# Bring a Trailer Auctions Scraper (`parseforge/bringatrailer-auctions-scraper`) Actor

Scrape Bring a Trailer auction listings from any page. Get titles, bids, time left, and descriptions. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/parseforge/bringatrailer-auctions-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [ParseForge](https://apify.com/parseforge) (community)
- **Categories:** Automation, Developer tools, Other
- **Stats:** 142 total users, 10 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 7 bookmarks
- **User rating**: 4.04 out of 5 stars

## Pricing

from $10.00 / 1,000 records

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

[![ParseForge](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ParseForge/apify-assets/main/banner.jpg)](https://apify.com/parseforge?fpr=vmoqkp)

### Bring a Trailer Auctions Scraper

**Scrape Bring a Trailer auctions from any listing page, up to a million per run.** Every auction comes with its title, current bid, number of bids, time left, and full description. No login or API key. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

Bring a Trailer's website is a treasure trove of classic and collector car auctions, but it does not offer a way to export data for analysis. This Actor reads the public auction listings directly, so you can collect auction details at scale without an official API. It works with any Bring a Trailer page, from the main auctions feed to specific search results or category pages.

| Who uses it | What they scrape Bring a Trailer for |
|---|---|
| Classic car dealers | Monitor auction prices and trends to inform their own listings and purchases. |
| Market researchers | Analyze the collector car market by tracking auction results over time. |
| Enthusiasts and collectors | Track specific models or categories to spot good deals and understand market values. |

### What it does

This Actor collects Bring a Trailer auction listings from any public page and returns each auction as a flat row with its key details.

- Auction details: title, current bid, number of bids, time left, and a link to the auction page.
- Full description: the complete text of the auction listing, including the seller's notes and vehicle history.
- Flexible start URL: start from any Bring a Trailer page, including search results, category pages, or a specific auction.
- Configurable limit: set a maximum number of auctions to collect per run, from 1 to 1,000,000.

Results export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or straight from the API.

### What you can do with Bring a Trailer data

**Track market trends.** Market researchers run the scraper on the main auctions feed weekly to track price movements and bidding activity across the collector car market.

**Monitor specific models.** Collectors set the start URL to a search for a particular model, like 'Porsche 911', to monitor listings and spot undervalued cars.

**Price your inventory.** Classic car dealers scrape recent auction results for similar vehicles to set competitive asking prices on their own listings.

**Build a database.** Data analysts run the scraper on a schedule to build a historical database of Bring a Trailer auctions for long-term analysis.

### Why choose this scraper

|  | What you get |
|---|---|
| **No API needed** | Works directly from the public website, no registration or API keys. |
| **Structured data** | Each auction is returned as a flat row with consistent fields, ready for analysis. |
| **Scalable** | Collect from a single auction to up to a million, depending on your needs. |
| **Export options** | Download results as CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML for use in any tool. |

### How it compares

No other Store actor targets Bring a Trailer the same way, so the honest comparison is with the alternatives teams actually weigh.

| | Bring a Trailer Auctions Scraper | Build it in-house | By hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup | Run it now, zero config | Days of engineering | None, but hours per pull |
| When Bring a Trailer changes | Maintained for you | You fix it | You re-learn the page |
| Proxies, retries, anti-bot | Built in | Your problem | Browser only |
| Output | Fixed JSON schema, CSV/Excel export | Whatever you build | Copy-paste |
| Cost | Pay per result | Engineering time | Analyst hours |

### Configure the run

Drive the Actor from any Bring a Trailer URL, and set a maximum number of auctions to collect. The Actor reads the page and extracts each auction's details as it goes, so you get a clean dataset without manual work. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

```json
{
  "maxItems": 10
}
```

A larger pull:

```json
{
  "maxItems": 200
}
```

### Pricing

Pay-per-result: **$0.05 per result** collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.

| Results collected | Approximate cost |
|---|---|
| 100 results | $5.00 |
| 1,000 results | $50.00 |
| 10,000 results | $500.00 |

New Apify accounts start with $5 in free credit.

### Free users

Free-plan runs return up to 10 results as a preview. [Upgrade your Apify plan](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp) to collect up to 1,000,000 results per run.

### Run it

1. [Create a free Apify account with $5 in credit](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp).
2. Open the [Bring a Trailer Auctions Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/bringatrailer-auctions-scraper?fpr=vmoqkp).
3. Set your inputs and any filters, then click **Start**.
4. Export the results as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML from the **Dataset** tab.

Run it programmatically through the [Apify API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2) (`run-sync-get-dataset-items`) or the [ApifyClient](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js) for JavaScript and Python.

### Use with AI agents (MCP)

Give an AI agent live access to Bring a Trailer through the Model Context Protocol. Add the Actor to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client:

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=parseforge/bringatrailer-auctions-scraper"
```

Then prompt it in plain language to run the scraper and read back the results.

### Troubleshooting

**Why am I getting no results?**

Make sure the start URL is a valid Bring a Trailer page that contains auction listings. If you use a specific auction URL, you will get only that auction. Also check that the page is publicly accessible and not blocked.

**The scraper is slow or times out.**

Try reducing the maximum number of auctions or use a more specific start URL to limit the scope. You can also increase the timeout settings in the Actor's configuration.

**The data fields are empty.**

Some auctions may have missing details, such as no bids yet. The scraper only extracts what is present on the page. If you need more fields, consider using a different start URL or contact support.

**I get an error about the URL format.**

Ensure the start URL starts with 'https://bringatrailer.com/'. The Actor validates the URL pattern and will reject invalid ones.

### FAQ

| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What data does the scraper collect? | It collects the auction title, current bid, number of bids, time left, and the full description from each auction listing on the page. |
| Can I scrape a specific search or category? | Yes, you can set the start URL to any Bring a Trailer page, including search results, category pages, or even a single auction. |
| Do I need an API key or login? | No, the scraper works directly from the public website without any authentication. |
| How many auctions can I scrape in one run? | You can set the maximum number of auctions from 1 to 1,000,000. The default is 10. |
| What formats can I export the data in? | You can download the results as CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML from the Apify platform. |
| Is it legal to scrape Bring a Trailer? | Scraping public data for personal or analytical use is generally acceptable, but you should review Bring a Trailer's terms of service and respect their website's robots.txt. |
| Can I run this scraper on a schedule? | Yes, you can schedule runs using Apify's scheduler feature to collect data regularly. |
| What if the page structure changes? | If the scraper stops working due to website changes, you can contact the developer for updates. The Actor is maintained to adapt to changes. |

### Related actors

Browse the full [ParseForge collection](https://apify.com/parseforge?fpr=vmoqkp) for more scrapers.

🆘 **Need help?** Email parseforge@protonmail.com with your run ID, your input, and what you expected.

⚠️ **Disclaimer.** This Actor is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Bring a Trailer, Inc. It collects only publicly available data. You are responsible for using the collected data in compliance with the source's terms of service and applicable data-protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL. Do not use it to collect personal data unlawfully.

# Actor input Schema

## `startUrl` (type: `string`):

The Bring a Trailer URL to start scraping from. Must start with 'https://bringatrailer.com/'. Can be any Bring a Trailer page including listing pages.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of auctions to collect per run.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "startUrl": "https://bringatrailer.com/auctions/",
  "maxItems": 10
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `auctions` (type: `string`):

Complete auction dataset with all fields including vehicle details, bidding information, seller data, and auction results

## `overview` (type: `string`):

Overview view of auctions with key fields displayed in a table format

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "maxItems": 10
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("parseforge/bringatrailer-auctions-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "maxItems": 10 }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("parseforge/bringatrailer-auctions-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "maxItems": 10
}' |
apify call parseforge/bringatrailer-auctions-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,parseforge/bringatrailer-auctions-scraper"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/k5RFZxUGRnwcnZe2f/builds/pil7YvYF7GBkM45ac/openapi.json