Octane and Catawiki both auction cars online, and on both the car stays with you during the auction. But they are very different platforms. Catawiki is a generalist auction site with a worldwide audience, where classic and collector cars are one of many categories. Octane is a specialist: an auction platform for special cars, focused on the enthusiast market in Western Europe, with its own campaign around every car. So the question is not just who has the largest audience. What matters more is who within that audience is looking at your car, what the transaction costs on both sides, and how much of the work you do yourself.
Both platforms auction online and on both the car stays with you during the auction. That is roughly where the similarities end. Catawiki is a generalist platform: in its own words the most visited online platform in Europe for special objects, with hundreds of weekly auctions in art, design, watches, jewellery and collectables. Classic and collector cars are one category among them. Catawiki experts review submissions remotely, you write the description and take the photos, and the platform brings the car to the attention of its own visitors. Octane does one thing: auctioning special cars for an enthusiast audience in Western Europe. We write the listing, take care of the presentation together with you, and build a separate campaign around every accepted car to bring new buyers to the auction, at our cost on regular auctions. The second difference is who pays. Catawiki charges on both sides: a seller commission of 12.5% plus €10 for you and a 9% plus €3 buyer protection fee for the buyer. At Octane you pay nothing and the buyer pays 3%, capped at €3,600.
You submit your car, we assess whether it fits and agree a realistic reserve together. We then write the listing copy and structure the specifications and history. For the photos we match you with a photographer from our network, whom you pay directly, or you take them yourself following our photo guide. The car is usually live within days. Then the real work starts: we build a campaign around the car to bring new buyers to the auction, usually at our cost. The auction takes seven days; you answer bidder questions yourself in the comments.
You submit the car and write the description yourself, with at least 50 photos. Catawiki experts review the submission remotely and can suggest or make changes; review and scheduling into a suitable auction can take up to three weeks. Accepted are classics of 30 years and older and youngtimers of 15 years and older with a market value from €7,500; younger cars by exception only. The auction usually runs seven to ten days. Questions run through Catawiki; fully verified bidders can request a viewing at yours up to 48 hours before the end.
At Catawiki you deliver the presentation and an expert reviews it remotely; at Octane we create the presentation together with you and build a campaign around it. And where Catawiki can need up to three weeks to schedule the car, at Octane it is usually live within days.
| Sale price | Octane | Catawiki | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| €15,000 | €0 | €2,281 | +€2,281 |
| €25,000 | €0 | €3,793 | +€3,793 |
| €75,000 | €0 | €11,356 | +€11,356 |
| €150,000 | €0 | €22,700 | +€22,700 |
| Sale price | Octane | Catawiki | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| €15,000 |
This is the biggest difference in this comparison, and it sits on both sides. At Catawiki you pay a seller commission of 12.5% of the sale price plus €10, excluding VAT; for a seller in the Netherlands, 21% VAT is added. Listing is free and the commission is only due on a sale. This is the rate Catawiki publishes; whether it applies unchanged to cars above €10,000 we could not confirm, so check beforehand. At Octane you pay nothing as the seller: you receive the full winning bid. The buyer also pays more at Catawiki: a 9% buyer protection fee plus €3, including VAT and with no published maximum, against 3% including VAT with a €3,600 maximum at Octane. Because a buyer looks at their total purchase price, that fee weighs on what they can bid on the car itself. On a €75,000 car you would pay Catawiki €11,356 including VAT (€9,385 excluding) at that rate and the buyer €6,753; at Octane you pay nothing and the buyer €2,250.
Catawiki calls itself the most visited online platform in Europe for special objects and publishes impressive numbers: more than 10 million unique visitors per month, more than 60 countries, 17 languages and over 600 auctions per week. That is enormous reach, and for classics and curiosities with broad appeal it can be exactly what you are looking for. It is, however, a generalist’s audience. Those visitors come for art, watches, jewellery, coins and collectables; your car is one lot in a themed auction, surfaced through recommendations, Collections and the platform’s search. Octane chooses the opposite: a smaller, specialist audience of car enthusiasts in Western Europe, and a campaign per car to reach buyers beyond our own user base as well. A large platform audience says how many people visit a website; what counts for a seller is how many serious candidates for their specific car are reached.
Octane is built to be more than just the place where the highest bid lands. Around the platform we are building a Western European network of specialised partners for transport, inspections, detailing and other services around buying and selling special cars. If your car is in the Netherlands and the strongest bidder is in Belgium, that buyer does not have to find an inspector or transporter from scratch. On request, we connect buyer and seller with a suitable specialist. That way we can help not only to bring buyer and car together, but also to complete the transaction as smoothly as possible afterwards.
The overlap sits with classics and youngtimers from €7,500 with good history: a Porsche 911 SC, a Mercedes W123 or an Alfa Romeo Spider fits on both platforms. Modern performance and supercars are accepted by Catawiki by exception only; at Octane they are part of the core.
For a sports car, youngtimer, classic or modern performance car located in Western Europe, we usually consider Octane the more logical choice. First, the costs. At Octane you pay nothing as the seller and the buyer pays 3% with a maximum. On a €25,000 car you would pay Catawiki €3,793 in seller commission including VAT (€3,135 excluding) at the published rate, and the buyer €2,253; at Octane you keep the full winning bid and the buyer pays €750. Second, the audience. Octane focuses exclusively on enthusiasts of special cars and builds a campaign around every accepted car to reach buyers beyond its own user base too, in the Netherlands and the rest of Western Europe. Third, the work and the time. We write the listing copy and take care of the presentation together with you, the car is usually live within days, and the auction takes seven days. And on request we connect buyer and seller with specialists for inspection or transport afterwards.
Catawiki can make more sense for classics, barn finds and curiosities with broad appeal: cars for which a large, international collector audience is worth more than a targeted campaign within the enthusiast market. Anyone selling motorcycles, automobilia or a classic tractor also finds a dedicated category at Catawiki. In addition, payment at Catawiki runs through the platform: the buyer pays Catawiki and you are paid out after collection. If you prefer that to settling directly with the buyer, that is an argument. The trade-off is whether that reach and that payment handling outweigh a seller commission, higher costs for the buyer, doing the presentation yourself and a longer lead time.
No platform is automatically the best choice for every car. Are you selling a classic or barn find with broad appeal, do you want to handle the presentation yourself, and do you value payment through the platform? Then Catawiki’s generalist reach can be interesting, even with the seller commission that comes with it. Are you selling a special car whose buyers are in Western Europe? Then we consider Octane the stronger proposition. You pay no seller commission, the buyer pays 3% instead of 9% plus €3, we handle the presentation and build a campaign around the car that reaches enthusiasts specifically, and the auction is done in seven days. Not the largest audience, but the right one. And with as little cost as possible between you and the buyer.
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Octane next to the other auction platforms:
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| Item | Octane | Catawiki |
|---|---|---|
| Platform type | Online auction for enthusiast cars | Generalist online auction platform with weekly auctions in many categories; classic and collector cars are one of them |
| Types of car | Sports cars and supercars, Youngtimers and classics, JDM and modern performance, Rare specifications and low mileage | Classic cars of 30 years and older, Youngtimers of 15 years and older, Barn finds and projects, Younger collector cars by exception only |
| Seller cost | None. You receive the full winning bid | 12.5% of the sale price plus €10, excluding VAT (15.13% plus €12.10 including 21% VAT). Only due on a sale* |
| Buyer fee | 3% of the winning bid, including VAT, minimum €350 | 9% of the winning bid plus €3 per order, including VAT |
| Maximum buyer fee | €3,600 | No maximum published |
| Auction length | 7 days | Usually 7 to 10 days |
| Reserve price (minimum) available | Yes, confidential and agreed with the team | Yes, secret and set in consultation with an expert; bidders see that there is a reserve, not the amount. If it is not met, you can relist or make an offer to the highest bidders |
| Geographic focus | Western Europe: the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Spain, Italy, Austria, Denmark, Switzerland, Sweden and Finland | Worldwide: according to Catawiki active in more than 60 countries and 17 languages |
| Car stays with the seller | Same on bothYes | |
| Presentation and photography | Editorial listing copy and structured specifications written by the platform. Photography through a photographer from our network, paid directly by you, or you supply your own images that meet the photo guide | You write the description yourself and supply at least 50 photos; Catawiki experts review the submission remotely and can suggest or make changes. No photography service |
| Promotion of the car | An active campaign per car, aimed at both the existing Octane audience and new potential buyers in Western Europe. Campaign costs are covered by Octane on regular auctions | Visibility within the Catawiki platform: curated themed auctions, Collections, personalised daily recommendations and the platform’s search |
| Contact with bidders | Bidders ask questions in the comments under the auction and the seller answers them | Questions about a lot run through Catawiki; direct contact with the seller only happens after winning and paying. Fully verified bidders can request a viewing at the seller’s up to 48 hours before the end |
| After the auction ends | Buyer and seller get a private chat environment with each other’s details, where they complete the transaction between themselves | The buyer pays Catawiki, which holds the amount in escrow. After the payment is confirmed, the buyer collects the car within two weeks; the seller is paid out fourteen days after collection |
| Support around the transaction | On request, Octane connects buyer and seller with specialists for inspection and transport among others | Payment through the platform, coordination of viewings and customer service in case of problems; if a reserve above €5,000 is not met, Catawiki can approach the highest bidders itself. No physical inspection; transport not included |
* Catawiki’s published rate. Whether it applies unchanged to cars above €10,000 we could not confirm; check the rate for your car with Catawiki beforehand.
| €450 |
| €1,353 |
| +€903 |
| €25,000 | €750 | €2,253 | +€1,503 |
|---|
| €75,000 | €2,250 | €6,753 | +€4,503 |
|---|
| €150,000 | €3,600maximum fee | €13,503 | +€9,903 |
|---|
At Octane the €3,600 cap applies above a sale price of roughly €120,000.
Octane's amounts include VAT.
Catawiki publishes its seller commission excluding VAT; it is shown here grossed up to include 21% VAT.
Catawiki’s buyer protection fee (9% plus €3 per order) includes VAT. The seller commission (12.5% plus €10) excludes VAT; for a seller in the Netherlands, 21% VAT is added. We found no maximum for either. Listing on Catawiki is free and the seller commission is only due on a sale. The 12.5% is the rate Catawiki publishes; whether it applies unchanged to cars above €10,000 we could not establish with certainty. Check the rate for your car with Catawiki beforehand.
Information checked on 17 August 2026. Fees and terms of external platforms can change. Always check the current terms with the platform itself.