What Bring a Trailer charges
Sellers pay a $99 listing fee, with an optional $330 Plus photography add-on, and “there are no other seller fees on BaT”. Buyers pay 5% or 10% on top of the final price, by auction category: minimum $250, capped at $7,500 on 5% auctions and $4,000 on 10% auctions (How BaT Works).
| Winning bid | They pay | Fees | Fee rate | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $4,000 · 5% | $4,250.00 | $99.00 | 2.48% | $3,901.00 |
| $40,000 · 5% | $42,000.00 | $99.00 | 0.25% | $39,901.00 |
| $250,000 · 5% | $257,500.00 | $99.00 | 0.04% | $249,901.00 |
| $40,000 · 10% category | $44,000.00 | $99.00 | 0.25% | $39,901.00 |
Bring a Trailer Buyer Fees: 5% or 10%, $250 Minimum
The buyer’s fee has two limits that matter at the ends of the market. Below $5,000 the $250 minimum is more than 5%. Above $150,000 the $7,500 cap kicks in, so a $250,000 car carries a 3% buyer fee. In 10% categories the $4,000 cap arrives at $40,000.
Why the buyer’s fee still matters to sellers
You don’t pay it, but your bidders do, and good bidders bid on their all-in cost. On a 5% auction a buyer budgeting $42,000 tops out around a $40,000 bid. That’s the real trade-off against a free-to-list site: compare the same car on Cars & Bids, where the buyer’s fee has the same 5% rate, minimum and cap.
A $18,000 example
On an $18,000 winning bid in a 5% category, the buyer pays a $900 fee, so their total is $18,900. You pay the $99 listing fee and receive $17,901 from the sale. The same car on Cars & Bids leaves you the full $18,000, because listing there is free, while the buyer’s $900 fee is identical (Cars & Bids FAQ).
