Online car buyers
Shipping A Car You Bought Online
You have paid for a vehicle you have never physically seen, and it is sitting in a state you have never visited. Everything now depends on other people doing what they said they would.
Where these purchases go wrong
The transport itself is rarely the problem. Three other things account for almost every difficult online purchase, and all of them are avoidable if you know to look for them.
- The condition was described optimistically. A vehicle listed as running that will not start needs a winch-equipped carrier. Discovering that on collection day delays everything.
- Nobody arranged the release. Private sellers go to work. Dealers close. Auctions have gate hours. A driver arriving to a locked gate is a wasted collection.
- No record of condition before it moved. If you cannot show what the car looked like when it left, damage disputes become impossible to resolve.
Ask the seller for photographs the day before collection. Not the listing photos, fresh ones. It costs nothing and it is the only evidence you will have of the vehicle's condition before it went on a truck.
Where we collect from
- Dealerships — usually the easiest, since the site is built for trucks and someone is always there
- Auction yards — release paperwork and gate hours matter more than the drive; see auction transport
- Private sellers — the trickiest, because availability depends on one person's schedule
- Online retailers — typically a delivery centre with defined release procedures
- Storage and repair facilities — where the vehicle has been sitting since purchase
Book earlier than feels necessary
Two things push in the same direction here. Storage fees at auctions and some dealers start almost immediately and are charged daily. And a booking placed a week out consistently prices better than one placed for tomorrow.
Booking as soon as the purchase completes, rather than after the paperwork settles, usually saves money on both counts. A provisional booking can be adjusted; a rushed one costs a premium.
Protecting yourself at delivery
This is the part that matters most and takes two minutes.
- Inspect the vehicle before signing anything
- Compare it against the seller's fresh photos and the pickup condition report
- Note anything new on the Bill of Lading before you sign, and photograph it
- Call us while the driver is still there rather than the next day
A signed clean delivery report with damage reported afterwards is very difficult to pursue. A noted, photographed exception at delivery is straightforward.
Open or enclosed
Open transport is right for most online purchases and is what almost everyone books. Enclosed makes sense if the car has genuine collector value, very low ground clearance, or paint you would not want stone-chipped before you have even driven it.
Online purchase questions
Can you collect from a private seller?
Yes. The main complication is availability, since collection depends on one person being there. Give us their number so the driver can arrange a window directly rather than through you.
What if the car does not start?
Tell us before booking so we assign a winch-equipped carrier. Sellers sometimes describe a vehicle as running when it has not moved in months, so ask them directly whether it starts, rolls, steers and brakes.
How soon should I book after buying?
As soon as the purchase completes. Storage fees at auctions and some dealers begin almost immediately, and a booking with lead time prices better than an urgent one.
How do I know what condition it was in before shipping?
Ask the seller for fresh photographs the day before collection, and rely on the pickup condition report the driver completes. Those two together are your evidence if anything is disputed.
What if it arrives damaged?
Note it on the Bill of Lading before signing, photograph it, and call us while the driver is still present. Documented at delivery, a claim is straightforward. Reported the next day, it rarely succeeds.
Just bought a car?
Send the seller's ZIP, your ZIP and the vehicle details. Booking early usually costs less and avoids storage fees.