I've been a remote buyer (or lazy *******) for years and I have great faith in online auctions these days, they have come on leaps and bounds. Of course sometimes your grade 2 may turn out to be a grade 4 and vice versa but on the whole they are on the money. However, I do wish BCA and Manheim would grade the interior. Last week I bought a Peugeot SW from BCA which was lovely on the body but had sadly been lived in by a pack of Wolves. If I'd of know the interior was very doggy, then just like it being a smoker's car, I'd have left it there so I was a bit gutted. Thankfully though after a couple of days hard labour and a few quid it was a bobby dazzler and has now found a new owner so in the end al'ls well. I like the way Aston Barclay grade their cars both on interior and exterior and can't understand why Manheim and BCA don't do the same, at the very least they should have a comments section informing buyers of smells, pet hairs, etc.
As for the fees, well what lose there we gain by having lower fuel costs, not to mention the savings on auction fry ups and coffee!!