When a car auction doesn't close

Plain-English guides for sellers, winners and buyers when an online car auction doesn't end the way anyone planned.

• Reserve not met: what to do when your car didn't sell
  Your car bid to less than the reserve on Bring a Trailer, Cars & Bids or PCARMARKET. Here are your options, and how to reach buyers who wanted it.
• The winning bidder didn't pay. Now what?
  Your winning bidder backed out or stopped answering. What the auction sites do about it, and how to find another committed buyer without starting over.
• Missed the car? How to still get the one that got away
  Missed the end of the auction, found the car after it sold, or got outbid? Post the one that got away and get matched if it doesn't close or comes back up.
• Won an auction you can't close?
  Won on Bring a Trailer or Cars & Bids but can't complete the purchase? What's at stake, and how buyers who missed the car may take it over.

Post the one that got away

2ndBids is independent and isn't affiliated with or endorsed by any auction site. Platform rules change, so check the current terms of the site where your car was listed. Rules quoted here were checked on September 29, 2026.