We're not another factory-spec auction site. Petrol Head Motor Co. is an auto and collectible auction platform built around a community of serious enthusiasts and collectors. Here you can find out about our process and what makes us different: how buying works, how selling works, the fees, and what we do if something goes wrong.
For buyers
Free account, no fees to bid. Add a payment method once and you are ready to bid on any auction.
Each bid is binding. When you bid, Stripe authorizes only a small refundable deposit on your card - never the full buyer’s premium or the auction amount. The deposit hold is released as soon as you are outbid. Made a mistake? You have 15 minutes after placing a bid to report a genuine entry error, before the auction closes.
If you win, the deposit is captured and the remaining buyer’s premium is charged to your card, then you settle the auction price directly with the seller.
For sellers
Photos, condition notes, service history, and any known flaws. Honest details get more bids than glossy ones. Submitting is free — you’ll only pay the listing fee if we accept your car.
Our team reviews every submission for accuracy and completeness before it goes live.
A 7-day timed auction. You can answer buyer questions in the public Q&A. Any bid placed in the final 2 minutes extends the auction by 2 minutes.
After the auction ends, you coordinate payment for the auction amount and handover with the winning bidder.
Winning buyers pay a percentage on top of the winning bid as the platform fee. A small refundable deposit is authorized on your card when you place a bid; the rest of the buyer’s premium is only charged if you win. The exact rate, minimum, and maximum are shown before every bid is placed - the same numbers everywhere, calculated from a single source.
| Category | Rate | Minimum | Maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars | 3.5% | $200 | $5,000 |
| Motorcycles (≤ $8,000 hammer price) | 4.5% | $200 | $5,000 |
| Motorcycles (> $8,000 hammer price) | 5.5% | $200 | $5,000 |
| Man Cave Collectibles | 7% | $35 | $5,000 |
The motorcycle rate is based on the final hammer price at auction close, not the price when you bid.
Sellers can set a reserve price. Buyers will only know if the auction has a reserve or is no-reserve, not the value of the reserve. If the highest bid does not meet the reserve, the seller is not obligated to sell, and the buyer is not obligated to buy. No-reserve auctions sell to the highest bidder regardless of final price.
If the highest bid doesn’t reach the reserve, no sale happens through the auction, no buyer’s premium is charged, and any bid holds are released. The seller and the highest bidder may still choose to negotiate a private sale directly — Petrol Head Motor is not involved in and does not charge a fee on that arrangement.
Any bid placed in the final 2 minutes resets the clock to 2 minutes. This keeps last-second bidding fair without dragging out auctions.
Where applicable, the listing fee is quoted up-front before submission and is independent of the buyer’s premium.
| Category | Listing Fee |
|---|---|
| Cars | $49 |
| Motorcycles | $50 |
| Man Cave Collectibles | $25 |
Free to submit for review — the fee is only charged if we accept your car for listing.
If your winning bidder fails to complete the purchase, you can relist the same item once at no additional fee.
| Package | Price | What’s included |
|---|---|---|
| Spotlight | $50 | Rotating homepage & category placement, promo badge, one social media post |
| Amplify | $150 | Everything in Spotlight + social post & story, newsletter feature, advertising boost, ending-soon promotion |
| Boosted | $300 | Everything in Amplify + increased advertising support, retargeting |
Promotion packages provide extra exposure — we can’t guarantee bids, views, or a specific sale price.
Optional professional photography is available for sellers in South Florida for $275. The fee becomes non-refundable once your session is scheduled.
The buyer’s premium is processed by Stripe. We never see or store your full card number. When you place a bid, Stripe authorizes a fixed deposit on your card — $200 for Cars and Motorcycles, or $100 for Man Cave Collectibles — regardless of your bid amount. This is not the full buyer’s premium, not the bid amount, and not the auction price.
If you are outbid, the deposit hold is released automatically. If you win, the deposit is captured and the remaining buyer’s premium is charged to finalize the fee, and the auction price is settled directly between you and the seller.
Each vehicle listing displays its title status - Clean, Salvage, Rebuilt, Flood, Lemon, Export Only, or Parts Only - so buyers know what they are bidding on before they commit.
Sellers are responsible for accurate title disclosure. Title transfer happens directly between buyer and seller after the auction. Ownership documentation is best sent via secure, signed mail. Reach out if you need help coordinating paperwork on a specific transaction.
Sellers must verify a phone number and a Stripe-backed payment method before they can list, and every listing is reviewed by our team before going live. The buyer’s premium runs through Stripe, so buyers do not have to send platform fees to a stranger.
If a vehicle is materially different from its listing, contact us and we will help mediate. Persistent fraud or misrepresentation results in account suspension.
Need to report a problem? Contact us.
Petrol Head Motor Company LLC is a licensed Florida auction business (License No. AB4252).
Browse current auctions or list a vehicle of your own.