We know that buying a classic online can feel daunting—but trust is at the heart of everything we do. That’s why we prioritise transparency and security, so you can bid with confidence every step of the way.
With built-in protections, your money is safe, and your journey to owning your dream classic is assured. No stress, no worries—just pure excitement. We've got you covered.
Bidding Basics
Bidding on Car & Classic is simple and hassle-free. Just register with a valid credit or debit card, and you're ready to go. Our system works just as you'd expect—enter your bid amount, review it, and place your bid with confidence.
You can bid on any live auction or, if you like to get in early, place a pre-bid on upcoming auctions. Once the auction begins, your pre-bid will automatically become an active bid. If someone outbids you, we’ll notify you instantly via email and SMS, so you can jump back in and stay ahead of the competition.
Busy? Let auto-bid do the work for you...
Auto-Bids
Once the reserve is met (or immediately in a no-reserve auction), you can set up auto-bid for a smooth, hands-free experience. Simply enter your maximum bid amount, enable auto-bid, and we’ll place incremental bids on your behalf—always keeping you in the lead until your limit is reached. If another bidder exceeds your max bid, we’ll let you know right away.
Now, get ready to bid with confidence!
The bidding increments are:
Service fee
If you win an auction or have an offer accepted, a service fee will be taken.
The service fee is a charge in addition to any winning bid amount and varies depending on the cost of the vehicle. Starting from as little as £300/€300, it is clearly displayed upfront before any bid is placed, so you always know exactly how much you'll be charged.
It covers the cost of our various auction and escrow services and allows us to continue to provide a secure and professional platform from which to transact safely.
Anti-sniping
If a bid is placed within the final three minutes of an auction, we’ll automatically add another three minutes to the auction countdown to prevent auction snipers and to allow other bidders to react. Don’t worry, we'll let you know if you've been outbid.
This will continue until all last-minute bidding stops, so be aware that the auction could run longer than the stated end time. We recommend bidding in good time to avoid disappointment due to any potential pre-authorisation requirements.
Pre-authorisation charge
We use pre-authorisation to ensure serious, legitimate bidders and to help prevent fraud, protecting sellers and buyers alike. It’s a standard procedure that helps to weed out all those pesky scammers and time-wasters in order to cultivate a safe space to transact.
It's an amount that is held on your card when you bid on an auction but we’ll always let you know if we need to pre-authorise your bid. The amount of the pre-authorisation is equivalent to the service fee but we won't take a penny unless you win the auction.
To learn more about the bidding process, as well as our fees, please visit our FAQs section, or if you have any concerns or questions then please get in touch by emailing auctions@carandclassic.com.