Octane and The Collectables both auction special cars online and charge the seller no commission. On both, the car stays with you during the auction and the platform writes the listing copy. The difference sits in the questions you ask next as a seller. Who are the buyers, and where are they? How much does a buyer have left for the bid itself? What happens to get your car in front of the right people? And how much work is it for you, from photos to viewings? Below we put the facts side by side and say honestly where each platform is stronger.
Both platforms auction online, on both the car stays with the seller during the auction, both write the listing, and on both the buyer pays the commission rather than the seller. The main difference sits in the market you reach and in what a buyer pays there. The Collectables is a Dutch platform in the literal sense: the car must be located in the Netherlands, because viewing has to be possible, and interested buyers can come and see it by appointment. Promotion runs through its own platform and through cross-posting on marketplaces and specialist sites. Octane focuses on the enthusiast market in Western Europe and builds a separate campaign around every accepted car to bring new buyers to the auction, at our cost on regular auctions. There are no viewings beforehand; the auction page, the documentation and the questions under the auction have to represent the car completely. Then there is the rate: at Octane the buyer pays 3% with a maximum, at The Collectables 10% with no published maximum, both including VAT.
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. Then the real work starts: we build a campaign around the car to bring new buyers to the auction, usually at our cost. You answer bidder questions yourself in the comments under the auction.
You submit the car and get a response within one working day. If it is accepted, The Collectables matches you with a professional car photographer from their network for 150 to 200 photos; you pay that photographer directly, around €300 including VAT. The platform writes the lot description and submits the draft to you for approval. The auction runs for about two weeks, including at least one weekend, so interested buyers can come and view by appointment. The Collectables answers bidder questions on your behalf where possible; specific questions are passed on to you.
Up to and including the listing, both platforms work in a comparable way. After that the roads diverge: two weeks with viewings and promotion through the platform and marketplaces at The Collectables; seven days without viewings, with a dedicated campaign around the car, at Octane.
| Sale price | Octane | The Collectables | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| €15,000 | €450 | €1,500 | +€1,050 |
| €25,000 | €750 | €2,500 | +€1,750 |
| €75,000 | €2,250 | €7,500 | +€5,250 |
| €150,000 | €3,600maximum fee | €15,000 | +€11,400 |
At The Collectables the minimum fee applies below a sale price of roughly €3,000.
At Octane the €3,600 cap applies above a sale price of roughly €120,000.
Octane's amounts include VAT.
The 10% buyer commission (minimum €300, including VAT) is The Collectables’ standard rate for cars listed since 1 January 2024. The rate can differ per lot; the applicable percentage is shown before a bid is confirmed. We found no maximum.
On both platforms you pay no commission as the seller, and on both you pay any photographer directly. The difference lands with the buyer, and that is exactly why it concerns you as the seller. A buyer looks at their total purchase price, not just their bid. Someone who wants to spend at most €80,000 on a car has to pay the buyer commission out of that same budget. At Octane that is 3%, at The Collectables 10%, both including VAT. The difference grows with the price. Above roughly €120,000 Octane charges its €3,600 maximum; at The Collectables we found no maximum. On a €75,000 car the difference for the buyer is €5,250. Only below roughly €3,500 does it flip: there their €300 minimum sits below our €350 minimum. For the cars both platforms focus on, that rarely matters.
The Collectables describes itself as an online auction house by and for car enthusiasts, and says itself that more than 70% of cars are bought by enthusiasts who were not specifically looking for that type. That fits the model: an audience that follows the listings, supplemented by cross-posting on marketplaces and specialist sites. Because the car has to be located in the Netherlands and can be viewed by appointment, the inventory is Dutch; they describe the promotion themselves as national and international. Octane chooses the broader Western European enthusiast market and actively goes looking per car: around every accepted car we run a campaign to reach potential buyers beyond our existing user base as well, in the Netherlands and beyond. An audience that follows the listings is valuable. What ultimately counts for a seller is how many serious candidates for their specific car are reached, including the ones in Antwerp, Cologne or Lyon.
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 is almost complete: from Peugeot 205 GTI to Ferrari F40, as The Collectables itself puts it, fits on both platforms. For that type of car, the question is not which platform accepts it, but where the serious bidders are, what it costs them to bid, and how much work you want the sale to be.
For a special car whose buyers are not only in the Netherlands, and for a seller who prefers to keep the auction short and without viewings, we usually consider Octane the more logical choice. First, we actively promote every accepted car across Western Europe: we build a campaign around the car and invest in reaching potential buyers ourselves. Second, the buyer pays a lower commission: 3% instead of 10%, with a maximum of €3,600. On a €75,000 car that saves the buyer €5,250, money that can end up in the bid. Third, the auction is lighter for you: seven days, no viewings at home, and photos through a photographer or simply taken yourself following our photo guide. And on request we connect buyer and seller with specialists for inspection or transport afterwards.
The Collectables can make more sense when you expect buyers to want to see and inspect the car in person before bidding, and you can and want to facilitate those viewings at home. For some classics, and for buyers who prefer not to bid remotely, that is a genuine advantage. Their approach is also convenient if you would rather not answer every bidder question yourself: The Collectables answers questions on your behalf where possible and coordinates the viewings. And if you would rather not auction the car but offer it at a fixed price, they have a separate Direct te koop channel for that. The trade-off is whether that service and the viewing option outweigh the higher commission the buyer pays.
No platform is automatically the best choice for every car, and The Collectables is close to Octane in its setup. Do you want buyers to be able to come and see the car, or would you rather offer it at a fixed price? Then The Collectables is a serious option. Are the most likely buyers for your car not only in the Netherlands but beyond it too? Then we consider Octane the stronger proposition. Not only because of the lower 3% buyer commission with a maximum, but because we actively build a campaign around every car and invest in finding the right buyers ourselves, and because the auction is done for you in seven days. In short: seven days, a dedicated campaign per car, and a commission that leaves as much of the buyer’s budget as possible in the bid.
Submit your car and our team will review it within 48 hours
Octane next to the other auction platforms:
Looking for an alternative to The Collectables? See all options side by side →
| Item | Octane | The Collectables |
|---|---|---|
| Platform type | Online auction for enthusiast cars | Online auction platform for enthusiast cars and motorcycles, alongside a fixed-price offering (Direct te koop) |
| Types of car | Sports cars and supercars, Youngtimers and classics, JDM and modern performance, Rare specifications and low mileage | Special enthusiast cars, from youngtimer to classic and sports car, Motorcycles |
| Seller cost | None. You receive the full winning bid | No seller commission: you receive the full sale price. A contribution may be asked for additional marketing; amounts are not published |
| Buyer fee | 3% of the winning bid, including VAT, minimum €350 | 10% of the winning bid, minimum €300, including VAT |
| Maximum buyer fee | €3,600 | No maximum published |
| Auction length | 7 days | 14 days |
| Reserve price (minimum) available | Yes, confidential and agreed with the team | Yes, agreed in consultation and not public. Can be lowered during or after the auction by arrangement; auctions without a reserve are marked as such |
| Geographic focus | Western Europe: the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Spain, Italy, Austria, Denmark, Switzerland, Sweden and Finland | The Netherlands: the car must be located in the Netherlands (just across the border by arrangement). Promotion national and international |
| 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 | Lot description written by the platform and submitted to you for approval beforehand. Professional photos are mandatory: through a photographer from their network (150 to 200 photos, around €300 including VAT, paid directly to the photographer) or supplied yourself at a professional standard |
| 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 | Promotion through its own platform, cross-posting on AutoScout24, AutoTrader, Classic Driver, Classic Trader and Elferspot, and through Facebook and Instagram. Additional marketing and video reviews by arrangement |
| Contact with bidders | Bidders ask questions in the comments under the auction and the seller answers them | Questions run through e-mail, phone or the forum on the auction page; The Collectables answers them on the seller’s behalf where possible and passes specific questions on to the seller. Viewing by appointment, with the seller’s consent |
| After the auction ends | Buyer and seller get a private chat environment with each other’s details, where they complete the transaction between themselves | After the buyer commission is paid to the platform, buyer and seller are put in contact. The purchase price goes directly to the seller, within five working days; collection or delivery is arranged between the parties within seven working days |
| Support around the transaction | On request, Octane connects buyer and seller with specialists for inspection and transport among others | Coordination of viewings and remote video viewings, independent inspection in consultation with the seller, mediation if the reserve is not met |
Information checked on 17 August 2026. Fees and terms of external platforms can change. Always check the current terms with the platform itself.