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© 2026 - Octane Automotive BV
© 2026 - Octane Automotive BV
Selling your car privately to an individual buyer. It sounds like the most logical route. No middleman, no commission, direct contact with the buyer. You place an ad, someone responds, you work it out together. Simple in theory. In practice, it turns out to be considerably more complicated, especially when you are selling a special car.
Private sale works on negotiation: you set an asking price, the buyer tries to bring it down. That is not a problem for a standard used car, but for an enthusiast car it can be frustrating. Buyers who do not understand the unique value of your car consistently offer too low. And you, as the seller, have to explain every time why your car is worth more than a random comparable listing.
An auction reverses the process. Instead of defending why your price is justified, you let buyers bid against each other. The market determines the value. That sounds exciting, and it is, but in practice it often delivers a fairer price than months of negotiation.
| Factor | Octane Auction | Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Costs | Commission only on successful sale | No direct costs, but hidden costs (time, ads, fuel for viewings) |
| Time investment | Limited after submission. Octane handles presentation, communication, and processing | High: write your own listing, take photos, answer messages, schedule viewings |
| Safety | Verified buyers through the platform, professional payment handling | Unknown visitors at your home, cash payments, risk of fraud |
| Reach | European network of thousands of enthusiasts | Limited to own network, social media, and local ads |
| Pricing | Competitive bidding process where buyers drive the price up | One-on-one negotiation where the buyer tries to push the price down |
| Price protection | Confidential reserve possible, set jointly with Octane | No certainty: you accept an offer or start over |
| Professionalism | Editorial listing, structured process, buyer support | Handle everything yourself, from photos to contract |
| Negotiation stress | No negotiation needed; the auction format does the work | Endless negotiation with buyers who always want to go lower |
| Legal processing | Professional support with the transfer | Draft your own purchase agreement, risk of legal errors |
| Sales speed | Fixed auction period with clear endpoint | Can take months without a serious offer |
Private sale can work well in a few specific situations. If you already have a buyer in your network, for example someone from a car club who has had their eye on your car for years, then a direct sale makes sense. Also, if your car is relatively common and you do not need to achieve the maximum price, selling privately can work just fine.
An auction is the better choice as soon as your car is special enough to attract multiple interested parties. Think of a Porsche Boxster with rare option packages, a Golf GTI with low mileage, or a classic Saab 900 Turbo in good condition. For these types of cars, the more buyers bidding, the fairer the final price.
The difference is also practical: with a private sale, you spend weeks responding, hosting viewings, and negotiating. With an auction, you submit your car and let the platform do the work. For sellers who value their time, that is an important argument.
Octane takes the heavy lifting of private selling off your hands, without you losing control. You decide together with the Octane team whether and at what level to set a reserve, you choose when to offer your car, and you remain the owner until the deal is finalized. The difference is that Octane handles everything in between.
That starts with presentation: our editorial team writes a professional listing text that highlights your car's unique features. Your car is then shown to a European network of thousands of enthusiasts actively searching. And instead of endlessly negotiating with individual buyers, the auction format lets buyers bid against each other.
The result? Sellers save an average of dozens of hours on communication, viewings, and negotiation, and often achieve higher proceeds than with a private sale. Not because we guarantee a higher price, but because competitive bidding delivers a fairer market value than one-on-one negotiation.
Submit your car and our team will review it within 48 hours