Hearst Autos, an autos-focused media company, has acquired collectible-car auction site Bring a Trailer for an undisclosed sum.
Bring a Trailer started in 2007 as a car-enthusiast blog. The site has since expanded into a niche marketplace specializing in collectible vehicles. According to a statement from the company, the Bring a Trailer community includes “more than 415,000 users and more than 175,000 registered bidders.”
The marketplace runs timed auctions, which are vetted for variety and quality by staff and the online community. Auctions typically run seven days. The site makes money from sellers through a flat posting fee and optional presentation premiums, as well as a 5% commission paid by buyers.
The niche site had around 4 million monthly visitors in May, up slightly from pre-pandemic levels, according to SimilarWeb.
With the acquisition, Hearts Autos can integrate marketplaces into its print and electronic advertising holdings. The company also operates several publications, including Road & Track and Car and Driver.
“Bring a Trailer represents another step in the evolution of Hearst Magazines, one that connects passion points to content and now, marketplaces,” said Troy Young, the president of Hearst Magazines. “At its core, Bring a Trailer is about curation, which is what our brands have always been about.”