Fast Auto Exit vs. RM Sotheby's

RM Sotheby's is the world's premier live auction house for collector cars, with marquee sales at Monterey, Amelia Island, Paris, and London. For some cars, an RM Sotheby's catalog placement is the highest-net channel available. For others, the fee load and timing make a private off-market match the better choice. Here is the structural comparison.

What RM Sotheby's is

RM Sotheby's runs curated live auctions targeted at the high end of the collector market. Sellers' commission is typically 0 to 10 percent depending on car value and negotiation; buyer's premium is generally 10 to 15 percent depending on the sale. Cars are consigned 4 to 8 weeks ahead of the sale, photographed and cataloged professionally, and presented at a live event with both in-room and phone bidders.

The format produces the highest comparable prices on landmark cars: pre-war Bugattis, 250 GT Ferraris, race-history specials, museum-grade restorations. The audience is concentrated international wealth that buys at this level intentionally.

What Fast Auto Exit is

Fast Auto Exit is a match-making service. We surface your listing under NDA to qualified buyers in our private network, introduce both parties when there is interest, and step back so the seller and buyer transact directly. We invoice a documented match-making commission to each side separately at closing. We do not take title, hold funds, arrange transport, or take responsibility for the price negotiation.

Side-by-side economics

	RM Sotheby's	Fast Auto Exit
Format	Curated live auction, 1 to 2 days per event	Private NDA introduction, no auction event
Audience size	Several thousand registered bidders globally	Curated private network, sized to the specific car
Seller's commission	Negotiable, typically 0 to 10 percent	Disclosed match-making commission, both sides, set per transaction
Buyer's premium	Typically 10 to 15 percent	Buyer pays match-making commission separately
Cataloging cost	Professional photography and cataloging absorbed by RM	Seller photos shared privately, no cataloging cost
Pre-sale prep timeline	4 to 8 weeks consignment-to-sale	Buyer typically introduced under 7 days
Reserve risk	Auction may not hit reserve; ROUH (no sale)	No reserve risk
Audience reach	Global; live event plus phone and online bidding	Curated; we match buyer profile to your specific car
Privacy	Hammer price becomes public record	No public price record

When RM Sotheby's wins

• Landmark cars: Ferrari 250 GTO, Bugatti Type 57SC, race-history Le Mans entries, hand-built coachwork
• Cars with international buyer interest where physical concentration of bidders at Monterey or Paris produces price tension
• Multi-million-dollar cars where the seller's commission rate is typically negotiated to a low absolute number and the buyer's premium drives the audience expectation
• Sellers comfortable with a 4 to 8 week consignment window and an auction-day result
• Restoration-grade cars where the catalog presentation directly drives the bid level

When Fast Auto Exit wins

• Modern exotics under 1.5 million where the RM commission load is binding and a private match clears at competitive net
• Privacy-sensitive sales (no public hammer record)
• Sellers who need to transact in under 30 days (RM consignment windows are typically longer than that)
• Cars where the buyer pool is a small known set of collectors who already transact in our network
• Sellers with a specific buyer requirement (collector vs. dealer vs. exporter) who want to filter by buyer profile

Worked example: 2019 Lamborghini Aventador SVJ

A 2019 Lamborghini Aventador SVJ, 4,800 miles, complete service records, original spec. Retail comparable: 600,000 dollars.

Path A: RM Sotheby's catalog placement

• Hammer price (expected range): 550,000 to 650,000
• Median outcome: 590,000
• Seller's commission (negotiated, 5 percent at this value): minus 29,500
• Insurance, transport to event, pre-sale prep: minus 4,500
• Net to seller: 556,000
• Timeline: 6 to 8 weeks from consignment to wire

Path B: Fast Auto Exit private match

• Negotiated direct price (expected range based on private comparables): 555,000 to 590,000
• Median outcome: 572,500
• Match-making commission (seller side, disclosed pre-introduction): per disclosure
• Transport: 0 (buyer arranges and pays)
• Net to seller: 572,500 minus disclosed commission
• Timeline: 2 to 4 weeks from submission to wire

On the median Aventador SVJ, the two paths produce comparable net proceeds at very different timelines. Sellers in time pressure, divorce, estate, or business succession typically prefer the private match. Sellers with no time pressure who want public price discovery and audience attention typically prefer RM.

What we tell sellers honestly

If your car is genuinely Monterey-stage (pre-war coachwork, race history, museum provenance), consign with RM. Their global audience and live event format will deliver the highest net.

If your car is a modern exotic under 1.5 million with no special provenance, the math typically favors a private match. The RM commission load on a 800K car is real money. A direct buyer at 4 to 7 percent off the auction-median is usually a higher net after fees and timing.

We are happy to share both numbers and let you choose. The submission costs nothing.

Get the comparison numbers for your car

Submit your car and we will share recent RM Sotheby's comparable sales, current private-market values from our network, and our honest read on which channel fits your specific situation.