Home » Keith Martin

Keith’s Blog: What’s Your Bidding Secret?

By on in Keith Martin

What is your approach to bidding online?

Some people like to bid early and stay involved clear through the process. Others figure it’s a waste of time to place a bid until the last two minutes.

Do you listen to the trolls or disregard them?

Tell me what your approach is, and next week I’ll tell you mine.

Avatar photo

Written by

Keith Martin has been involved with the collector car hobby for more than 30 years. As a writer, publisher, television commentator and enthusiast, he is constantly on the go, meeting collectors and getting involved in their activities throughout the world. He is the founder and publisher of the monthly Sports Car Market, now in its 33rd year. Keith has written for the New York Times, Automobile, AutoWeek, Road & Track and other publications, is an emcee for numerous concours, and had his own show, “What’s My Car Worth,” shown on Velocity. He has received many honors, including the Lee Iacocca Award, the Edward Herrman Award, was inducted into the Concorso Italiano Hall of Fame and more. He is on the boards of directors of The LeMay Museum and Oregon Ballet Theater, and was formerly the chair of the board of the Meguiar's Award.

4 Comments

  1. J. Parrish
    May 7, 2024 at 8:31 am

    If it is something I like I will put in a early bid. If nothing else, it will keep me engaged as there seems to be more input from the auction that could get lost in my day to day activities, with just placing myself in a watching status. I do read through content mostly to see how transparent the seller is as that also helps shape my next levels of effort. I have also reached the point with all of the avenues that are open for selling now, to holding my ground and waiting for the next one to come if I am not completely in love with the car or the deal. Of course I have way to many projects, bad weather and no space in the garage so this helps keep me calm

  2. David Hay
    May 7, 2024 at 11:20 am

    I engage with the seller privately, and hold any bidding until the last hours. Almost didn’t work on the ’88 928 S4 I purchased via BaT in late ’20. I was second highest bidder (I had a cap on the amount I wanted to bid) and then dealt directly with the seller when highest bidder backed out of buying. Cheers!

  3. Dave Hedderly-Smith
    May 7, 2024 at 12:59 pm

    I’ve bought cars at local/regional public auctions, on-line through local/regional auctions, and on-line through BAT. I usually throw in a bid early to make sure everything is working, ask questions on-line during the auction, and if the price stays low, I may engage the on-line seller directly.

    I stick firm to my limit unless I find something particularly good about the car or model that I didn’t know beforehand. I research the value, and I always “buy low,” realizing that I’ll likely end up “selling low” in a few years.

    If a car gets away because somebody else wanted it more, that’s OK because there’s going to be another opportunity down the line.

  4. Andy Bogus
    May 7, 2024 at 4:18 pm

    I bid early, hoping to snag a bargain, chicken out and never bid again… Mainly, because I don’t have any space to store another car… sigh…