Selling a car online is supposed to be a convenient and stress-free way to quickly determine your vehicle’s worth. However, as competition in the sector has increased dramatically, cracks in the quality of service are becoming evident.

Are Dealers Fighting Over Your Car

If you’re selling a car today, it’s no longer a simple choice between part-exchanging your vehicle, selling privately, or using platforms like WeBuyAnyCar.com.

Newer online car-buying sites like Carwow and Motorway have revolutionised the process by creating competitive marketplaces where dealers bid against each other for the right to buy your car.

On the surface, this is a good thing. It lets sellers quickly obtain a more transparent and competitive offer for their vehicle while giving them control over their next purchase.

But there’s a growing problem…

Why Are Car Buying Sites At War

Selling a car online with platforms like Carwow and Motorway is simple: you supply photos and servicing information for your vehicle. This information is used to build an auction-style listing, and dealers compete to buy it, theoretically pushing the price up.

This competition often results in sellers receiving significantly better offers than a traditional part exchange.

However, what once seemed like an ideal solution for sellers has sparked an arms race among both platforms and dealers. But don’t be fooled. This isn’t just due to a buoyant used car market.

Having spent millions on marketing sites like Carwow and Motorway, they need to show that they can corner the market and control the sale of used cars.

So, what’s the best way to get sellers to list their cars on their platforms? Well, it’s easy: just tell them what they want to hear by inflating your estimates.

Once you have enough vehicles on your platform, dealers now have little choice but to use it to try and buy the cars they may otherwise have bought from webuyanycar or taken in part exchange.

The Problem With No-Obligation Auctions

Theoretically, these platforms should benefit sellers by ensuring they get the best possible price.

However, in practice, the fierce competition has turned into a marketing war, prioritising volume over customer service. Sellers often find themselves caught between corporate car-buying giants trying to out-market each other and desperate dealers scrambling for stock.

This situation has led to a troubling trend: dealers, knowing there are no penalties for overbidding, inflate their offers just to secure an initial meeting.

Their only concern is their ability to negotiate the price down upon inspection. Sellers, initially thrilled by high bids, frequently face lower final offers after a series of ‘unexpected’ deductions.

Sellers Are Playing a Role in This, Too

Sellers contribute to the problem by listing their cars across multiple platforms, leaving dealers unsure of where to place their best offers. Aware of this tactic, dealers inflate their bids just to stay competitive. The result?

It’s a vicious cycle in which unrealistic estimates push cars off the market. Sellers, relying on these inflated figures as benchmarks, often struggle to secure genuine offers from professional buyers and dealers.

When collection day arrives and the final offer falls short, sellers either feel too committed to back out or mistakenly assume the issue lies with their car—rather than the unrealistic price.

The Future of Online Car Sales: Can It Be Fixed?

If you want the best market price when selling a car online, choose a car-buying site that offers an actual service.

What should selling a car online look like?

• Binding offers: Dealers should be required to honour their bids.
• More transparent assessments: Buyers should ask clear and simple questions of car sellers.
• No Third Party, the winning dealer, should be prevented from meeting the seller. This is how all proper auctions operate.

There’s still room for smaller, bespoke companies like ours that put customers before profits. But to truly benefit from our service, car sellers must do their part, too—giving us a chance to beat genuine offers rather than chasing unrealistic marketing estimates.

Sell My Prestige Car: Fast-Secure-Hassle Free

or here’s a great site dedicated to sellers of EV’s

Faq For Selling Your Car