Classic Trader is an international marketplace for classic vehicles, based in Berlin. Alongside classified listings it has offered online auctions since July 2024, and that auction is what we compare with Octane here. On both, the auction runs online and the car stays with you in the meantime. Still, the two work differently on important points. Who makes the listing? Which audience is watching, and what does the buyer pay on top of their bid? And what happens once the auction is over?
Classic Trader started as a classifieds marketplace and has also run online auctions since July 2024, next to classified listings and fixed-price and make-an-offer sales. As the seller you largely put the auction together yourself: you write the copy, supply at least 50 photos, and according to their seller information a current appraisal is part of it, which you pay for. Octane is an online auction for special cars, aimed at enthusiasts in Western Europe. We write the listing and structure the specifications and history, and around every accepted car we build a campaign to bring enthusiasts to the auction, at our cost on regular auctions. The second difference sits with the buyer. At Classic Trader they pay 8.5% including VAT, minimum €500, with no stated maximum; at Octane 3% including VAT, with a €3,600 maximum. What is the same: on both, the car stays with you, bidders ask their questions in public comments, and buyer and seller arrange payment of the purchase price themselves.
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 put the auction together yourself: vehicle data, a description of the condition and history, at least 50 high-resolution photos to their guidelines, and the reserve you want to hold. For the auction Classic Trader also asks for a current appraisal. If you want help, there is a photography service and a concierge service that writes the description; their prices are not on the site. Classic Trader reviews your submission, sets an estimate and schedules publication. First comes a preview phase in which the auction is visible but not yet open for bids; the auction then usually runs for 12 days. Bidders ask questions in the public comments and can arrange a viewing with you through the auction team. If the reserve is not met, you can still lower it up to 10 days after the end or turn the auction into a classified listing.
At Classic Trader you largely supply the auction yourself, appraisal included, for an international platform with listings and auctions. At Octane we build the presentation together with you and the auction revolves around a campaign for your car. If you like to write and photograph yourself, the first suits you; if you would rather hand that work over, the second.
| Sale price | Octane | Classic Trader | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| €15,000 | €450 | €1,275 | +€825 |
| €25,000 | €750 | €2,125 | +€1,375 |
| €75,000 | €2,250 | €6,375 | +€4,125 |
| €150,000 | €3,600maximum fee | €12,750 | +€9,150 |
At Classic Trader the minimum fee applies below a sale price of roughly €5,900.
At Octane the €3,600 cap applies above a sale price of roughly €120,000.
Octane's amounts include VAT.
Classic Trader charges the buyer an 8.5% transaction fee on the winning bid, minimum €500, both including VAT; no maximum is stated anywhere. Under their terms the same fee applies to fixed-price and make-an-offer sales. An auction usually runs in the seller’s currency, with the minimum converted. For comparison, outside the auction: a classified listing with an asking price costs a private seller a one-off €0 to €120 depending on the asking price (VAT not stated); dealers pay a monthly subscription.
On both platforms you pay no commission as the seller: listing an auction at Classic Trader is free, and at Octane you receive the full winning bid. Classic Trader does ask for a current appraisal for an auction, which you pay for; their own service CT Inspections charges €249 or €399. Their pages differ on whether that appraisal applies to every auction; see the footnote under the comparison table. At Octane you only pay a photographer, if you choose one. The biggest difference lands with the buyer, and that is exactly why it concerns you as the seller. At Classic Trader they pay 8.5% including VAT on their bid, minimum €500, with no stated maximum; under their terms the same applies to fixed-price and make-an-offer sales. At Octane they pay 3% including VAT, minimum €350 and maximum €3,600. A buyer looks at their total purchase price, not just their bid. What they spend on fees they cannot spend on the car itself, and that can affect how high they bid.
Classic Trader calls itself Europe’s largest marketplace for classic cars. The site runs in ten language and country versions, and by the platform’s account its listings come from more than 35 countries, with buyers from all over the world. Classic Trader also uses its newsletter and social media and speaks of a tailored marketing strategy per auction. For a classic with a broad international collector market, that is a strong channel. Octane deliberately chooses a concentrated audience: enthusiasts of special cars in Western Europe. Around every accepted car we build a campaign that also reaches buyers beyond our own user base, including through targeted advertising. A large international audience says how many people visit a marketplace. What counts for a seller is how many serious enthusiasts for this particular car are reached, and what it costs them to bid.
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: classics, youngtimers and sports cars with a good history, from a Porsche 911 to a Mercedes-Benz coupé, fit both. For that type of car the question is mainly whether you want to put the auction together yourself for a broad international marketplace audience, or hand the presentation to an auction focused on enthusiasts in Western Europe, with lower costs for the buyer.
For a sports car, youngtimer, classic or modern performance car whose buyers are enthusiasts in Western Europe, we usually consider Octane the more logical choice. First, the audience. Octane focuses exclusively on enthusiasts of special cars and builds a campaign around every accepted car to reach buyers beyond our own user base too, at our cost on regular auctions. Second, the cost for the buyer: 3% including VAT with a €3,600 maximum, against 8.5% including VAT with no stated maximum. What a buyer saves on fees remains available for their bid. Third, the whole sale. We write the listing and structure the specifications and history, the auction is done in seven days, and afterwards, on request, we connect buyer and seller with specialists for inspection or transport.
Classic Trader can make more sense when you want more than an auction. On the same platform you can also list the car with an asking price, and an auction that does not reach the reserve can be turned into a classified listing with the same copy and photos. Classic Trader is also the better fit if buyers want to see the car first: the auction team helps arrange a viewing during the preview and the auction; at Octane that is not possible. If the buyers for your car also sit outside the Western European countries Octane focuses on, for example in the United Kingdom or Poland, Classic Trader has its own versions of the site for those countries. And for a very valuable car there is the Sealed Auction, in which bids and bidders stay confidential. The trade-off is whether those options outweigh the work you put into the listing and the appraisal yourself, and a higher cost for the buyer.
Classic Trader and Octane both auction special cars online, without a seller commission, and on both the car stays with you. The difference sits in who does the work, who is watching and what the buyer pays. Do you want listings and auctions under one roof, viewings for bidders, buyers beyond the countries Octane focuses on, or a Sealed Auction? Then Classic Trader is a logical choice, with the appraisal and your own work on the listing that come with it. Are the buyers for your special car in the Western European enthusiast market? Then we consider Octane the stronger choice: we build the listing together with you, run a campaign around the car, and the buyer pays 3% with a maximum instead of 8.5% with no stated maximum. Less work for you, lower costs for the buyer, and an audience that comes for this car.
Submit your car and our team will review it within 48 hours
Octane next to the other auction platforms:
Looking for an alternative to Classic Trader? See all options side by side →
| Item | Octane | Classic Trader |
|---|---|---|
| Platform type | Online auction for enthusiast cars | International online marketplace for classic vehicles: classified listings and, since July 2024, online auctions. Also fixed-price and make-an-offer sales |
| Types of car | Sports cars and supercars, Youngtimers and classics, JDM and modern performance, Rare specifications and low mileage | Classics, youngtimers and future classics, up to recent collector and sports cars; classic motorcycles have their own auctions. Sealed Auctions are meant for cars with a target value from about €250,000. In the classifieds also tractors, campers and commercial vehicles |
| Seller cost | None. You receive the full winning bid | No commission and no listing fee. For an auction Classic Trader does ask for a current appraisal, which you pay for: €249 or €399 at their own service CT Inspections* |
| Buyer fee | 3% of the winning bid, including VAT, minimum €350 | 8.5% of the winning bid, minimum €500, including VAT. The same fee applies to fixed-price and make-an-offer sales |
| Maximum buyer fee | €3,600 | No maximum stated |
| Auction length | 7 days | Usually 12 days, after a preview phase in which the auction is visible but not yet open for bids |
| Reserve price (minimum) available | Yes, confidential and agreed with the team | Yes, confidential and set beforehand together with Classic Trader’s experts; bidders see whether it is not yet, nearly or fully met. You can lower it during the auction and up to 10 days after, but never raise it; if it is not met, you can also turn the auction into a classified listing. An auction without a reserve is possible too |
| Geographic focus | Western Europe: the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Spain, Italy, Austria, Denmark, Switzerland, Sweden and Finland | International, from Berlin: by Classic Trader’s account, listings from more than 35 countries and buyers worldwide, with the site in ten language and country versions. Not available in the United States; an auction usually runs in the seller’s currency |
| Car stays with the seller | Yes | Yes, in the standard online auction. Their hybrid auctions work with storage and an on-site viewing, as in Vienna |
| 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 | You write the copy yourself and supply at least 50 high-resolution photos to their guidelines. Classic Trader reviews the submission and sets the estimate. A photography service and a concierge service that writes the description are optional; prices not published |
| 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 | Visibility on their own marketplace, where auctions come first in the default search order, plus the newsletter and social media. By Classic Trader’s account, every auction gets a tailored marketing strategy |
| Contact with bidders | Bidders ask questions in the comments under the auction and the seller answers them | Bidders ask questions in the public comments under the auction and you answer there yourself, visible to everyone. Viewings during the preview and the auction are possible; Classic Trader’s auction team helps arrange them |
| After the auction ends | Buyer and seller get a private chat environment with each other’s details, where they complete the transaction between themselves | Above the reserve a binding purchase contract arises automatically. The buyer first pays Classic Trader’s transaction fee, and Classic Trader may hold back the contact details until then. Buyer and seller then arrange payment and handover directly; Classic Trader does not hold the purchase price and recommends an escrow service, but does not offer one itself or name a provider on its site |
| Support around the transaction | On request, Octane connects buyer and seller with specialists for inspection and transport among others | Help arranging viewings and collection or transport (transport arranged by Classic Trader is insured; no prices published), mediation if the car is not as described, and appraisals through their sister service CT Inspections. Escrow is recommended, not offered |
* Classic Trader’s pages differ on whether the appraisal applies to every auction: the seller FAQ lists a current appraisal as “mandatory for an auction”, while the auction price page calls a CT Inspections report “a prerequisite for premium status”. CT Inspections publishes its €249 and €399 prices on its own site, without stating VAT, for appraisals in Germany; Classic Trader’s Dutch sell page mentions packages starting at €279. What an appraisal through their international network costs elsewhere is not published, nor are the seller fees for their Sealed Auctions and hybrid auctions.
Information checked on 2 October 2026. Fees and terms of external platforms can change. Always check the current terms with the platform itself.