Frequently Asked Questions

Our Automatic Bidding system makes things really easy. At any time during the auction, simply enter the maximum amount you would like to bid. If it’s higher than other bids and there is still time on the clock, you become the highest bidder. If others then bid less than your max, you'll remain the top bidder by one increment against them. If someone outbids you, we'll let you know by email so that you can decide if you want to increase your maximum bid.

Max bids placed before the Reserve is met, will instantly jump either all the way up to your max bid, or the Reserve set amount, whichever is the lower.

We always strongly recommend viewing any car, to satisfy yourself that a car is what it is. Our showroom viewing times are weekdays Monday-Friday 10.00 am to 12.00 pm and 2.00 pm to 4.00 pm (excluding Bank Holidays).  In order to avoid double-booking on the same car, please contact us either via email [email protected] or telephone 01865 521 088 to make an appointment.

There isn’t really much advantage as we have eradicated last-second sniping.  If anyone bids in the last 2 minutes of an auction, we extend the sale by two minutes from their bid time, to allow any remaining bidders to continue to participate and give everyone a fair chance. This repeats until all bidding is complete.

We do take a look at the vehicles when they arrive with us and make any necessary notes around the condition of the car, however, we are not qualified mechanics, nor do we make any kind of invasive inspection (i.e. inside the engine).  This is why we encourage anyone to visit and inspect the cars to satisfy themselves they are happy with what they see prior to bidding and if necessary, arrange for an independent vehicle inspector to visit and create a report for them before the auction ends.

No; all bids are binding. By submitting a winning bid, you are making a legally binding commitment to purchase the vehicle (as with a physical auction). Remember, a winning bid results in a 5% (+ VAT) non-refundable deposit being immediately payable to the Company and you have authorised us to debit that amount from you as the successful buyer as soon as the auction ends. Trade sellers are legally required to give UK and EU consumer buyers a “cooling off period” under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 (and equivalent EU legislation) with a right to cancel a purchase up to 14 days from collection of the vehicle. This only applies if: (i) you are a consumer based in the UK or EU, and (ii) are purchasing the vehicle from a trade seller (which will be indicated in the information for the vehicle). If these two conditions apply and you wish to exercise your right to cancel, you should refer to the trade seller; further information about cancellation rights is available at https://www.businesscompanion.info/en/quick-guides/distance-sales/consumer-contracts-distance-sales#Contractswithnorighttocancel. If you are permitted to cancel a purchase from a trade seller you will be responsible for ensuring the car is in the same condition as when you purchased it and also for the costs of returning the vehicle to the trade seller. The Seller and the Company may not reimburse the Purchase Price to you until the vehicle has been returned.

We take our reputation very seriously and Google and Trustpilot have hundreds of independent reviews of us. We intend to provide a transparent commercial experience and aim ourselves at enthusiasts who would like to be treated in the same way as they treat others. If a seller, or buyer, drops below these standards, they will be restricted from using our services.

Firstly, THE MARKET will automatically take a deposit of 5% of the hammer price (+ VAT) from the buyer. The minimum fee is £600 in total. After that you will pay the remainder of the hammer price direct to the seller (we recommend this is carried out via bank transfer) and arrange pick-up of your vehicle from our Headquarters in South Oxfordshire within 7 days from the auction end.

Yes, absolutely, we have a contact list of transport providers for national and international shipping which we can provide to buyers and sellers for you to contact for quotes.  It is also possible to store your classic at THE MARKET, prices start from £380 + VAT per month.

We can’t, but we can suggest you speak to RKC Consultants who are Vehicle Registration Specialists with over 25 years experience. Contact Robert Cook on 07900 013 285 or [email protected].

Our concierge service is £695 + VAT.  Please note that our concierge fee is payable prior to the commencement of any auctions.  Failure to do so will result in a delay until full payment has been received.

Once the auction has finished fees payable are 5% of the hammer price, plus VAT, with fees capped at a maximum of £5K, no matter how high the final hammer price. The minimum fee is £500 + VAT (maximum fee is £5,000 + VAT).

We ask that when your car is delivered to us you ensure that the current V5, MoT certificate (if applicable) as well as any/all invoices and paperwork which you hold for the car is brought into us at the same time.  The more information we have the more we can add to your listing and in turn this will hopefully attract more bids and, therefore, achieve a higher selling price. We will also need to see some photo ID for you, and you will have to set-up an account on our platform and register a valid payment card.

Yes. We publish the most comprehensive auction listings. Many vehicles are obviously not factory-fresh, and no-one would expect them to be perfect. If we ignored the faults, buyers would not have the confidence to bid; by describing the faults and photographing the blemishes, we know that we achieve higher auction prices. Every vehicle will have faults, and everything has a price; by being open, we ensure that both buyers and sellers know what they are dealing with.

Vehicles can be sold via the Platform without the buyer having taken their opportunity to view. If the buyer finds the vehicle significantly mis-described on collection, they will be seriously dissatisfied and may have rights under consumer legislation to cancel the purchase from you. We would not accept any further vehicles from a seller who repeatedly mis-describes or mis-represent the vehicles they are offering.

We have successfully incorporated several techniques to ensure time-wasters are removed from our auctions:

1. All sellers and bidders must register with credit card details.

2. Bidders can ask questions and view the car throughout the auction.

3. Winning bidders must automatically pay a deposit to THE MARKET after the auction.

4. Our comprehensive listings remove the likelihood of a buyer walking away because a vehicle is mis-described.

5. The accounts of disreputable buyers and sellers are closed & blocked.

The answer is yes; the consumer regulations require that if you are selling in the course of a business, trade or profession this is made clear to consumers and that you provide your trading and (if different) full corporate name, geographical and email address and phone number. You also have to explain to UK and EU consumer buyers how their cancellation rights apply, or else the 14 day “cooling off period” from the date of collection of the vehicle from trade sellers in which UK and EU consumers have the right to cancel and return their purchase, might be extended up to one year. For further information about your obligations as a trade seller see https://www.businesscompanion.info/en/quick-guides/distance-sales/internet-auction-sites-and-marketplaces#Informationrequirements

We work with sellers to set reasonable Reserves and avoid vehicles with Reserves that are unrealistic. Once a Reserve is close to being met or has been met then we make it clear on the auction listing. We generally cannot apply a Reserve to any vehicle expected to reach under £10,000.

The general answer is no, a purchase at an online auction is final and binding, unless either you have materially misdescribed the vehicle, or you are a trade seller and the buyer is a UK or EU consumer. If this is the case, the UK/EU consumer buyer may have rights to cancel the purchase under the Consumer regulations in the UK and EU. If you have met the consumer information requirements under the Consumer Regulations, this cancellation right must generally be exercised within 14 days from when the consumer takes possession of the vehicle. If you have not met those requirements, the cancellation period might be extended up to a year. Further information is available at https://www.businesscompanion.info/en/quick-guides/distance-sales/internet-auction-sites-and-marketplaces#Cancellationrights

If at auction end the reserve has not been met, then the auction will end with the vehicle unsold. We will try to make contact with the highest bidders to see if we can facilitate a deal and may continue to market the vehicle with a 'buy it now' price for a limited period. If the vehicle remains unsold and is stored with us, then we will request that it is either collected, or storage fees are paid.

You can view our terms and conditions.  If there are any further questions, please contact us at any time.