A few days ago, an interesting thing happened. I had three cars of my own all for sale at once: the 1988 Alfa Romeo Milano Verde; the 1990 Audi V8 Quattro; and the 1991 Saab 900 SE Turbo convertible. The Audi and Saab were listed on Bring a Trailer; the Alfa exclusively here on this very website, with the link to the car's portfolio posted in a craigslist ad and on the Alfa BB message board.
Here's the thing: the Audi and Saab are still sitting at a bid price that is well short of their respective reserves. The Alfa sold in about 48 hours and for a price that was only $200 off of my asking. Is it a coincidence, or did we just uncover what buyers really want: easy access to the seller, a boatload of photos, and pages of documentation to go with even the neediest of project cars?
It certainly bears discussion. I didn't have to wait three weeks for my listing to appear and I honestly think the potential buyers got just as much insight into the state of my car as they would on Bring a Trailer. With some great invoices still with the car from the previous owner, the Alfa presented exactly as it was, which is a project car with good bones and a decent history despite not running for the past few years. Throw in the detailed pictures and a video walkaround narrated by yours truly and we were able to provide the out-of-state buyer with everything they needed to make an informed decision.
BaT still works, sure - and we see TCG as an excellent companion tool to any auction site. By exploding out the paper trail and letting sellers tell more of the story behind any kind of a car purchase, from a project vehicle to an investment-grade specimen, TCG can provide a much-needed confidence boost to potential buyers and help sellers realize maximum profits through enhanced documentation.