce when it is met. You can lower it during the auction. If it is not met, you and the highest bidder exchange one offer and one counteroffer, with 24 hours per round |
| Geographic focus | Western Europe: the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Spain, Italy, Austria, Denmark, Switzerland, Sweden and Finland | International from the United States; BaT considers cars from anywhere in the world, the Netherlands included. Cars in the EU are auctioned in euros*, in the United Kingdom in pounds, elsewhere in dollars. More than 750,000 registered bidders according to BaT, which does not publish how many of them live in Europe |
| Car stays with the seller | Yes | Yes. Registered bidders can arrange a viewing, inspection or test drive with you through Contact Seller |
| Presentation and photography | Editorial listing copy and structured specifications written by the platform. Photography through a photographer from our network, paid directly by you, or you supply your own images that meet the photo guide | A BaT Auction Specialist writes the listing based on your information and photos. You take the photos yourself following BaT’s photo guide; Plus with a professional photographer is not offered to a visitor from the Netherlands. BaT points to independent Local Partners, the Netherlands included, for services such as preparation and photography, at a price you agree with them |
| Promotion of the car | An active campaign per car, aimed at both the existing Octane audience and new potential buyers in Western Europe. Campaign costs are covered by Octane on regular auctions | The BaT Daily Mail with every new listing, alerts by make, model, category and location by e-mail and in the app, and a Premium section for a selection of auctions. With White Glove, also featured status in the Daily Mail and social media promotion |
| Contact with bidders | Bidders ask questions in the comments under the auction and the seller answers them | Public comments under every auction, where the community discusses the car and asks questions; BaT encourages sellers to answer there actively themselves. Registered bidders can also contact you privately through Contact Seller; contact details are not allowed in the comments |
| After the auction ends | Buyer and seller get a private chat environment with each other’s details, where they complete the transaction between themselves | BaT sends buyer and seller each other’s contact details, after which you complete the sale directly: terms, payment and delivery. For a car in the EU the buyer pays you in euros*. BaT recommends payment by bank transfer within three business days or another agreed timeframe |
| Support around the transaction | On request, Octane connects buyer and seller with specialists for inspection and transport among others | An Auction Specialist monitors your auction and customer service also helps afterwards. Escrow (Verified Checkout) and BaT Shipping are available in the United States only; for international transport BaT points to specialist shippers, with an explanation of US import rules, including for cars under 25 years old. Independent Local Partners, the Netherlands included, offer services such as preparation, storage and local transport at their own rates. No physical inspection by BaT |
* Where BaT’s pages contradict each other, we state both versions. The buying and selling policy for the EU says bids can only be made in US dollars; the FAQ and the lots in the Netherlands we read bid in euros. Under the terms of use for the EU a bid is VAT-inclusive unless the listing says otherwise; the bid dialog on a lot in the Netherlands says the buyer also pays the seller any applicable VAT and that the bid may not include it. White Glove is listed as price on request on two pages and as $2,500 per vehicle on its own page.
Information checked on 2 October 2026. Fees and terms of external platforms can change. Always check the current terms with the platform itself.