Show Notes
Bring a Trailer redefined how enthusiasts and collectors buy, look at, and even price collectors cars. Sometimes it's even boring pedestrian Ford pickup trucks. But what was once a blog throwing up Craigslist links you might text your friends has morphed into an online auction house listing Bugattis and Ferraris alongside E30 3-Series and classic Chevys.
From eye-popping sales to reordering the market to a rabid comment section to kicking off an entirely new industry, Bring a Trailer has become a juggernaut. But how has the site kept the secret sauce, fended off the competition, and dealt with controversies?
The Drive's Editor-In-Chief Kyle Cheromcha and Director of Content and Product Joel Feder are joined by Howard Swig who nows serves as the President of Bring a Trailer to discuss how the site has kept the secret sauce, fended off the competition, and dealt with controversies.
Stories referenced in today's episode:
This 1992 Volkswagen Golf GTI Sold for $87,000 on Bring a Trailer
Bring a Trailer Says $87,000 VW GTI Auction Was Legit
Extremely Normal Ford F-150 on Bring a Trailer Begs the Question: Do Boring Vehicles Belong on Auction Sites?
Recently Unearthed 1983 Ford Probe IV Concept Hits Bring a Trailer
00:00 - Intro
05:48 - The evolution of Bring a Trailer
10:35 - The team today
12:25 - How listings are vetted
15:31 - In-house inspection services and extra services
19:12 - How regular cars get into Bring a Trailer
21:17 - The comments
27:22 - Shill bidding, AI-created photos for a listing, and suspect listings
32:39 - The Bring a Trailer tax and setting records with outliers
35:56 - The fees and business end
38:52 - Money laundering claims
40:59 - Cars being sold repeatedly on the platform
42:45 - Market trends
45:28 - Competitors after creating an industry
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