How it Works

At Sotheby's Motorsport, we enhance the confidence of our Sellers by ensuring that bidders identities have been vetted. The upfront verification minimizes the risk of no payment and ownership transfer issues or delays. This requirement aligns with the standard practice in the live physical auction industry, adding trust and credibility to our online auction experience.

To place a bid on a vehicle, you must be a Registered Bidder. The steps required to become a Registered Bidder are outlined above. Once you are a Registered Bidder, you will have the ability to click the “Place a Bid” button on a vehicle and enter your bid amount.

Once you are a Registered Bidder, you will have the ability to click the “Place a Bid” button on a vehicle and enter your bid amount.

Bids placed will need to be higher than the current high bid on a vehicle. Depending on the current high bid, there may be minimum increase required. Bid increments are outlined below.

We do not place a hold on your credit card during the bidding process. As noted above, your credit card is only used for identity verification.

Here's a breakdown of the bid increment structure for our auctions:

Minimum bid of $1,000 to start the auction

• $0 - $250,000 - increments of $1,000
• $250,001 - $500,000 - increments of $2,500
• $500,001 - and up - increments of $5,000

A bid placed on a live online auction is a binding commitment to purchase the vehicle at the amount submitted. At the end of the auction, if you are the winning bidder, you are obligated to purchase the vehicle. Please carefully consider your decision and have a firm intent to purchase the vehicle before placing a bid. This ensures fairness to both the seller and other participating bidders in the auction.

All auctions on the Sotheby's Motorsport platform are in United States Dollars (USD).

Yes, international bidders are welcomed and allowed. International bidders are still required to pay in full for the vehicle promptly following the close of the auction. Importantly, any transportation, legal fees, and other export/import logistics will be the buyer's responsibility following the close of the auction.

To ensure a smooth post-auction experience, please make sure all these logistics have been researched and planned for prior to bidding.

As a convenience benefit for bidders, Sotheby's Motorsport allows automatic bidding on all live online auctions so that bidders do not have to be in attendance at the end of the auction. Automatic bidding is a feature that allows you to enter the maximum amount you're willing to pay for an item. The system will then automatically bid on your behalf, up to your maximum amount, to keep you in the lead until the auction ends or you are outbid. If your automatic bid is outbid, you will be notified via email alert so you can opt to increase your bid if you so choose.

Any bids placed within the final 2 minutes of an auction will reset the clock to two minutes. This gives all interested bidders a chance to enter competitive final bids and prevents auction “sniping.”

You must be a registered bidder to contact a seller. Once you are a registered bidder, you can contact a seller directly by going to the contact seller area and selecting the “Send Message” button in the live auction. When the seller responds, you will be sent an email alert and will be able to respond in your account dashboard.

If you are the high bidder and win an auction, we will share your contact information with the seller, and you will receive the seller's contact information.

At Sotheby's Motorsport, we provide an open communications platform that enables any user to contact and communicate with any other user through our platform. After making initial contact, users can communicate off platform if they desire.

To contact a member directly, click on their username. On the seller's bio page, you can click “contact,” which will allow you to send a message.

Yes, we highly encourage in-person due diligence prior to placing a bid on a vehicle. Bids are binding, so please conduct any inspections prior to bidding.

All live online auctions will have either a Seller's Disclosure or Professional Third-Party Inspection displayed on the vehicle listing page which supplements any additional inspections you may choose to perform.

Use the “Contact Seller” button to confirm the seller's willingness to allow an inspection, a time that is mutually convenient, and the location of the vehicle.

We have established relationships with several financing institutions that can provide buyers with various kinds of financing solutions, including both loans and leases.

A Seller's Disclosure is a document that outlines any known issues or defects, modifications, and documentation of the vehicle being sold. It is completed by the seller and provides the buyer with important information about all aspects of the vehicle. This document is an important part of the sales process and helps ensure transparency about the vehicle for the buyer.

A professional third-party inspection is a thorough evaluation of a vehicle's condition conducted by a professional mechanic or inspection service. The inspection includes a multi-point examination of the car's mechanical systems, body and frame, interior and exterior, and other components. The inspection report provides valuable information to the buyer about the car's overall condition, any necessary repairs, and potential future maintenance needs.

The seller is responsible for providing accurate information in the seller's disclosure, and the inspection company is responsible for providing an accurate report for the professional third-party inspection. However, it is ultimately the buyer's responsibility to carefully review and verify all information provided before making a purchase. We encourage buyers to ask questions and seek clarification from the seller or inspection company if they have any doubts or concerns before bidding.

The professional third-party inspection is conducted by a reputable independent agency that is familiar with your car. Sotheby's Motorsport pays for the inspection as part of our commitment to providing our buyers with accurate information about the vehicles they are interested in. Our goal is to ensure that buyers have as much information as reasonably possible prior to bidding.

If you believe a vehicle you purchased was materially misrepresented, please contact support@sothebysmotorsport.com. We are here to assist you.

A Buyer's Fee is an additional amount charged to the winning bidder of an auction. Sotheby's Motorsport normally charges a Buyer's Fee of 25000% of the winning bid with a $5 cap. The Buyer's Fee applies to all live online auctions and sales completed through post-auction negotiations.

The buyer is responsible for paying all applicable taxes and registration fees after purchasing a car on Sotheby's Motorsport.

A Reserve Price is the minimum price that a vehicle can sell for on our site. All auctions will have a Reserve Price unless “No Reserve” is displayed on the auction itself.

Reserve Prices are not disclosed to buyers unless the seller chooses to do so during the live online auction. The seller may also lower the Reserve Price at any time.

If the Reserve Price is not met during an auction, the vehicle will not be sold via live online auction. Post-auction, our team will work directly with the seller and the bidders to determine a mutually agreeable price.

At the close of the auction, the winning bidder will receive a Buyer's Kit which will detail all the steps necessary to complete the transaction, as outlined below:

• We will send you the name and contact information for the seller or the seller's agent so you can begin coordinating timing for vehicle pickup.
• You will be asked to pay the invoice to Sotheby's Motorsport by the end of the next business day. Upon receipt, we will securely hold your funds as a trusted intermediary until you or your transporter picks up the vehicle. If there is a lien on the vehicle, we will pay off the seller's loan or lease and obtain a clear title to the vehicle.
• We will arrange to send you the original Vehicle Title and other relevant ownership documents via courier.
• You will choose your preferred transportation method from the following four options:
  • Collect the vehicle yourself and arrange transportation or drive it home.
  • Utilize your preferred vehicle transport service.
  • Allow us to connect you with a trusted nationwide transport service.
  • Allow us to handle the entire transportation process in collaboration with you, the transport service, and the seller.
• The seller will receive their funds following vehicle pickup.

If you win an auction, you can pay via bank wire transfer or ACH transfer. You will be asked to pay the invoice to Sotheby's Motorsport by the end of the next business day.

No, all bids are binding commitments to purchase the vehicle.

Vehicles listed on Sotheby's Motorsport are for sale exclusively through our live online auction. Attempting to contact the seller and arrange a sale outside is against our community guidelines and is strictly prohibited.

You can contact us at support@sothebysmotorsport.com or by phone at +1 (786) 539-4674