An Honest Openlane Auction Review for Car Dealers

What Is Openlane?

It’s an online auction platform where car dealers can shop and sell without leaving their desk. As we found on their official site, it’s built for licensed dealers in the US, Canada, and Europe to trade wholesale used cars.

The platform lists thousands of vehicles sourced from off-lease returns or dealer trade-ins. They are listed with complete condition reports and manually captured photos. They also offer an “As Described” guarantee, which adds more reliability when buying. Dealers can join timed auctions or shop 24/7 using their always-open listings. So, overall it’s an all-in-one platform where dealers handle most of their wholesale needs easily.

Is Openlane Legit?

One of the first questions that comes to every dealer’s mind is, “Is Openlane really legit?” Based on what we saw, the answer is yes. The platform is run by Openlane Inc., formerly KAR Auction Services. It is a reliable and pretty old company in the remarketing world.

As we dug into their press releases, we learned they sold 1.3 million vehicles in 2022 and had over $23 billion in used car transactions. That’s not a small operation to run without having an excellent team. They also work with over 50,000 dealers, OEMs, rental companies, and fleet operators. 

In our opinion, numbers like these don’t happen unless a company is both trusted and capable. So if you are worried about credibility, Openlane has made a name for itself and earned its place.

Who Owns Openlane Auction?

Here’s something interesting we found: Openlane wasn’t always called that. The company was originally KAR Auction Services and it acquired the Openlane startup back in 2011. Peter Kelly is the co-founder of original Openlane and now the CEO of the entire operation.

In 2023, KAR decided to drop its old name and rebrand everything under the Openlane banner. From what we’ve seen, the change positioned themselves as a global online platform for wholesale vehicles. The same leadership has been involved since the early days give dealers extra confidence that the platform’s direction is in pretty good hands.

Step by Step Guide for Using Openlane

Let’s walk through using Openlane because it’s actually pretty straightforward with easy steps. 

1. Log in and click Find Cars to narrow down your search using filters. You can also save your searches for viewing them at a later time. 
2. Now suppose you have found the vehicle you like. Then take a good look at all the details first. Then place your bid for the vehicle and you can’t take it back.
3. You can also choose to bid with the Bid Agent. This will automatically bid up to your maximum amount while keeping your visible bid low. If you are confident about the purchase, go for a direct maximum bid. It shows your full amount right away. 
4. If you are the highest bidder for the vehicle, you’ll hear back from the seller within two working days.
5. Once the deal is confirmed by both the parties, you will get 24 hours to accept it.
6. Now you can choose whether to pick it up yourself or get delivered to your location.
7. The final step is to make your payment in about 48 hours. Then handle pickup with the usual paperwork like damage reports and delivery certificates.

Openlane Reviews From Dealers: What They’re Saying

Here’s what dealers are telling us about working with Openlane. It’s a mixed bag with both positive as well as negative reviews. The Openlane reviews on Trustpilot have some buyers who warn about condition reports not matching reality:

“Paid $18,135 … clearly had a large amount of bondo … none of this was listed … DO NOT TRUST THIS AUCTION PLATFORM!”

On the upside, some praise specific Openlane team members:

“Manuel Gonzalez Somoza … always helps … very friendly & humble.”

So, in our view: Openlane offers big reach and useful tools. But it always pays to double-check vehicle reports and have clear expectations.

Openlane Auction Reviews: Bidding Experience and Fairness

Are you curious to know how fair the auction experience feels on Openlane? From what we’ve seen, they have some excellent features to help you bid. This is useful in conditions where the competition gets high for certain cars.

1. You’ve got options like Bid Agent to manage your bids quietly or go with a direct maximum bid to make a bold move.
   
2. They also offer the Ultimo feature if you’re the highest bidder. You get a final 5 minute chance to raise your offer. It’s a good safeguard if someone tries to outbid you at the last second.
   
3. Openlane website is transparent as we noticed they offer a bidding advisor. This uses past auction data to guide what sellers may accept.

In our take: the bidding tools are good if you use them wisely. But it’s still smart to be ready, steady, and check the data before making your final bid.

Openlane Customer Service Review

Customer service is what can actually make or break your experience with any online auction. We took a closer look at how Openlane handles dealer support.

From what we saw, they offer multiple contact points for customer service. They take queries via telephone, email, and website help tickets. On their North American site, there’s even a dedicated dealer support number for quicker assistance. That’s the good part for any company who takes pride in handling their client queries.

However, reviews online have had a mixed response. Some dealers have praised individual reps for going above and beyond. Others mention long wait times, slow responses, or situations where they felt the rep was just reading from a script.

One recurring theme is that service seems more helpful when dealing with billing or account setup issues. On the other hand, it is less so when it comes to disputes about vehicle condition or post-sale problems. That’s worth noting if your business relies on fast resolutions.

Want to know our take? It’s a support system that works for general queries and tech help. But you’ll need to keep your own paper trail and photos for any serious claims after the purchase is complete.

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Online Auction Software Options For Car Dealers

Now, here’s where we shift gears. Are you a dealer who’s tired of relying upon big platforms like Openlane? Now you can start running your own branded auction website. That’s exactly what GetUltimateAuction offers.

Here’s how we stand out as the best auction marketplace software globally:

• Fully Branded Platform : You get your own domain, your own colors, and your own branding. So, the buyers are going to see you, not a third-party logo.
  
• Multiple Auction Formats: Timed auctions, reserve price auctions, and even “Buy Now” listings. So you’re not locked into one way of selling for sure.
  
• Detailed Vehicle Listings: Upload unlimited photos, condition notes, and inspection PDFs as well. Everything’s in your total control.
  
• Real-Time Bidding: Buyers see updates instantly without refreshing. It’s a real-time experience for them and more competition for your listings.
  
• Dealer & Buyer Management: You can approve or block buyers you want and set fees. It’s also possible to manage payments through integrated gateways.
  
• Mobile-Friendly Design: Your site works on phones and tablets without extra apps.
  
• No Middleman Cuts: You control your fees and keep 100% of your selling price.
  

From our perspective, this is huge for dealers who already have a customer base or work with repeat buyers. Instead of sending them to Openlane (and competing with thousands of other dealers), you bring them to your platform.

Our car auction software has all the setup assistance and ongoing support. So even if you’re not tech-savvy, you can still run your own auction site without any issues. In short, it’s not about replacing Openlane but about building a direct sales channel of your own.

Should You Use Openlane for Your Car Business?

So, the ultimate question is if it’s worth using Openlane? Based on what we’ve seen, it’s a good platform in wholesale car trading. The reach is massive and the platform is practical. It’s tough to compete with when it comes to sourcing large volumes of vehicles across borders.

That said, no platform is perfect. Fees, competition, and the occasional mismatch between condition reports and reality do happen. You’ll also be one dealer among thousands, so standing out is tricky.

That’s why we think a mixed strategy makes sense. Use Openlane for its reach and variety, but also consider having your own auction site. That way, you can tap into the big marketplace and still build your own buyer base where you set the rules.

So, what are you waiting for? Try a free demo of the best car auction software used by thousands of car dealers.

Create your own car auction site today

Get all your clients to bid on the cars and make your market presence.

Buy Now View Demo

New Advanced Features in Our Car Auction Software

Creating auction listings just got easier. With our new VIN Decode (NHTSA API) feature, you no longer need to type every detail manually.

Smart VIN Decode (NHTSA API)

No more manual entry! With the VIN Decode feature integrated into our Car Auction Software, simply enter a 17-digit VIN and click “Lookup VIN” — the system will instantly auto-fill all key vehicle details such as:

• Make, Model, Year
• Engine type, Cylinders, Fuel type, Transmission, Drive type
• Vehicle class, Body style, Color, Mileage

Benefits: Saves time, eliminates errors, ensures consistency, and builds buyer trust with complete and accurate specs.

For Admin:

For Seller:

Auto Background Remove Feature (Powered by Pixelcut API)

High-quality vehicle photos play a major role in attracting buyers. To make this easier, we’ve integrated Pixelcut’s Auto Background Removal feature directly into our software.

• Seller Side: When sellers upload car images, the background is automatically removed for a cleaner, more professional look.
• Admin Side: Admins have the option to manually remove backgrounds. While uploading interior or exterior photos, simply click on the Edit > Remove Background option, and the background will be cleared instantly.

This ensures that all car images in your auction listings look polished and stand out to buyers.