Hemmings

What Hemmings does

Hemmings, founded in 1954 and headquartered in Bennington, Vermont, is the world's largest collector car marketplace, operating as a division of American City Business Journals (ACBJ). The company runs a multi-platform ecosystem combining a two-sided digital marketplace, curated online auctions, a print and digital magazine (Hemmings Motor News, with 165,000+ subscribers), the Hemmings Motor Club membership program, and supporting services spanning valuation, financing, shipping, insurance, inspections, and payment/title transfer. Its core product portfolio includes three listing formats: Auctions (curated weekly bidding with human listing specialists, $99.95 listing fee), Make Offer (real-time negotiation, $99.95), and Classified Ads ($179.95, with one month of print magazine inclusion and six months online). Buyers pay a 5% transaction fee capped at $10,000, applied to winning auction bids or accepted offers.

The platform serves three primary customer segments: classic car collectors and enthusiasts (individuals passionate about collecting, restoring, and trading collector vehicles), dealers and auction houses (professional sellers leveraging the Dealer Showroom program and partner auction calendar), and private sellers (individual owners using Make Offer or Auction formats). Recently launched in April 2026, the 'Between Two Pumps' podcast extends Hemmings into media entertainment, positioned as cultural programming for the collector car community. Geographic distribution includes the US and Canada as core markets, with seller listings from Europe (UK, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, and others), Asia Pacific (Japan, Australia), the Middle East (UAE), and Latin America (Mexico, Argentina, Brazil).

Hemmings monetizes through a combination of transaction-based take rates (5% buyer fee), one-time listing fees ($99.95-$179.95), recurring subscription revenue (Hemmings Motor Club membership), and advertising across print and digital channels. The company generates operational leverage through integrated partners (CARFAX for vehicle history, Insuramatch for insurance, Lemon Squad for inspections, KeySavvy for payments/title) and a mobile app for iOS and Android that enables real-time bidding, saved searches, and push notifications. The company operates 101-250 employees and is privately held without disclosed external funding rounds.

Name

Hemmings

Legal name

American City Business Journals (Hemmings)

Website

https://hemmings.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Hemmings is the world's largest collector car marketplace, operating a digital auction and classifieds platform alongside a 165,000+-subscriber print magazine and membership program. It serves private collectors, dealers, and individual sellers of classic, vintage, and muscle vehicles globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Collector Car Marketplace

NAICS

Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers (459), Automotive Parts and Accessories Retailers (44133)

SIC

Wholesale-Motor Vehicle Supplies & New Parts (5013)

akta.pro primary industry

Automotive Vehicles & Parts C2C (CRAFAKAE)

Keywords

• Collector car marketplace
• Classic car auctions
• Automotive classifieds
• Vehicle listing platform
• Classic car magazine

Headquarters

HQ city

Bennington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Transaction Fees (Buyer's Fee): Hemmings charges buyers a 5% fee on the winning bid (auctions) or accepted offer (Make Offer), with a minimum of $500 and maximum of $10,000. Sellers pay a flat listing fee for Auctions ($99.95) and Make Offer ($99.95), and Classified Ads ($179.95 per listing). This is the primary revenue mechanism, aligning incentives between platform and transaction completion.
2. Classified and Magazine Advertising: Classified Ads appear both online (for 6 months) and in the Hemmings Motor News print magazine (for 1 month). Sellers pay $179.95 per classified listing, generating revenue from advertisers/sellers who want print visibility alongside digital presence.
3. Membership Subscriptions (Hemmings Motor Club): Hemmings Motor Club (HMC) membership provides benefits including unlimited marketplace listings, early listing access, roadside assistance, insurance discounts, HMN magazine, and verified member icons. The membership makes Make Offer listings free for members and provides 5% off American Collectors Insurance, suggesting a subscription revenue component that complements marketplace transactions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Hemmings operates the world's largest online collector car marketplace, connecting buyers and sellers of classic, muscle, vintage, and special-interest vehicles through three core listing formats: curated Auctions (weekly bidding with professional write-ups and a 5% buyer fee), Make Offer (real-time direct negotiation between buyer and seller), and traditional Classified Ads (also published in the print magazine). The marketplace is complemented by a paid membership program (Hemmings Motor Club) offering benefits like roadside assistance and unlimited listings, a mobile app for iOS and Android, integrated transaction services (payment, title, shipping, insurance, financing), and the flagship Hemmings Motor News magazine.

Product overview

Hemmings operates as the world's largest collector car marketplace, offering a multi-platform ecosystem combining auctions, classified marketplace listings, and membership services. The core product portfolio includes Hemmings Auctions (premier selective online auctions with professional curation), Marketplace Listings (traditional classifieds with Make Offer and Classified Ad options), and Hemmings Motor Club (premium membership with benefits including roadside assistance and valuation reports). Supporting services include vehicle valuation tools, CARFAX vehicle history reports, inspection services (via Lemon Squad partnership), financing, Hemmings Pay + Title for transaction management, car shipping coordination, and an insurance marketplace. The company also publishes Hemmings Motor News magazine (print and digital) and produces video content and the 'Between Two Pumps' podcast. A mobile app extends marketplace access to iOS and Android devices. The platform serves both private sellers and dealers, with the Dealer Showroom offering premium visibility. The business model charges sellers nominal listing fees ($99.95-$179.95) while buyers pay a 5% success fee capped at $10,000 on transactions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hemmings Motor Club: Membership program offering benefits including unlimited marketplace listings, 24/7 roadside assistance, exclusive discounts, Hemmings Motor News magazine, early access to vehicle listings, and annual valuation reports.
• Hemmings Auctions
• Hemmings Make Offer

Products and services

• Hemmings Auctions A curated online auction platform for collector vehicles where sellers submit for consideration; if selected, vehicles are listed with professional write-ups and run for 7 days. Sellers pay $99.95 per listing and buyers pay a 5% fee (min $500, max $10,000) on winning bids, with free CARFAX reports for 1981+ vehicles and automatic conversion to Make Offer if reserve is not met.
• Marketplace Listings (Make Offer and Classified Ads) Traditional fixed-price classified marketplace for collector vehicles with two seller formats: Make Offer listings ($99.95) supporting real-time buyer-seller negotiation with credit-card verification, and Classified Ads ($179.95) appearing online for 6 months plus 1 month in Hemmings Motor News print magazine. Both formats use a 5% buyer fee (min $500, max $10,000) on accepted/closed transactions.
• Hemmings Motor Club Premium annual membership program offering unlimited Make Offer listings (free vs $99.95 non-member rate), 24/7 emergency roadside assistance, partner discounts (5% off American Collectors Insurance), early access to new listings, annual vehicle valuation report, the Hemmings Motor News magazine, and verified member icons on Hemmings.com.
• Collector Car Valuation Professional vehicle valuation service enabling owners to assess market values of their collector vehicles. Included as an annual benefit for Hemmings Motor Club members and available as a standalone offering to others.
• Hemmings Motor News Magazine Monthly print and digital magazine covering collector car marketplace news, car features, restoration articles, buyer's guides, tech and how-to articles, and classified advertisements. Published continuously since 1954; reaches 165,000+ subscribers and is known as 'the bible' of the collector car hobby.
• Hemmings Marketplace App Free mobile application for iOS (App Store) and Android (Google Play) enabling users to search tens of thousands of collector vehicles, save searches with notifications, track favorite cars, place real-time bids on auctions, make and negotiate offers, and contact sellers directly from mobile devices.
• Hemmings Pay + Title Integrated payment and title transfer service facilitating safe online vehicle transactions between buyers and sellers, handling funds transfer and paperwork coordination to reduce fraud risk.
• Car Shipping Vehicle transportation coordination service offering quotes and arranging shipment of collector cars in open or enclosed trailers for buyers and sellers transacting on the marketplace.
• Insurance Marketplace Insurance marketplace powered by Insuramatch providing agreed-value insurance policies designed specifically for collector vehicles purchased through the Hemmings marketplace.
• Financing Financing services for purchasing collector vehicles, arranged through partnered financial institutions and accessible directly from the Hemmings marketplace.
• Car Parts for Sale Dedicated marketplace section for buying and selling classic and collectible auto parts, including hard-to-find originals and trusted replacement parts.
• Between Two Pumps Podcast Podcast series hosted by Hemmings personalities from a restored vintage service station in Bennington, Vermont, covering collector car market topics including valuations, market trends, mileage data, digital community influence, and restoration-versus-originality debates.

Quantifiable outcome

• Listed in Hemmings Motor News magazine with reach to 165,000+ subscribers
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• KeySavvycoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025KeySavvy, a platform simplifying private-party vehicle transactions, secured strategic partnerships with online vehicle marketplaces including Cars & Bids, AutoCheck by Experian, and Hemmings. KeySavvy raised $4.25M in venture capital funding led by Bonfire Ventures. The partnership extends Hemmings' transaction capabilities to include KeySavvy's private-party payment and title services.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Cars & Bids: Online auction platform focused on modern enthusiast vehicles (1980s–2010s). Strategic partner of Hemmings via the KeySavvy relationship; competes for enthusiast seller mindshare in adjacent collector categories.
• Gooding & Company: Collector car auction house focused on premium classic vehicles. Competes for marquee consignments and shares buyer audiences with Hemmings' high-value transactions.
• Bring a Trailer: Online auction platform for collector and enthusiast cars, acquired by Hearst. Directly competes with Hemmings Auctions for high-quality consignments and offers a curated, community-driven bidding experience targeted at the same collector demographic.
• Mecum Auctions: One of the largest collector car auction houses in the U.S., hosting live events and online bidding. Competes with Hemmings Auctions for high-value consignments and surfaces inventory through Hemmings' partner auction calendar.
• Barrett-Jackson: Premier collector car auction company known for live, televised auctions. Operates in the same classic/collector car vertical and competes for both sellers and buyer attention alongside Hemmings' auction offering.
• RM Sotheby's: World-leading collector car auction house specializing in premium and investment-grade vehicles. Competes for high-end consignments and benefits from the same wealth-transfer-driven demand tailwinds that power Hemmings.

Broad incumbents

• Cars.com: Large online automotive marketplace serving new and used vehicles broadly. Adjacent incumbent with overlapping dealer relationships but no specialty focus on collector vehicles.
• eBay Motors: General online marketplace with a major automotive category, including collector and classic cars. Competes for hobbyist sellers and buyers broadly but lacks the specialist collector car curation and editorial brand Hemmings has built.
• AutoTrader: Mass-market online automotive marketplace owned by Cox Enterprises. Serves the broader used-vehicle category and is a broad incumbent; while it overlaps in vehicle listings, it is not specialized in collector cars.

Emerging players

• DuPont Registry: Luxury and exotic vehicle marketplace featuring high-end listings. Competes for premium collector and exotic car listings in an overlapping niche with Hemmings, though with a narrower luxury focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HemmingsNews

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hemmings