Cars & Bids charges a seller nothing and takes 5% from the buyer, capped at $7,500, while eBay Motors charges $79 to list a car over $15,000 and nothing when it sells. The fee is the small decision: the platform decides whether a bidder in Southampton, Bremerhaven or Melbourne ever sees your car, and in 2026 we think that matters more than the $99 you save.
Selling a Classic Car by the Numbers
- $0: Cars & Bids seller fee. Buyers pay 5%, with a $250 minimum and a $7,500 maximum (Cars & Bids FAQ, October 2026).
- $79: eBay Motors listing fee for a vehicle over $15,000, $34 at $15,000 or less, and no final value fee (eBay Motors fees, October 2026).
- $99 and $99.95: seller fees the CLASSIC.com auction fee guide lists for Bring a Trailer and Hemmings auctions.
- $1,100 to $1,200: our ocean container rate from New Jersey to Rotterdam, Bremerhaven or Southampton (WCS calculator rates, October 2026).
- 5%: UK import VAT on a qualifying collectors' car (HMRC).
Where to Sell a Classic Car: Fees Compared
| Platform | Seller pays | Buyer pays | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bring a Trailer | $99 | 5%, $250 min, $7,500 max | Online auction |
| Cars & Bids | $0 | 5%, $250 min, $7,500 max | Online auction, cars in the US and Canada |
| Hemmings | $99.95 | 5%, $500 min, $10,000 max | Online auction and classifieds |
| Hagerty Marketplace | $100 | 7% | Online auction |
| eBay Motors | $34 or $79 to list | None | Auction or fixed price |
Sources: Cars & Bids FAQ and the eBay Motors fees page (first party), and the CLASSIC.com auction fee guide for Bring a Trailer, Hemmings and Hagerty, all read October 22, 2026. Platforms change fees, so check before you list.
Online Auctions: Where Overseas Bidders Already Are
We would put a well-documented classic on an online auction first. Cars & Bids only lists cars located in the US and Canada, but anyone can bid, every bid is in US dollars, and its own counter shows 1.1 million registered members and $800 million in cars sold. That is a room a German or Australian collector is already sitting in.
Bring a Trailer and Hemmings charge the seller about $100 and put the buyer's fee on the winner. On a $40,000 car that is $2,000 on top of the hammer. An overseas bidder adds that to freight and import tax before deciding how high to go, so the clearer your listing is on all three, the higher they bid.
eBay and Classifieds: Cheaper, Slower, Wider
eBay Motors charges $79 to list a car over $15,000 and takes no final value fee, the lowest seller cost on this page. eBay also runs its own motors sites in the UK, Germany and Australia, each with its own fees. Our view: eBay and classified sites like Hemmings, ClassicCars.com and Dyler suit a driver-quality car where the price, not the story, makes the sale. We left their traffic claims out of this guide because none could be checked this month.
How to Price a Classic Car for a Buyer Overseas
An overseas buyer's real price is hammer plus freight plus import tax. Take a $30,000 car sold to a buyer in England: our rate from New Jersey to Southampton is $1,200 by ocean container, 14 to 16 days in transit, and a qualifying collectors' car pays 5% UK import VAT on price plus freight, about $1,560. That buyer lands the car for about $32,760 before UK port charges.
Germany is less predictable. Freight from New Jersey to Bremerhaven is $1,100, 30 to 33 days. The EU's 0% duty on US-built cars is granted at the discretion of the customs office handling the import and usually needs a certificate of origin, which a 1960s car rarely has. See our Germany shipping page for the rules, and check classic car values before you set a reserve.
Our advice: state the price in dollars and say in the listing that the car can ship door to door by ocean or air. A bidder who can see the landed number bids with confidence. One who can't, bids low.
Shipping a Sold Classic Car Overseas
Once the car is sold, we pick it up and ship it door to door from our own warehouses in California, Florida and New Jersey, covering all of the US for imports and exports. Our own team loads every car and handles every document, by ocean container, RoRo or air. The same works in reverse when you buy at an overseas event or auction and need the car brought to the US. Here is how we ship a collector car, step by step.
Selling a Classic Car: FAQ
Which sites charge the lowest seller fees for a classic car?
Cars & Bids charges sellers nothing; buyers pay 5%, with a $250 minimum and a $7,500 maximum. eBay Motors charges $34 or $79 to list a vehicle and takes no final value fee.
Can buyers outside the US bid on Cars & Bids?
Yes. Cars on Cars & Bids must be located in the US or Canada, but bidders can be anywhere, and every bid is in US dollars.
Who pays the buyer's fee on Bring a Trailer?
The buyer. CLASSIC.com lists Bring a Trailer's buyer's fee at 5%, with a $250 minimum and a $7,500 maximum, and a $99 seller listing fee.
How much does it cost to ship a sold classic car to the UK?
Our calculator rate from New Jersey to Southampton is $1,200 by ocean container, 14 to 16 days in transit (October 2026). The buyer then pays UK import VAT, 5% for a qualifying collectors' car.
More Classic Car Selling Guides
- Sell Classic Cars Overseas: Complete Export Guide
- Top 10 Collector Car Auctions in the USA
- Classic Car Values: NADA, Hagerty and Auction Results
- American Classic Cars for the UK: Top 10 to Import
- Affordable Muscle Cars: 6 Classics and What They Cost
- American Muscle Cars
Sold your classic to a buyer in London, Hamburg or Melbourne, or bought one at an auction overseas? Get the rate for your lane in our calculator and we will ship her door to door by ocean or air.
It's your dream car. Let's bring her home.
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