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Cars and Bids is a vehicle auction site where you can buy or sell interesting, fun or sporty contemporary cars. You can list your vehicle for sale and the platform will promote it to potential buyers. The $89 listing fee is a flat fee with no other charges applied. Additionally, for returning customers, the listing fee drops to $49. Unlike eBay where buyers can snipe at the last moment, this platform aims to keep everything fair. However, you cannot list any old vehicle. The Cars and Bids team needs to approve all listings and if they determine your vehicle is not a good fit for the platform, your listing will be rejected.
Pros
Set $89 listing fee ($49 for subsequent listings)Large social media followingYou can set an auction reserve, but it needs to be approvedAccess expert help and guidance from the Cars and Bids team
Cons
Need to interact with potential buyers, Cars and Bids does not manage the saleLimited reviews available
Jump to: Full Review
Compare to Other Car Buying Websites
Peddle
Get your free offer instantly via online form or call on (855) 925 4302
$0 fees + you don’t have to pay for towing – Peddle will take care of it
Get paid in check during the pick up for any car (damaged, junk, wrecked)
CarBrain
Get an offer within 2 minutes and sell your damaged car within 24 hours
Free vehicle towing and no fees to getting rid of your damaged car
The tow truck driver will arrive with your check (nationwide service)
Wheelzy
Quick car evaluation without the hassle – sell your car within 30 min
Choose a convenient date and time for free pick-up, as soon as next day
Get cash in hand the same day the Wheelzy agent picks up your car
How Does Cars & Bids Work?
Cars & Bids allows you to;
Submit your Car and provide a few details like VIN, some photos, and a brief description of the car.
Prepare your listing by providing additional information such as detailed photos, service and ownership history,
Finalize your auction and schedule your auction, and it will go live shortly thereafter!
Participate in the auction.
Finalize the details and logistics of the transaction. Cars & Bids will then connect you to the buyer so you can complete the vehicle sale directly.
How Much Can You Get for Your Car With Cars & Bids?
How much you can get for your car with Cars & Bids generally depends on the car’s make, condition, model, and type. For instance, you can expect to get up to $75000 from the 1998 Lotus Esprit Turbo. You can check here for additional information about car prices.
Who is Cars & Bids Best for?
Cars & Bids is suited for sellers who want to sell their vehicles through cash and connect directly to the buyer. The website is also designed for those looking to sell their cars on the platform.
What Types of Vehicles Does Cars & Bids Purchase?
Cars & Bids purchases different types of vehicles including repossessed vehicles from banks, flood junkers and sometimes high-end sports cars and SUVs.
How Fast Can You Sell Your Car With Cars & Bids?
Since all auctions last one week you can expect to sell your car with Cars & Bids within one week.
Cars & Bids Fees: How Much Does it Cost to Use Cars & Bids?
Listing a car on Cars & Bids is completely free.
Cars & Bids Payment Options
Once the auctioning process is complete, Cars & Bids will connect you to the buyer so you can finalize the deal and get paid. Depending on your agreement, payment can either be by check or cash.
Cars & Bids Reviews: is Cars & Bids Legit?
Cars and Bids is a relatively new platform, it’s a legit company that allows you to auction your car. Cars & Bids has over 20,000 followers on Facebook and over 72,300 subscribers on YouTube. This clearly shows people’s trust in the auction website.
The website also has a 3.7 average rating in TrustPilot with only one review. According to the reviewer, the platform is a reliable site that lists all types of vehicles. There are also plenty of comments on Facebook praising the selection of vehicles.
However, some reviewers feel it’s not the best, arguing that the process of selling the cars takes long. That aside, the website is legit and reliable.
What Are the Cars & Bids Pros & Cons?
Cars & Bids Pros
Cars and Bids charges a fixed listing fee of $89 for new sellers and $49 for returning sellers.
Good social media following
The Cars and Bids team is on hand to help you with your listing
You can set a reserve for your auction
Cars & Bids Cons
There are very few Cars and Bids review comments
You will need to participate in the auction, answer questions, and arrange test drives
How Good is Cars & Bids Support?
Cars & Bids offers a reliable support base, including a frequently asked questions page, blogs, and articles about the site. The website also explains the whole process of selling or buying a car. To get in touch with the company, you can email them at [email protected].
Cars & Bids Review Verdict: is It Worth Selling Car With Cars & Bids?
Cars and Bids is certainly a worthy platform that allows you to list your vehicle for free. By going through the selling process, you can make up to $75,000 on a car. Once you list the car for sale, the platform will promote it to potential buyers.
Unlike eBay where buyers can snipe at the last moment, this platform aims to keep everything fair. However, you cannot list any old vehicles. The Cars and Bids team needs to approve all listings and if they determine your vehicle is not a good fit for the platform, your listing will be rejected.
How to Sell a Car With Cars & Bids?
Cars and Bids aims to make the car selling process as simple as possible. There are several stages to the process.
Car Submission:
It is free to submit a car and you just need to provide a few details including a brief description, VIN, and some photos. At this stage, you can also decide if you want to set a reserve for the vehicle or just allow the Cars and Bids auction to run with no minimum sale price.
If you decide you want a reserve, the Cars and Bids team will assess your suggestion but may ask for a lower one according to market conditions.
Once they have all the details, the team will review your submission and may need answers to a few follow up questions. If your car is a good fit for the auction site, they will confirm it within one business day.
Create Your Listing:
After Cars and Bids accepts your submission, you will need to provide some additional information including:
Service history
Ownership history
Detailed photos
There are also some stipulations to create a listing including that your vehicle must not be listed for sale elsewhere. The team can also advise you on taking the best photographs, filming a short walk around video, and how to review the state process for transferring vehicle titles.
At this stage, you will also need to pay the listing fee to Cars and Bids. This is a non refundable fee, but if you’ve already used the platform before, you’ll get a discount. First time sellers need to pay an $89 fee, while it is $49 for all other sellers.
Finalizing Your Auction:
After you have paid the fee and provided Cars and Bids with all the necessary details, the team will draft a listing for your approval. After you review and approve it, the team will schedule your auction.
Participate:
During the auction, Cars and Bid encourages its sellers to participate; responding to comments, answering questions, providing additional pictures as needed. The company claims that good seller participation will encourage buyer interest and could result in a higher sales price.
The Cars and Bids platform has a “Contact Seller” feature, where potential buyers can ask questions or schedule a test drive.
Finalize Your Sale:
After the end of the auction, Cars and Bids will supply you with the buyer’s contact information, so you can finalize the sale and the logistics of your transaction. If you set a reserve and it was not met, the Cars and Bids team will contact you to discuss the highest bidders to help you to make a deal.
Cars and Bids advise that there are several important aspects of finalizing your sale, which include:
Quickly making contact: The team recommends reaching out to the buyer as quickly as possible after the end of the auction to start the hand over process.
Organize payment: The buyer is expected to pay in full for the vehicle within one week. However, if there is outstanding finance on the vehicle, you and the buyer will need to discuss how it will be cleared. You will also need to create a Bill of Sale.
Arrange for pick up: Once the payment is made, the title and vehicle can be released. If you are completing the transaction remotely, you should send the signed title via a courier service, so the buyer can track the document.
How to Buy a Car With Cars & Bids?
Cars and Bids not only allows you to sell vehicles, but you can also browse the site as a buyer. Again, the company aims to make this as simple as possible.
Register:
Before you can place bids or contact sellers, you need to register on the Cars and Bids site. For this, you will need a valid phone number and credit card.
Do Your Research:
While Cars and Bids aims to make buying a car as easy and safe as possible, you will still need to do some research before you place a bid. You should not only review the listings thoroughly but if you have any queries, contact the seller for additional information. You can even arrange a vehicle inspection.
Arrange the Sale Details:
Before bidding, it is a good idea to arrange the details associated with a sale. This includes considering the transportation timelines, and whether you will be shipping the vehicle or collecting it yourself.
If you need finance for the purchase, you will need to work with a lender to get approval for a vehicle before you complete a sale.
Bid:
As its name suggests, Cars and Bids makes bidding easy. There are tutorial videos on the site, but essentially if you bid, the company will put a hold on your credit card for the buyer fee. If you win the auction, the fee will be charged to your card, but if not, the hold will be released at the end of the auction.
Remember, bids are binding, so you need to fully intend to purchase the vehicle, as if you’re the highest bidder, there are no refunds.
Unlike eBay, Cars and Bids resets the remaining time to one minute when bids are placed. This means there is an opportunity for others to bid and you cannot snipe at the last moment.
Winning the Auction:
If you’re the highest bidder and the final sales price exceeds the seller’s reserve, you’ve won the auction. Cars and Bids will provide you with the seller’s contact information and supply your details to them. This will allow you to discuss the transaction details and logistics. Just remember you will need to pay in full within one week.
Cars and Bids Auction Tips
If you want to maximize the chances of getting a sale, there are some Cars and Bids review comments and tips to help you.
Don’t double list: Cars and Bids insists on exclusivity, so you cannot list your vehicle with them and other platforms.
Take good photos: There are Cars and Bids review comments that highlight good photos can make a sale. So, take your time selecting the best images or even hire a professional photographer. Cars and Bids also has a photo guide that can provide further help.
Create a walk-around video: A short video showing a walk around of your vehicle and a cold start can help buyers to feel confident. All you need to do is shoot a video and upload it to Vimeo or YouTube.
Research vehicle title transfers: Each state has different regulations for transferring vehicle titles. So, before you list your vehicle, check what rules apply in your home state.
Sites Like Cars & Bids
Cars & Bids vs. Peddle
Peddle Summary
Buys used, damaged or junk car nationwideGet instant quote on (855) 925 4302Free towing within 48 hours after offerReceive payment upon car collection
Peddle is a car selling website that offers a more convenient way to sell your old, damaged, or pre-owned vehicle. Like Cars & Bids, Peddle is free to list your vehicle. Both platforms also have a one-week turnaround time.
While Cars and Bids is essentially an auction platform where you need to interact with potential buyers, Peddle simply takes the car off your hands. Once you provide the vehicle details, Peddle will provide you with a cash offer quote.
Cars & Bids vs. Wheelzy
Wheelzy Summary
Wheelzy stores are open 7 days a weekGet offer in minutes – (855) 510-1108Free towing of your car from your locationInstant payment via cash or check
Wheelzy is a legitimate online platform that allows you to buy or sell a car. Like Cars 7 Bids, Wheelzy is free to list your car. Wheelzy also allows you to sell all types of cars, including damaged ones, compared to Cars & Bids that require vehicles that are still in good condition.
While Wheelzy is best for new and used vehicles, Cars & Bids is most meant for repossessed cars that are still in good condition. That said, both platforms are legitimate car-selling websites that allow you to sell cars and make money.
Cars and Bids vs. CarBrain
CarBrain Summary
Get an online offer within 2 minutesGet cash for your car in under 48 hoursCarBrain buys cars in over 7 conditionsUp to 7 days to accept CarBrain’s offer
While Cars and Bids is more selective with the type and condition of cars you sell on their platform, CarBrain buys cars in any condition. After all, the company specializes in purchasing damaged vehicles, even those with electrical and mechanical issues.
Compared to Cars and Bids, you won’t have to deal with private buyers when you sell your car to CarBrain. They offer a fast and hassle-free way through an online process where you can provide details about your vehicle, get an instant offer, and schedule a pick-up time.
Cars & Bids vs. eBay Motors
eBay Summary
High user traffic – over 187 million usersNo listing fees for small scale sellersPromote your listing from as little as 1%Quick processing time for payouts
eBay Motors is a website where you can find new and used vehicles as well as parts for fixing, updating, or maintaining your existing vehicle. eBay is a little bit like Cars and Bids, as you can set a reserve or allow the auction to run without one.
Both platforms also allow you to answer any questions, respond to queries and make arrangements for test drives and vehicle collection. However, eBay offers the choice of setting listings as a national or local listing, something Cars & Bids lacks.
Other Sites Like Cars and Bids
Cars & Bids FAQs
What is Cars & Bids?
Cars and Bids is essentially an online auction marketplace. You can buy and sell any car that is cool from the 1980s to today. The company deems “cool” as anything from the obvious sporty cars to traditional fun cars.
If a car is fun, quirky, exciting, or interesting, it is likely to be featured on this platform. As the brainchild of Doug Demuro, the aim of the company was to create a platform for the modern enthusiast cars. .
With Cars & Bids you can buy and sell any car that is cool!
While there are many platforms where you can buy or sell cars, Cars and Bids offers some interesting benefits. These include:
Low fees
Free vehicle reports
Highlighted vehicles
Quick listings
Easy submission
User friendly platform
Can I sell a vehicle if I live outside of the United States or Canada?
No. Cars & Bids only offers vehicles for sale located in the US and Canada.
How do I submit my car for sale?
To submit your car for sale, you need to provide important information like the make, model, year, VIN, a few photos, and other relevant details.
How do I take the best pictures of my car?
To take the best pictures, you can go to the photography page to get tips and tricks or download the company’s guide. You can also hire a professional photographer.
Should I take a video?
Yes. Taking a video raises not only interest but also increases buyer confidence
How long does an auction last?
While all auctions last for seven days, the exact duration is likely to fluctuate.