Understanding The Wholesale
Vehicle Valuation Process.

The automobile business is one of America’s largest retail industries. But in the wholesale sector, pricing can often be a mystery. Different used car managers will come up with wildly differing values for the same car. Auction prices bear little relationship to trade-in values. And dealers sell vehicles to wholesalers at prices far lower than they could get at bid lots.

At a recent NADA Dealer Academy session, twenty seasoned, professional used car managers were asked to assess a vehicle and determine its value as a trade. Each of them examined the vehicle, wrote down his or her appraisal, and handed it to the NADA trainer.

When the trainer recorded the appraisals, it turned out that there was a $5,000 spread between the lowest and the highest ones. Some of those managers were wrong – by thousands of dollars. 

No matter one’s experience, putting an accurate price on a used car is a challenge without a little help. BuyBook Technologies can help sort out the differences between various vehical valuations, and provides dealers with tools that help eliminate costly appraisal errors and maximize the value of inventory.

Trade-In Values

A vehicle’s trade-in value is assessed when a consumer brings it into a dealership to trade for a replacement vehicle. The vehicle might be dirty, dented, filled with fast-food wrappers and running on bald tires. Or it may be perfectly clean with a complete set of service records.

BuyBook’s Trade-In$urance value considers all of the factors that can impact the price of a vehicle – its place in our Desirability Index™, regional preferences, current market conditions and more. Simply put, the Trade-In$urance price is the Ultimate Trade-In Value.

"At-the-Door" Values

Selling vehicles to a wholesaler “at-the-door,” rarely works to the dealer’s advantage. It’s the seller versus the wholesaler, one on one, and typically, the seller wants to sell the car more than the wholesaler needs to buy it.

It’s always good to have a second option. Trade-In$urance, is there 24/7 to offer you extra assurance that you are getting fair market value at the door.

Trade-In$urance from BuyBook Technologies is your virtual used car assistant, always there to help you avoid making expensive mistakes that can bury your used car department in profit-proof vehicles.

Bid Lot Values

Bid lots have become a major factor in the wholesale process for many dealers. Bid lots let you showcase your wholesale inventory to dozens of wholesalers and independent dealers, and you benefit by having multiple bids on each vehicle. But what happens when a car worth $7,000 gets a bid for $3,500?

With Trade-In$urance, dealers can start every vehicle on the bid lot with a guaranteed sold price. Having a Trade-In$urance price on the windshield means the sale price has to advance beyond the Ultimate Trade-In Value from the very first bid. No more under-market bids.

Auction Values

Auctions are the heart of the wholesale industry. For dealers selling, they provide secure storage, payment and access to qualified buyers. For buyers, they provide financing, a wide selection of vehicles, titles and dispute resolution.

Sellers incur substantial costs to sell at auction, such as reconditioning, transportation, auction fees, and time away from the dealership. These costs, combined with the effect of open, live, competitive bidding by buyers, usually result in elevated sales prices for vehicles. In fact, auction values are often the highest prices in the wholesale market.

Trade-In$urance provides accurate, up to the minute pricing intelligence that helps buyers and sellers maximize their opportunities as auction.