Mecum is one of the biggest live collector-car auction companies in the United States. Unlike the online auction sites, it charges both sides: the buyer pays a premium on top of the bid, and the seller pays an entry fee and a commission.
One thing to know before you read on. We weren't able to read Mecum's own fee pages when we checked. The figures here are as reported by Motorious in September 2026 and by Classic.com, and the two agree. Treat them as a guide, and get Mecum's current fees in writing before you consign.
Key numbers
- Buyer's premium
- 10% for bidders in the room, 12% online or by phone, with a $1,000 minimum on vehicles.
- Seller's entry fee
- $350 to $1,000, non-refundable. Half price for a no-reserve car.
- Seller's commission
- 6% of the hammer price with no reserve, 10% with a reserve. Charged only if the car sells.
- Where these figures come from
- Motorious and Classic.com. We couldn't read Mecum's own fee page, so confirm with Mecum.
Mecum fees at a glance
| Fee | Amount | Who pays |
|---|---|---|
| Entry fee | $350 to $1,000, non-refundable | Seller |
| Entry fee, no-reserve car | Half price | Seller |
| Commission, car with a reserve | 10% of the hammer price | Seller |
| Commission, no-reserve car | 6% of the hammer price | Seller |
| Buyer's premium, in person | 10%, minimum $1,000 | Buyer |
| Buyer's premium, online or by phone | 12%, minimum $1,000 | Buyer |
As reported by Motorious on September 28, 2026, and consistent with Classic.com's fee table. Checked October 2026. Mecum sets and changes its own fees, so confirm them with Mecum before you consign or bid.
These are the fees for cars. Motorious reports a $500 minimum premium on motorcycles, and a premium of 20% in person or 22% remotely on what Mecum calls Road Art, its memorabilia.
The Mecum buyer's premium
The buyer's premium is added to the hammer price, and it has no upper limit.
| Hammer price | Premium in person (10%) | Premium online or by phone (12%) |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $5,000 | $6,000 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 | $12,000 |
| $250,000 | $25,000 | $30,000 |
| $500,000 | $50,000 | $60,000 |
That's a big difference from the online auction sites, where the buyer's fee stops at $7,500. On a $250,000 car, a bidder in the room at Mecum pays $25,000 on top. On Bring a Trailer or Cars & Bids the same bidder would pay $7,500.
It matters to you as a seller, because bidders budget for the total. The higher the premium, the less of their budget is left for the bid itself.
What sellers pay at Mecum
A seller pays two things:
- An entry fee of $350 to $1,000, paid up front. Motorious reports that it isn't refundable, so you pay it even if the car doesn't sell.
- A commission on the hammer price: 10% if the car has a reserve, 6% if it doesn't. It's charged only if the car sells.
Mecum doesn't pay your other costs. Budget for transporting the car to the auction, detailing, and your own travel if you want to be there. If the car doesn't sell, you pay to bring it home too.
What a seller keeps: worked examples
| Hammer price | With a reserve (10%) | No reserve (6%) |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $45,000 | $47,000 |
| $100,000 | $90,000 | $94,000 |
| $150,000 | $135,000 | $141,000 |
| $250,000 | $225,000 | $235,000 |
Our arithmetic from the reported commission rates, before the entry fee. The entry fee takes off another $350 to $1,000 with a reserve, or half that with no reserve.
Add both sides together and the auction's share is larger than either fee looks alone. Motorious works through a $50,000 no-reserve car: the buyer pays a $5,000 premium, the seller pays a $3,000 commission plus the entry fee, and more than $8,000 goes to the auction company.
That money pays for the venue, the marketing and a crowd of registered bidders. Whether it's worth it depends on whether that crowd will pay more for your car than online bidders would.
Reserve or no reserve at Mecum
The reported fees push sellers toward no reserve. On a $150,000 hammer price, selling without a reserve saves $6,000 in commission and half the entry fee.
The price of that saving is certainty. A no-reserve car sells for whatever the last bid is. If the room is quiet when your car crosses the block, you have no floor.
With a reserve, a car that falls short simply doesn't sell. You owe no commission, but the entry fee is gone. Mecum's post-sale desk, which it calls The Bid Goes On, then tries to put a deal together between you and interested bidders.
For how to decide, see buyer's premium, reserve and no reserve explained.
How selling at Mecum works
- Pick an auction. Mecum holds live auctions around the country through the year. Its January sale in Kissimmee, Florida, is the largest.
- Consign the car. You agree the terms with Mecum: reserve or no reserve, the entry fee, and the day your car runs. Ask what decides the entry fee for your slot.
- Get the car and the title there. Transport is your cost. Have your records and anything that comes with the car ready to display.
- The car crosses the block. Bidding lasts a few minutes. If you set a reserve, you can usually choose to lift it during the bidding.
- Settle up. If the car sells, Mecum takes its commission from the proceeds. Ask in advance when and how sellers are paid.
Is Mecum the right route for your car?
Mecum's crowd is strongest for American performance cars: muscle cars, Corvettes, Vipers, Ford GTs and Hellcats, along with customs and trucks. Modern supercars sell there too, but they are a smaller part of the docket.
Before you commit, look up recent Mecum results for your model and compare them with online results for similar cars. Then compare what you'd keep after fees. Selling a car at auction sets Mecum beside Barrett-Jackson, the online sites and the catalog houses.
Common questions
What is the buyer's premium at Mecum?
10% of the hammer price for bidders in the room and 12% for online and telephone bidders, with a $1,000 minimum on vehicles, as reported by Motorious in September 2026.
How much does Mecum charge to sell a car?
An entry fee of $350 to $1,000, plus a commission of 10% of the hammer price with a reserve or 6% with no reserve, as reported by Motorious. No-reserve cars also get half off the entry fee.
Is the Mecum entry fee refundable?
No. Motorious reports that Mecum's consignment entry fees are non-refundable.
Does Mecum charge commission if the car doesn't sell?
No. Motorious reports that the commission is charged only if the car sells. The entry fee isn't refunded.
Is it cheaper to sell with no reserve at Mecum?
Yes. The reported commission is 6% rather than 10%, and the entry fee is halved. The trade-off is that the car sells for whatever the final bid is.
Is Mecum's buyer's premium capped?
No cap is reported. On an expensive car the premium is far higher than on online sites such as Bring a Trailer and Cars & Bids, which stop at $7,500.
Sources
- Motorious: The complete guide to auction fees and buyer's premiums (September 28, 2026)
- Classic.com: Auction fees and prices
- Cars & Bids: What's Cars & Bids?
- Axis Auto: Bring a Trailer fees 2026 (March 23, 2026)
Figures were checked against these sources in October 2026. Prices change, so confirm before relying on them.