How to sell your car at auction in Australia, in six steps.
Wheels & Bids gives you a professional, mobile-friendly auction page for your vehicle. You build it, you set the terms, and you share the link with your own audience. We handle the live timer, verified bidding, anti-sniping and the buyer handover. One flat $49 fee, zero sale commission.
Before you start, have these ready
None of this is mandatory, but the sellers who get the strongest results show up with their material in hand.
We use it to auto-fill the spec sheet so you only need to confirm what's already known about the car.
Daylight, clean car, every angle: front three-quarter, rear three-quarter, both sides, interior, dash, engine bay, boot, wheels, tyres, any damage, the odometer.
Logbook stamps, recent invoices, number of previous owners. Buyers ask about this within minutes; have it ready in your story.
Set a starting price you would actually accept. A realistic floor attracts more bidders than a high-reserve listing nobody engages with.
List the Facebook groups, Instagram audience, WhatsApp contacts and forums you will post to. Sharing turns a page into a real auction.
That's how long the typical seller spends going from rego entry to a live, paid, share-ready auction page.
The six steps in detail
From entering your rego to handing over the keys, here is exactly what happens at each stage and what we handle for you.
- 01
Verify your vehicle
Enter your rego or VIN. We auto-populate factory specs (make, model, variant, body, fuel, drivetrain, year) so you don't have to retype anything. Add an optional PPSR-backed Clean Title badge during checkout. Works for any roadworthy Australian vehicle on a state register.
- Rego or VIN lookup against the national vehicle database
- Auto-filled make, model, variant, badge, body, transmission, drivetrain, year
- Optional PPSR encumbrance check, displayed as a Clean Title badge if it passes
- 02
Build your auction page
Upload up to 20 photos (compressed in your browser, no uploader hangs), embed a YouTube or Vimeo walkaround, write your story, and set a transparent minimum start price. Our wizard nudges you toward the photos and details that real buyers ask about.
- Up to 20 photos, automatically compressed and optimised
- Optional YouTube or Vimeo walkaround embed
- Story and condition fields with prompts for service history, mods, known issues
- Honest minimum start price, plus an optional reserve
- 03
Pay $49 and go live
Pick a 5 or 7 day auction window. Pay one flat $49 listing fee through Stripe. We publish a polished, mobile-friendly auction page with rich preview cards tuned for Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and any forum or enthusiast group.
- 5 or 7 day auction length
- Single $49 listing fee, no sale commission, ever
- Mobile-first auction page hosted on a fast, share-ready URL
- Open Graph and Twitter Card previews so the link looks good wherever you paste it
- 04
Promote it on your channels
Wheels & Bids does not advertise individual auctions and we do not run a marketplace people browse. Sharing is your job and it is the most important step. Post the link to Facebook Marketplace groups, Instagram stories, WhatsApp, your local 4WD or club page and any enthusiast forum that matches the car. We give you a credible page that is worth their click.
- Share the auction URL on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and forums
- Email it to your local club or community group
- Drop it in the description of any short-form video you make about the car
- Pinned by you, promoted by you, owned by you
- 05
Bidders verify, then bid
Anyone can browse your page. To place a bid, a buyer creates a verified account first. Banned bidders stay banned even if they try to come back under a new account. Bids are binding and must beat the minimum increment. If a bid lands inside the final 2 minutes, the timer extends by another 2 minutes so nobody can win by sniping.
- Account verification before the bidder's first bid
- Bids are binding and at or above the minimum increment
- Live updates: every bid pushes to every open auction page in real time
- Anti-snipe: a bid in the last 2 minutes extends the timer by 2 minutes
- 06
Settle off-platform
When the timer ends we email you and the winning bidder each other's verified contact details. From there, payment, paperwork and handover happen directly between you and the buyer. Wheels & Bids takes zero commission of the sale and does not hold escrow.
- Verified contact details emailed to seller and winning bidder when the timer ends
- Direct settlement: bank transfer, PayID or in-person handover, your choice
- You sign the transfer paperwork with the buyer per your state's requirements
- If the winner backs out, message us and we will relist for free
How we compare
Wheels & Bids sits between the dealer trade-in and the open classifieds. You get a hard deadline and verified bidders, without losing a percentage of the sale.
| Feature | Wheels & Bids | Dealer trade-in | Open classifieds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headline cost to seller | Flat $49 | 10-20% of sale price | $0-$100 listing, $0 sale |
| Sale commission | $0 | Hundreds to thousands | $0 |
| Hard sale deadline | Yes, 5 or 7 days | No, sits on the lot | No, drifts for weeks |
| Verified bidders | Verified accounts, banned bidders stay banned | Yard does the screening | None, anyone can DM |
| Public Q&A thread | Built in | No | DMs only |
| You keep the page after the sale | Yes | No | Listing is taken down |
| Who promotes it | You, on your own channels | Yard does walk-ins | Platform's algorithm |
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to set up an auction page?
Most sellers go from entering their rego to a live, paid auction page in under 30 minutes, assuming photos are ready on the device they're using.
What types of vehicles can I sell?
Any roadworthy Australian vehicle on a state register: daily drivers, family cars, work utes, 4x4s, motorbikes, classics, project cars and modified builds. Wheels & Bids is not limited to luxury or performance vehicles.
How does Wheels & Bids make money if you don't take commission?
We charge one flat AUD $49 listing fee at the time you publish your auction. There is no sale commission, no buyer's premium taken from you, and no upsell tier. The fee covers hosting, the PPSR check, share previews, anti-sniping, identity verification of bidders and a free relist if the winner backs out.
Do I have to share the auction link myself?
Yes. Wheels & Bids is a service that builds and runs the auction page; promotion is the seller's job. We don't run a marketplace people browse, so the link only matters if it reaches your audience: Facebook groups, Instagram, WhatsApp, forums, your local club. The platform is intentionally focused on giving you something credible to share.
What is anti-sniping and how does it work?
If any bid is placed in the final 2 minutes of an auction, the timer automatically extends by another 2 minutes. This continues until two minutes pass without a new bid. It guarantees the highest genuine bidder wins, not the fastest connection.
How do bidders prove they are real?
Every bidder verifies their account before their first bid, and we keep a permanent ban list, so banned bidders cannot simply return under a new account. Bids are binding and must beat the minimum increment.
What happens when the auction ends?
We email the seller and the winning bidder each other's verified contact details. Payment, paperwork and handover happen directly between you and the buyer. Wheels & Bids never holds the money and does not act as escrow.
What if the winner doesn't pay or pulls out?
Tell us. We'll cancel the result, ban the bidder and relist your auction for free, with the same photos and story carried across.