Seller FAQs
We will not be able to consign every vehicle, but we will give each enquiry meaningful consideration.
Once we have processed your enquiry, we will get in touch with you to discuss your vehicle and the auction process.
It is free to list your vehicle when you choose our standard service, regardless of whether your car sells or not. With our standard service, PistonHeads will provide support for the listing of your vehicle.
Alternatively, you can let the concierge service provider handle cleaning, viewings, storage and sale administration. Sellers using this service will pay £500 + VAT. If your car does not sell, the fee is still applicable, plus any additional fees that have been agreed upon - such as transport logistics, extended storage, inspections and/or minor repairs.
With the concierge service, all you have to do is drop off your vehicle to one of our partner’s sites in the UK. There, your car will be valeted and photographed by our network of professional photographers; photography will include detailed shots of the interior, exterior, mechanical parts and documents associated with your vehicle.
The concierge service provider will then store your vehicle for the duration of the auction and host all viewings for potential buyers. At the end of the auction, you will arrange payment with the winning bidder directly. The winning bidder will then arrange with the concierge service provider to collect the vehicle from their site.
If you opt to use the concierge service, the cost of £500 + VAT is to be paid before collection of the vehicle by the concierge service provider.
If you wish to have your car delivered by a third-party, we can provide you with a quotation. Any additional costs for repairs or other services are extra.
After you’ve submitted an enquiry via this form, the PistonHeads consignment team will review your submission and reach out to you to discuss your listing.
We can set up an auction in just a few days, and we allow listings to be visible on our site up to 7 days, unless otherwise mutually agreed upon, before the auction is live. The auction will then run for 7 days.
We ask that you provide all the required information listed in this form. Our consignment team may ask for additional information and photographs when they reach out to you.
We may assist you with providing contact information for our network of professional photographers to photograph your vehicle. While we do not conduct a formal inspection, our network of photographers will document the car’s condition.
If you use the concierge service, the concierge service provider will confirm that the vehicle is the same vehicle submitted to the consignment team. The concierge service provider will then give the vehicle a NAMA grading which will be posted on the vehicle’s auction listing.
Yes - we publish very comprehensive listings and we pride ourselves on providing transparency to our buyers. All vehicles will have faults; by being open and transparent, we ensure that both buyers and sellers have a positive experience with PistonHeads auctions.
Buyers may not have taken the opportunity to view a vehicle prior to placing a bid. However, if the buyer finds that the vehicle does not match the description upon collection, they may have the right to cancel the purchase. We would then not accept any further vehicles from a seller who has misrepresented a vehicle they are offering and the seller will be responsible for paying the buyer’s fee.
Our consignment team will work with you to set a reasonable reserve.
After a reserve has been set, you may reduce or withdraw the reserve by written email request to PistonHeads (auctions@pistonheads.com); however increases to the reserve are not permitted. Any changes to the reserve can take up to two business days to be displayed online.
Once a reserve is close to being met or has been met, we will make it clear on the auction listing. We also show a badge on auction listings that have no reserve.
We may support you by providing contact information for a professional photographer to photograph your vehicle who is familiar with the PistonHeads guidelines.
In order to maximise the quality of the listing and achieve the best results, you should aim to have your vehicle cleaned and have relevant documents and service history available to be photographed.
One of our team of professional writers will speak with you to learn everything about the vehicle and then create the description for the listing for your approval.
In order to maximise the quality of the listing and achieve the best results, you should disclose as much information as possible about your vehicle, including any faults or damage.
You should be prepared to have requests to view your car. This can make a big difference to some buyers.
If you do not want to manage viewings, you can let the concierge service provider handle them by using the concierge service.
As outlined in our Terms & Conditions, a seller must not list, post or otherwise make available the applicable vehicle on any other auction, dealership, or listing service.
In the event the seller violates this, the seller will be required to pay the Buyer’s Fee that would have been paid by a Buyer who won the auction. This will be calculated based on the Reserve the Seller sets, and if No Reserve is set, the User will be charged £500 + VAT.
Yes, we will require your approval of the auction listing for your vehicle before listing it on the PistonHeads site. It is your responsibility to make sure that your vehicle's listing is accurate.
We prefer that an auction be listed as soon as possible. However, we are happy to discuss the timing of your auction with you, upon consignment.
At this time, you cannot sell a car on PistonHeads auctions if you are not in the UK.
Once an auction is live, any registered PistonHeads auction user can place a bid. Registered users can also request a viewing by directly messaging a seller via their forums profile or ask a question in the corresponding forum thread. These comments will appear below each listing. You should aim to respond to any questions and viewing requests as soon as possible.
All auctions run for 7 days unless advertised otherwise. Auctions cannot be ended early.
Any auction listing that has been converted to a 'Buy it Now' listing will run for an agreed upon period, up to a maximum of 30 days. The listing will expire at the end of this period or when a buyer agrees to the listing price and makes an offer, whichever occurs first.
If a bid is placed during the last 2 minutes of an auction on PistonHeads, we extend the auction by another 2 minutes. If a buyer places a bid in the extended 2 minutes, the auction will be extended an additional 2 minutes.This allows you to get the highest possible price for their vehicle.
Once an auction is live, you can make changes to the description and photography in the listing and you may reduce or withdraw the reserve only by written notice to PistonHeads. However, increases to the reserve are not permitted. Any changes to the listing, including the reserve amount can take up to two business days to be displayed online. Any listing edits will be highlighted in the Q&A section of your listing.
You are prohibited from bidding on your own auction or on an auction of someone connected to you (including without limitation family and friends), nor can you have someone on your behalf bid on your auction. If PistonHeads suspects you are engaging in this prohibited act, you acknowledge that PistonHeads has the right to suspend your access, the person who acts on your behalf’s access, and the affected auction listing.
After an auction listing has been displayed in our ‘Coming soon’ section, you cannot withdraw your vehicle.
As outlined in our Terms & Conditions, in the event you withdraw your vehicle from being listed on the PistonHeads site, you will be obligated to pay PistonHeads the fee the winning bidder would have paid if the auction had been completed. This will be calculated based on the Reserve the Seller sets, and if No Reserve is set, the User will be charged £500 + VAT.
All listings have a Q&A section which allows potential buyers to ask questions and organise viewings.
We have incorporated a number of requirements to ensure time-wasters are removed from our auctions:
All bidders are required to register a PistonHeads account and provide credit card details
Bidders can ask questions and arrange to view the car throughout the auction and while the listing is shown as ‘Coming Soon’
Winning bidders are charged a buyer’s fee (6% + VAT) to PistonHeads after the auction
Our network of photographers and consignment team work to confirm the condition of the car and curate a comprehensive listing; this aims to ensure that buyers do not walk away because a vehicle is misrepresented on the site. However, the description of the car and condition is ultimately up to the Seller.
We take action against disreputable buyers and sellers by removing them from the site
If the auction lot successfully sells (there is no reserve or the reserve is met), the buyer’s fee is automatically charged to the winning bidder’s credit card.
The buyer’s fee is 6% of the selling price + VAT, with a minimum of £295 + VAT, up to a maximum of £5,000 + VAT.
PistonHeads will provide each the seller and buyer with the other’s contact information for the parties to independently complete the payment transaction via a method that both parties agree on.
If the reserve is not met, you will be given the option to convert your listing to a 'Buy it Now' listing for free.
Our consignment team will work with you to set a fixed price for your listing as well as a start and end date.
Your listing will then appear alongside auction listings for your specified duration. The listing will expire at the end of this period or when a buyer agrees to the listing price and makes an offer, whichever occurs first.
If the vehicle does not sell (the reserve is not met), you will have the option to convert your listing to a 'Buy it Now' listing for free.
If you are using the concierge service and you want to convert your listing, our consignment team will work with you to determine your eligibility and outline any additional storage costs you may incur. Otherwise, the vehicle must be picked up within two business days.
A 'Buy it Now' listing is an alternate option for listing your vehicle, exclusively available to Sellers whose auction listing has not met reserve.
After an auction ends, you'll work with our consignment team to set a fixed price for your vehicle and agree upon a start and end date or time for your listing.
Your 'Buy it Now' listing will appear alongside our auction listings. Interested buyers will then be able to agree to your vehicle's list price and make an offer instead of placing a bid.
No - a purchase and all fees at an online auction is final and binding, unless the seller, in PistonHeads’ sole discretion, has materially misdescribed the vehicle.
You can view our terms and conditions here.
For any questions or concerns related to PH Auctions, please email auctions@pistonheads.com or call +44 2071 238330.