eBay, or one box to me? Run the numbers.
You can sell a collection yourself, and some people should. Slide in your collection and see what each way leaves you, and how much work it takes to get there.
- First, slide to how many cars you have.
- Next, slide to the rough market value of all of them together.
- The boxes below show what eBay would leave you, and what I would pay.
Sell them yourself on eBay
$2,144
after eBay's fees, if every car sells at full value
- 40 listings to photograph and write
- 40 boxes to pack and ship
- 40 buyers to answer, chase and deal with
Sell them to me
$1,875 to $2,000
75 to 80% of market value for the whole collection
- 1 text with a few photos
- 1 box, postage and insurance paid by me
- Paid by PayPal or Venmo before you ship
The difference works out to about $4 to $7 a car. That's what you'd earn for every listing you write, every box you pack and every buyer you deal with, and only if all 40 sell at full value.
eBay's published fee for most categories, checked October 2026: 13.6% of each sale plus $0.40 an order. Postage, mailers and unsold cars not included. Your real offer depends on your cars.
What selling it yourself takes
eBay reaches a lot of buyers, and one great car can do well there. A whole collection is a different job. Multiply each of these by every car you own.
- 1
Photograph every car
Front, back, base and any flaws, so buyers trust the listing.
- 2
Write every listing
Model, year, color, condition. Then price it, and price it again.
- 3
Answer every buyer
Questions, lowball offers, and people who stop answering.
- 4
Pack and ship every car
One box at a time, one trip to the post office at a time.
- 5
Pay eBay on every sale
13.6% of each sale plus 40 cents an order.
How I do it
- Text me a few photos. One of everything laid out is enough to start.
- I send a fair offer, usually within the hour.
- Say yes, and I pay you by PayPal or Venmo before you ship, with postage and insurance included.
- Drop one box at the post office. If it gets lost, you keep the money.
- Collection worth $10,000 or more? I come to you, anywhere in the US, and pay cash or by wire on the spot.
Only a few cars? Text me anyway.
There's no minimum. Small collections still get a value from me and advice on the best way to sell them. Rare cars hide in small lots.
Questions sellers ask
Most sellers (about 95%) are paid up front by PayPal or Venmo, before they ship anything. You see the money first.
If you'd rather be paid another way, I pay the same day your cars are delivered.
For collections of $10,000 and up, I come to you and pay cash or by wire transfer on the spot, whichever you prefer.
I do. When I pay you, I include the postage plus extra to insure the package, so it costs you nothing. You box up the cars and take them to the post office.
If a package is ever lost, a claim is filed with the post office: you keep your money and the insurance reimburses me. Nobody takes a loss.
There's no minimum. Small groups sometimes hide a rare car, so send photos of whatever you have.
If a collection is too small for me to buy, you still get a value and advice on how to sell it.
Just inherited a collection? Read this first