Buying a Vehicle
Once you've found a vehicle you're interested in, here are the steps you should take to bid confidently and, with any luck, win the auction!
1. Register to Bid
To contact the seller directly and place bids, you must first Register with a valid credit card and phone number. Winning bidders pay Bidding Motors a buyer's fee on top of the winning bid amount:
- Pro Members: 2.5% buyer commission.
- Non-Members: 3.5% buyer commission.
2. Perform Due Diligence
While we've tried to make buying a vehicle online as safe and easy as possible, it's ultimately your responsibility to perform your own due diligence — prior to placing a bid.
- Review the listing thoroughly, including known flaws, the vehicle history report, inspection report (if applicable), recent maintenance, photos, and condition notes.
- Ask the seller — via comments or the "Contact" feature — any questions you have about the vehicle.
- Arrange to inspect the vehicle in person, or schedule a detailed pre-purchase inspection ("PPI") at a reputable shop in the seller's area (at your cost).
3. Arrange Financing and Logistics
To ensure a smooth transaction, organize the following before placing a bid:
- If you plan to finance this purchase, get pre-approved by your lender ahead of time. Some lenders may require specific vehicle information and may have year or mileage restrictions.
- Discuss transportation and storage timelines with the seller. If shipping, get a quote directly on the auction page before bidding.
- Confirm your available funds or credit limit can cover the vehicle price plus the applicable buyer's fee.
4. Bid
We've made bidding easy!
- When you bid, we place a temporary authorization hold on your credit card for the buyer's fee. If you win, your card is charged. If you are outbid, the hold is automatically released.
- Bids are binding — only bid if you fully intend to purchase the vehicle and have completed your due diligence.
- To keep the auction fair, any bid placed within the final 2 minutes will reset the timer back to 2 minutes, giving other bidders an opportunity to respond (anti-sniping).
5. Win the Auction
To buy a vehicle on Bidding Motors, you must be the highest bidder when the clock hits zero. If the auction has a Reserve, your bid must meet or exceed the seller's hidden reserve price. If the auction is No Reserve, the highest bidder wins regardless of the amount.
After the auction closes, you'll be directed to biddingVault (powered by biddingVault) to complete your purchase securely — handling payment, documentation, and title transfer all in one place. You'll also receive the seller's contact information to finalize logistics. Buyers are expected to pay in full within 7 days of the auction closing.
Selling a Vehicle
Bidding Motors is the best place to sell your vehicle — and we've made the process easy.
1. Submit Your Vehicle
It's free to submit your vehicle. We ask for a few details — including the VIN, photos, a brief description, and whether you'd like to set a reserve price or sell with No Reserve.
- A reserve price is the minimum you'll accept — but vehicles listed with No Reserve typically attract more bids and higher final sale prices.
- All auctions start from $0, regardless of whether they have a reserve.
- Non-Members: 5 free listings/month with a 1.5% seller commission on sold listings.
- Pro Members ($39/mo or $295/yr): 10 free listings/month with 0% seller commission.
2. Prepare Your Listing
Once your submission is accepted, we'll need some additional details to build your listing:
- Your vehicle must not be listed for sale anywhere else during the auction period.
- Take excellent, high-quality photos — interior, exterior, engine bay, odometer, and known flaws. The better the photos, the higher the final sale price.
- Film a short video walkaround and cold-start on your phone (landscape mode) and upload it to your submission.
- Review the title transfer process in your state. If there's a loan on the vehicle, contact your lender about payoff procedures and timeline.
3. Finalize Your Auction
Once we have all required information and media, our team will create a draft listing for your review. After you approve it, we'll schedule your 7-day auction and it will go live shortly thereafter.
4. Participate in the Auction
- Respond to comments, questions, and direct buyer inquiries promptly — good seller engagement leads to more bids and a higher final sale price.
- Buyers may contact you directly via the "Contact Seller" feature to arrange test drives or pre-purchase inspections (at the buyer's cost).
- Watch the final minutes — many auctions end with competitive bidding wars!
5. Auction End
After the auction closes, you'll be connected with the winning buyer via biddingVault (powered by biddingVault) to finalize payment, documentation, and title transfer. If your reserve was not met, we'll reach out to both you and the highest bidder to see if a deal can be arranged.
Finalizing the Sale
Immediately after the auction closes, Bidding Motors connects the buyer and seller through biddingVault (powered by biddingVault) to complete the transaction. Here are our recommendations for a smooth post-auction experience.
1. Make Contact
- Reach out to the other party to introduce yourself as soon as the auction ends. Stay polite and positive.
- We recommend the seller provides proof of ownership (a copy of the title and registration) to the buyer at the earliest opportunity.
2. Payment & Documentation
Buyers are expected to pay in full within 7 days of the auction closing.
- Automated Payment Split via biddingVault: When payment is processed, the platform automatically calculates and routes the applicable commission fees directly to Bidding Motors. The remaining vehicle sale amount flows directly into biddingVault escrow.
- If there's an outstanding loan on the vehicle, biddingVault helps ensure the loan is satisfied and the title is clear before releasing funds to the seller.
- Create an accurate Bill of Sale signed by both parties. Check your state DMV for required templates.
- The vehicle and title should only be released once the seller has confirmed full payment through biddingVault.
- If the transaction is remote, mail the signed-over title to the buyer via courier with a tracking number, after payment confirmation.
3. Title Transfer & Temporary Permits
- biddingVault verifies the title, checks for liens or outstanding loans, and assists in resolving any lender balances.
- biddingVault issues temporary operating permits/plates so buyers can legally drive or transport the vehicle immediately upon pickup.
- Once ownership is confirmed and title is reassigned, biddingVault releases the net payment to the seller.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why do I need to enter a credit card to place a bid?
A: To maintain a secure and fair auction environment, all bidders are required to have a valid credit card on file. This ensures every bid is authentic and backed by a verified buyer.
Q: Will my credit card be charged as soon as I place a bid?
A: No. Placing a bid places a temporary authorization hold for the buyer's fee (2.5% for Pro Members, 3.5% for Non-Members). Your card is not charged — the funds are simply reserved by your bank during the live auction.
Q: What happens if I am outbid?
A: If another user places a higher bid, the authorization hold on your card is automatically released back to your account.
Q: What happens if I win the auction?
A: If you are the winning bidder when the clock hits zero, the hold is captured as the platform buyer's fee. You'll then be guided through biddingVault (powered by biddingVault) to transfer the vehicle payment into secure escrow and complete your title transfer and paperwork.
Q: Does the buyer fee count toward the vehicle purchase price?
A: No. The buyer commission is the platform service fee for securing the auction listing and accessing biddingVault transaction management services. The vehicle purchase price itself is transferred separately through biddingVault.
Q: What is biddingVault?
A: biddingVault (powered by biddingVault) is our integrated checkout and escrow service. It handles secure payment collection, title verification, lien payoff (if applicable), temporary permit issuance, and final fund release to the seller — all in one seamless workflow.
Q: What are the Membership tiers?
A: Non-Members get 5 free listings/month with a 1.5% seller commission and 3.5% buyer commission. Pro Members ($39/mo or $295/yr) get 10 free listings/month, 0% seller commission, and a reduced 2.5% buyer commission.