So, over the last few weeks I've been cleaning house a bit. I sold a 1999 911 and my 1995 Audi S6. I am actively trying to sell my 1997 Lexus LX450 (Land Cruiser), but that's being done in pursuit of a different daily driver. Regardless, I've been in sales mode.
The 911 took far too long to sell, but it at least went to the first guy who contacted me about it. He needed time to put the money together and after two flops of potential buyers in between, it still went to the one buyer who showed the most interest. The S6 sold quite quickly because I discounted it a bit in the interest of a fast sale. The Lexus Land Cruiser - too early to say. I've got a lot into that truck and can't give it away, but I'm eager to move into something else so it may have to be sold at a loss.
One thing that stood out to me: our obsession with selling cars via auction format listings is more curious than ever. Let's take Bring A Trailer: the average time it takes to get a vehicle listed is 4-6 weeks. Even with its extended sales process, the 911 took 4 weeks to move on after the original listing went up. The S6 took about 8 hours with a great price attached. My point is, selling via auction isn't making the sales process any faster. It's simply giving you the adrenaline rush of a bid here, a bid there, as opposed to the lull between emails or Facebook Marketplace messages.
But boy, a lot of enthusiasts are absolutely convinced an auction is the way to go. I suppose the decimation of any decent online classifieds sites doesn't help, so you can understand why sites like BaT have become so popular. But to convince yourself that it's a faster way to sell a car is silly, and if you can be patient and accept the fact that you're going to have to deal with the occasional bouts of silence between potential suitors for your old car, you're liable to make just as much money and deal with far less internet scrutiny from strangers in the comments section.