Online car resellers
Delivery For Online Car Resellers
When you sell remotely, delivery is not the end of the transaction. It is the part the buyer judges you on, and the part most likely to generate a refund request.
Delivery is part of what you sold
A remote buyer has paid for a car on the strength of photographs and a conversation. From the moment the money moves until the vehicle appears, their only evidence that this was a good decision is what you tell them.
Silence in that window is read as something going wrong. Most refund requests on remote sales are not about the vehicle at all. They are about a buyer who stopped believing the delivery was happening.
The most effective thing you can do costs nothing. Give the buyer the driver's name and number as soon as the carrier is assigned. A buyer who can call the person carrying their car stops calling you.
Protecting yourself as the seller
Your exposure is the reverse of the buyer's. They worry the car will not arrive as described. You worry they will claim it did not, after the fact.
- Photograph the vehicle the day it leaves you. Every panel, wheels, interior, odometer, in daylight. This is your evidence.
- Keep the pickup condition report. The driver's signed record of condition at collection is independent verification.
- Set expectations in writing. Tell the buyer a realistic transit window and that open transport arrives with road film. Both are normal; neither is if you never mentioned them.
- Have the buyer inspect and sign at delivery. A signed clean delivery report closes the transaction properly.
What buyers complain about
- Nobody told them anything — solved by handing over driver contact details
- It arrived dirty — normal on open transport over distance, and worth saying so in advance
- The truck could not reach the address — a 75-foot rig cannot enter a cul-de-sac; flag access at booking
- They were not home — a driver cannot leave a vehicle unsigned, so make sure the buyer knows someone must be present
Quoting delivery at the point of sale
If you sell into the same regions repeatedly, those corridors can go onto agreed rates. That matters commercially: being able to tell a buyer the delivery cost while they are still deciding is considerably stronger than saying you will find out and come back to them.
It also protects your margin, because you are quoting from a known figure rather than guessing and absorbing the difference.
When enclosed is worth it
Open transport is right for most resale units. Enclosed makes sense on higher-value cars, or where the handover is a moment the buyer will photograph and post. On a flagship sale the difference in cost is usually smaller than the difference in how the delivery is received.
Reseller questions
Who does the driver contact, me or the buyer?
The buyer, since they hold the address and their own schedule. You receive confirmation without relaying messages between them, which removes most of the back and forth.
Can I offer delivery as part of my listing price?
Yes, and it converts well. Agreed lane rates on your regular corridors mean you can quote a delivery figure with confidence while the buyer is still deciding.
How do I protect myself against a damage claim?
Photograph every panel the day the vehicle leaves you, keep the signed pickup condition report, and have the buyer inspect and sign at delivery. Those three together settle almost any dispute.
What should I tell the buyer to expect?
A realistic transit window rather than a best case, and that vehicles arrive with road film on open transport. Setting both expectations in advance prevents most complaints.
What if the buyer refuses delivery?
Contact us immediately. The vehicle cannot be left unsigned, so it will need to be redelivered or stored, and both cost money. Confirming the buyer is ready before dispatch avoids this.
Selling remotely?
Send your typical delivery regions and monthly volume. Repeat corridors go onto agreed rates you can quote from at the point of sale.