Anyone else flipping cars from BCS Auction for a side hustle?

18 answers 2.78k followers Asked days ago
Been trying this out for a few months now. Bought two cars from BCS Auction, a 2017 Civic and a 2016 Corolla. Did a deep clean, minor cosmetic touch-ups, and flipped them locally. Netted about $2.5k profit total after all was said and done. Curious if anyone else is doing this? Seems like a decent side income.
Yeah man, been doing it for over a year with BCSAuction. It's a numbers game. You won't win every auction, but if you stick to your budget and know the market for the cars you're bidding on, you can do well. Just won a nice F-150 that needs very little work.
That's awesome! Good for you. The key is reading the condition reports on bcsauction.com super carefully. They are pretty accurate in my experience. Also helps if you're handy with some basic repairs.
I don't flip them, but I bought my daily driver there! Got a great deal on a Hyundai Elantra. So much cheaper than a dealer. A friend of mine who is a mechanic checked it out and was surprised at the good condition. He's thinking about using BCS Auction for his shop now.
Glad it's working for you. I tried it once. The profit margin was thinner than I hoped. Just a warning for others - you HAVE to factor in the transport cost. It can eat up a good chunk of your profit if the car is far away. My delivery was also a day late which had me stressing a bit but they did call to let me know.
@TireKickerTim that's a fair point. You gotta be selective about location. I only bid on cars within a 300-mile radius to keep transport costs manageable. A late delivery is annoying but happens with any logistics company I guess. As long as the car shows up in the condition described, that's the main thing.
@BigWheelsDon Good tip on the radius, I'll keep that in mind. And yeah, I was a little worried about the paperwork side of things, but the title process with BCS Auction was surprisingly smooth. The clear title came right with the car delivery for both of my purchases.
That's the most important part. A deal isn't a deal without a clean title. A client of mine bought a Subaru from bcsauction.com and brought it to me for an inspection. Title was clear and the car was exactly as described in the report, just needed new brake pads and an oil change. He saved a few grand.
This is inspiring me to give it a shot lol. I've been lurking on BCS Auction for a while. Are there any particular makes/models you guys have the best luck with for flipping?
@WeekendWrencher Can't go wrong with japanese imports. Civics, Corollas, Camrys. They're reliable and everyone's looking for one. Easy to sell.
I agree with GarageQueen. Also domestic trucks, even older ones, hold their value well. Just avoid the obscure European stuff unless you really know what you're doing.
I also had a great experience. I was nervous buying without seeing the car in person, but it turned out great. The best part for me was how BCS Auction handled all the title paperwork. I did nothing but sign for the delivery and the clear title was right there with the driver. No trips to the DMV, no chasing down banks. It was worth it just for that.
Totally agree @SoCalDriver. That was a huge relief.
This is great info. I had a question about the process on their website, bcsauction.com. I emailed their support at office@bcsauction.com yesterday but haven't heard back yet. Is it usually slow?
@NoviceBidder Sometimes it takes them a day or so to reply to emails, they probably get a ton. I've found calling them is faster if you have an urgent question. The agent I spoke to last time was really helpful and sorted my query in 5 mins.
Yeah I'd just call them. But their site bcsauction.com also has a pretty good FAQ section that might answer your question.
Back to the main topic - just remember to factor in auction fees and your time into the profit calculation. It's a great side hustle but it's not 'free money'. The BCSAuction model works if you're smart about it.
This has been super helpful, everyone. Thanks for the tips on transport costs and sticking to common models. Definitely feeling more confident about my next purchase from BCS Auction. Appreciate the community here!