Tips for Shipping from a Dealership
The world today is much different than the world of just 10-20 years ago. The way we interact, the way we communicate, and even the way we shop has changed. And all of that change is thanks to the internet.
One way in which the internet has really changed things is in how we go about buying vehicles. It used to be you had to go from one dealership to another, browse their inventory, pester the sales people, test drive potential options, haggle…it was a lot of work for customers. And that way of shopping for cars still exists, but it’s not as common – or as desirable – as shopping online is.
And when it comes to shopping for vehicles online, you can do it a number of ways. Most dealerships nowadays offer online buying options for customers, which means people can buy cars online from numerous states away and have it shipped instead of having to go to the dealership themselves! Companies such as Carvana and Carmax have grown considerably as dealership that offer their inventories primarily online, as a matter of fact.
So, what do you need to know when you’re shipping a car from a dealership? While shipping a car is much the same whether it’s coming from a dealership or from a residence, there are some differences to be aware of. In this article, we’ll give some tips for shipping from a dealership to help your shipping experience be as smooth as can be.
Article Overview
Make sure everything is paid for
When you’re shipping from a dealership, there are a few things that need to happen before the vehicle can actually be picked up. We’ll talk more about some of them in the next section – this one is all about making sure the vehicle is actually paid for.
Believe it or not, making sure that your purchase is actually paid for is important in any transaction. But it’s especially true for when you’re buying a vehicle online from a dealership.
This sounds like simple advice, but it’s a bit more complicated than that. Cars are expensive; as such, paying for one has additional checks and balances to ensure that the transaction is successful. So, online payments for vehicles bought online tend to take a few days to process. Your dealership can tell you more about their processing time (as they’re all different), but it’s usually 2-4 days.
This means that, until your vehicle is fully paid for, it can’t be released to a carrier. This can cause issues if you’ve already booked your shipment and given an available date that is earlier than the scheduled clearing of funds. When this happens, your vehicle may end up being assigned for pick up by a carrier – but they won’t be able to pick up because the vehicle isn’t paid for yet.
This, of course, is a problem. And this kind of problem can lead to headaches and even additional fees. So, to avoid those kinds of headaches, make sure your vehicle is fully paid for and it’s confirmed by the dealership. Once it’s fully paid for, shipping it from a dealership becomes a lot easier.
Make sure all the paperwork is signed
Let’s talk about paperwork.
Here’s the thing about doing paperwork online – it’s fast, it’s easy, but it can also be kind of a pain in the behind. Electronic signing of documents is all the rage these days, especially when buying things online.
But with dealerships, a lot of them don’t actually have electronic signing for the paperwork when you buy a vehicle. This can be frustrating for customers, as it often requires owning a fax machine (who owns a fax machine these days?) or waiting for them to overnight the paperwork and then signing it and overnighting it back.
We hear a lot from customers that they need to wait a bit to book their shipment because paperwork isn’t finalized. In fact, there’s been many instances of us dispatching a vehicle for pickup at a dealership only for the carrier to find the paperwork isn’t signed. That leads to cancelled pickups and problems for carriers, and most shippers try to avoid that when possible.
Paperwork not being signed and payments not being finalized are the two biggest reason for failed pickups at dealerships. To avoid those issues, just make sure your paperwork is signed and sent back to the dealership. Confirm that they received it as well, and then let us know so we can get you assigned to a carrier.
Make sure your shipper has the info they need
So, we’ve discussed the most common reasons dispatches fail when shipping from a dealership. But there’s one more that you should be aware of, and it’s getting the information your shipper needs to your shipping company.
One of the most important pieces of information any shipping company is going to need is the VIN of your vehicle. The VIN (vehicle identification number) is required by dealerships to ensure they’re releasing the right vehicle to the right carrier.
Let’s face it – if you buy a black 2020 Honda Accord from a Honda dealership, well, they have a dozen or more on the lot! How are they going to know which specific Accord is to be given to the carrier? That’s where the VIN comes in. If a carrier goes to pick up a vehicle, and they have the VIN of it on-hand, it’s easy for the dealership to ensure the right car is going to the right customer.
Some dealerships will require a release form of some kind. These aren’t as common, as most dealerships just require the VIN. But some require actual paperwork – signed by you – to be presented to them by the carrier at pickup.
Be sure to talk to your dealer and understand what they will require from the carrier when they arrive to pick the vehicle up. Get that information from them, then get it to your shipper.
If you have ensure the vehicle is paid for, all the paperwork is signed, and all the requisite information is in the hands of your shipper, you won’t have any problems shipping from a dealership.
Make sure you know who’s booking the shipment
Some dealerships make the customer handle the entire transport of their vehicle. Still others will do what they can to handle that part of it for their customers. Which kind of dealership you end up buying from is entirely up to you.
But it’s important to know who exactly is going to be booking the shipment. When shipping from a dealership, the last thing you want is to hire a shipping company only for your dealer to hire a different one. This is called double booking, and even if it’s unintentional, it still has consequences. It can lead to failed dispatches and even canceled orders – and many companies will not give a refund if you cancel your shipment after it’s assigned to a carrier.
This is why it’s important to know who’s booking your shipment. If it’s the dealership, great! That’s easy for you and easy for us as well. If it’s you who’s doing it, great! You get more control over the process and it’s easy for us as well.
So long as you know who is in control of booking the transport of your vehicle, everything will be good. But it needs to be clear who is in charge of hiring a shipping company and getting it done. Don’t double book by mistake!
Ship your vehicle today with American Auto Shipping
If you’re interested in shipping a vehicle – whether from a dealership or not – we can help! We have over 20 years of experience helping customers ship their vehicles, and we can help you with yours as well.
To get a free, no obligation quote, just fill out our free load request form. Doing so will get you a free quote instantly. No waiting, no hassle. Once you have it, you can book your shipment right there online if you like the price. You can also contact us toll-free at 800-930-7417 to speak to a representative.
Our representatives are industry experts who understand what it takes to ship a vehicle, even one shipping from a dealership. They can answer your questions, give you a quote over the phone, book your shipment, give tips and advice, handle problems and much more. So no matter what you’re shipping, or where it’s coming from or going to, we here at American Auto Shipping can help you get it done.
Since 2007 Dave has written all the content and blogs for American Auto Shipping and during this time added the duties of customer support and transport logistics.
He currently resides in Washington with his three kids and their mom and cat. A fan of Marvel movies and good stories, when not shipping cars Dave can be found working on his novel, enjoying a good book or playing some tournament HALO.
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