For people who wish to sell their used cars at the best prices online in the fastest and smoothest way possible, Carvana is undoubtedly the best solution on the table. It’s a great platform for both buyers and sellers to exchange used cars online. “sell car on Carvana” is one of the most popular online search queries among vehicle sellers. The icing on the cake, Carvana, is known more for its crazy automotive digital retailing innovations in the automotive retail space.
If you are new to online car selling and are wondering how to sell your car to Carvana, this blog will help you understand all the nitty-gritty of the platform. So, let’s begin!
What is Sell Car on Carvana?
Carvana Co. is an online used car retailer specializing in used cars, headquartered in Tempe, Arizona. Since its launch in 2012, Sell Car on Carvana has become one of the largest automotive marketplaces in the United States. Renowned for its distinctive multi-story glass tower car vending machines, Carvana offers access to over 55,000 vehicles across more than 300 markets nationwide. The company facilitates the buying, selling, trading, and financing of used cars exclusively.
In fact, Carvana sold over 400,000 vehicles organically in 2021. Research says by 2025, Carvana’s auto sales volume will grow by more than 700,000 units and will keep growing significantly over the next decade. The cherries on top are the well-designed website and app that make it the favorite place for buyers to browse and buy, giving access to millions of prospects in one go.
How Does Carvana Work?
Carvana works as an internet-based secondhand car shop. The goal is to tidy up the usual car dealership process by conducting most operations online. Let’s understand how Carvana works when selling a car. Here’s a digest about the Carvana car buying process and selling:
Buying a car through Carvana
1) View a wide array of used cars on their website.
2) Receive a preliminary approval for financing from Carvana or a different lender.
3) Select your preferred car and finalize your order, including any upfront payments and shipping charges.
4) Arrange a delivery or pick-up time for your car. Carvana provides home delivery or collection from one of their auto-dispensing machines (at certain sites).
5) Carvana offers a 7-day return policy. Test drive the car up to 400 miles for free. If you’re not satisfied, return it. Make sure you bear any delivery charges, if there are any.
Sell car on Carvana
1) Enter your car’s details on Carvana’s website, don’t forget the VIN.
2) An instant offer will pop up on your screen. It’s valid for a week.
3) If you like the offer, prepare to say goodbye to your car. Set a pick-up time or just drop it off. This all depends on where you live.
4) Once they check your car over and all details check out, you get paid immediately!
How to Sell Car on Carvana?
Selling a car on Carvana is super easy just like a piece of cake. They offer a real offer for up to 7 days. Let’s understand how to sell a car on Carvana with step by step guide:
1) First, Carvana’s team checks your ownership, vehicle details, and loan or lease info.
2) After their review, you can pick how you want to get paid.
3) Then, tell them when and where to pick up your car.
4) At pickup, they finalize the sale quickly and make sure you are paid immediately.
This streamlined process ensures a hassle-free experience when selling your car through Carvana.
How to Make a Car Purchase with Carvana?
Sell Car on Carvana allows users to browse and purchase a vehicle online. Users can find the car they would like to purchase and can get started to initiate the Carvana purchase process. As per the company’s support purchasing a car online is simplified in a few easy steps. We have mentioned the steps to guide you below:
1) Prequalify for financing: Before beginning your journey of car shopping with Carvana, it is advised to apply for auto loan prequalification. The pre-qualification step allows users to understand the best available auto loan for them. They just need to fill in some necessary details like contact information, annual income, and employment status. One can also explore the best possible options with credit unions, traditional banks, and online lenders. If you qualify with better interest rates, Carvana will surely accept any external financing. We advise you to get at least 3 competitive loan options with you, to choose the best financing option available.
2) Purchase for a vehicle: After the budget and loan are decided, users can browse up to 25,000 vehicles with a clean report from AutoCheck and Carfax. To proceed they can look for the “find a car” tab on the website, which will present all the available options at your location. You can also filter the specific price range, payment methods make, model, mileage, year, features, and body type. Users can also search for the specific vehicle they want to purchase.
3) Explore the vehicle: After deciding on the perfect car for themselves, users can have a 360 car virtual tour of the vehicle’s interior and exterior for 30 minutes. They can click on the “Get Started” tab. They can also inspect the vehicles, specifications, mileage, and available warranty. Additionally, Carvana offers a 100-day limited warranty and a seven-day money-back guarantee.
4) Confirm your payment method: Carvana offers the vehicle to pay upfront or finance the car. The button “pay once” considers paying the entire price upfront cash for the car including shipping charges. Users can also choose the financing option that is “pay monthly” which will describe the monthly cost based on the initial prequalification number. Additionally, they also offer a trade-in option.
5) Choosing pickup or delivery: After confirming the payment, buyers can decide if they want to opt for a pickup or want the vehicle to be delivered at 39 vending machines across the country. If you live near the vending machine, you will get a custom coin that you can insert inside the vending machine. It will bring the vehicle to you, and you are ready to drive off your vehicle.
Features of Carvana Car Sales
Carvana inspects all of its vehicles by certified technicians. All of their listed cars come with a standard limit of 100 days/4189 miles which makes the car a worry-free guarantee. Here are a few Carvana features you need to be familiar with before you start your online car-selling journey:
Carvana cover sale
Selling cars online is already hard, and getting instant cash offers on your used vehicles is even harder. But the good thing is that Carvana has you covered in that regard. You can get Carvana instant offers for cash for the vehicles you list for sale or Carvana trade-in requirements. The offers would be based on different evaluating factors like your vehicle’s odometer reading, VIN, and a few other factors.
Trade-in options
Answer to a question how does Carvana trade in work?
Carvana online car sales provide convenient trade-in options to online car sellers. You can search for the car via number plate or VIN and receive estimated trade-in quotes. Carvana will arrange for the pickup of your car if your trade-in is accepted. You can also use the surplus from the trade-ins to purchase another vehicle from their platform.
Financing a car
Carvana takes away the hassles of looking for finance options for online car buyers. People can opt for pre-qualified auto loans when purchasing from Carvana. They have to fill in an application and the Carvana will tell them the amounts of down payments and EMIs they would need to pay. This makes purchasing from the platform very easy, significantly increasing the chances of you selling your vehicle quickly.
The seven-day money-back guarantee
Carvana allows buyers to return cars within seven days of purchasing them. Within those seven days, purchased cars are allowed to travel up to 400 miles and can be returned for any reason. For every additional mile, Carvana charges $1.00 from the buyer. Also, buyers can exchange up to two times only. The third vehicle won’t have any return favors attached and cannot be exchanged on acceptance.
Editor’s note: In all honesty, these offers make me want to sell my car on Carvana too! Only when the time comes, of course.
Limited Warranty
Carvana offers a warranty period that is valid for 4,189 miles or 100 days, whichever comes earlier. The warranty covers basic and powertrain components, and it protects vehicles against mechanical and electrical damage.
What are the Benefits of Selling a Car in Carvana?
It is easier to sell your car on Carvana than selling it to a traditional dealer, and it’s faster than pawning it off privately. That’s because you’re selling your car to Carvana and not directly to a buyer. Additionally, Carvana offers a quick and easy way of trading their old vehicles into a new car that is one of the thousands of Carvana-certified cars. You should always consider it on the table if your goal is to:
- Sell your car in the shortest time possible without any headaches, while still finding a good price.
- Escape the hassles of traditional Car Dealerships no need to haggle!
Apart from this, here are a few more reasons why you should always have Carvana on your list:
1) More dollars: Carvana ensures that you get good offers for your listings. If your car is in good condition and doesn’t have much wear and tear, you can expect a resale value that matches or exceeds the market standards.
2) Frictionless car dropoff: Just fill out a form to drop off your car at Carvana’s location, and their team will pay you for a cab ride back home.
3) Easy car inspection: The company’s team will inspect your car at the drop-off.
They will check if your car is in drivable condition with fully inflated tires and has good working order.
4) Flexibility in offers: Carvana offers you seven days to accept an offer or 1000 miles after putting in an offer. If you need more time, you can reach out to the company’s representatives and explain your needs.
5) Trade-in: Carvana offers a trade-in that helps buyers reduce or eliminate the amount of down payment on the next vehicle. Additionally, buyers get immediate trade-in tax savings in most of the states. The worth of these tax savings could be in hundreds of dollars.
6) Secured payment: Carvana offers a certified and secured payment method which is Carvana direct deposit or check.
7) Immediate and easy quote: Carvana will ask some questions like VIN, and vehicle conditions on the basis of its condition, mileage, and features. After getting all this information they make a real online offer instantly.
8) Sell car Carvana from home: Carvana allows sellers to list their cars online, and sell them without any haggle.
What are the Disadvantages of Selling a Car in Carvana?
1) Better offers: There are numerous apps like Carvana available in the market, that offer a competitive and may be the best deal as compared to the offer by Carvana.
2) Limitations on private sales: Carvana does not allow sellers and users to make private sales among them. Carvana always stays as a mediator between both parties.
3) Isn’t great for scrap or junk cars: There are various used car selling platforms, that accept junk and scrapped cars. However, Carvana does not accept any scrap or junk cars.
How to Get a Quote from Carvana?
Now, that you understand the benefits of Carvana, let’s see how to sell your vehicles on the platform. You’ll have to get a quote from the company, and if you find the offer appropriate, then proceed with the sale. Here’s a five-step process to get a quote from Carvana.
Step 1: Research the prices
Understand the platform first. Learn more about how Carvana judges and views vehicles before listing them and how they price them. It’s possible that the number offered by the company doesn’t match your expectations.
The best way is to check a car value evaluator on Kelley Blue Book or other platforms, to determine the fair market value of your vehicle. This will let you know if the price offered by Carvana is accurate or undervalued.
Step 2: Evaluating your car for sale
Carvana’s strive for more vehicles from dealers doesn’t mean it will buy anything or everything. You need to check that your car:
- Isn’t older than the model year 1992
- Has working odometers
- Runs properly
- Is not a junk car
- Is not wrecked
If your car doesn’t meet these parameters, Carvana isn’t the platform for you.
Step 3: Preparing your car for sale
Carvana would ask a series of questions when you apply for a sell/trade option. So, it’s better to be prepared with the answers and documents beforehand. The questions will inquire about:
- Make
- Model
- Mileage
- Trim
- Color
- Engine
- Drivetrain
Apart from this, you would also be asked to show if you have any ongoing outstanding payments for the car. Carvana would assess all these elements before quoting a price.
What documents does Carvana require?
You’ll need the following:
- Picture of the odometer reading
- Trade title – front and back images
- Driver’s license of all the members in the title
- Photo of car’s 10-day pay-off statements (if any outstanding payments remain)
- Current registration
- Photo of the cheque for the amount of the car loan (If there’s any outstanding car loan) – front and back
Step 4: Applying for sale on Carvana
Once you are sure of your car’s market value and condition, open the Carvana website or app. Click on the option SELL/TRADE option. Now enter your car’s Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) and license plate number.
Answer the series of questions on the screen and provide more insights and details about the car you are going to sell. Don’t forget to mention the specifics of the vehicle like leather seats or electric windows, etc. This will help Carvana appraisers accurately assess your car.
Step 5: Getting a quote
Once you fill in their questionnaire (which Carvana claims to be just two minutes long), you can sit back and wait for Carvana to send you a quote for your vehicle. It usually takes just 15 minutes to receive a quote. Remember that the information mentioned in step 3, coupled with market demand for the car, will play a prime determinant in the price you see on the offer.
Do you have anything upfront with Carvana?
Carvana charges for taxes, MVAs, and registration, but then they are all included in the offered price.
Is Carvana Better than Other Online Retailers?
Sell Car on Carvana offers flawless opportunities for used car dealerships and private sellers to sell their vehicles. However, there are plenty of other alternative online retailers in the market. We have mentioned the comparison between Carvana and other online retailers below:
1) Autotrader: Autotrader allows sellers to enlist their entire inventory and sell directly to the car buyers. Autotrader site has the advantage, that buyers can browse vehicles on a massive scale, and can negotiate on the price with the seller.
2) Vroom: Vroom is an online user car retailer that offers an inspection of vehicles with 150 checkpoints. However, Vroom charges $599 as a delivery fee on all purchases which is non-refundable.
3) eBay: eBay offers a wide selection of cars based on their mileage, model, year, etc. eBay also organizes a bidding auction, so buyers can find a great deal for themselves. However, eBay does not offer any warranties that carry an additional risk to purchasing on this platform.
To sum up, Carvana offers a secured platform in terms of payment methods, warranties, and its 7-day refund policy. Carvana might not have a wide selection of cars. However, they go through with a certified inspection of each vehicle before delivering it to the buyer’s house.
What is the Use of Carvana’s Vending Machines?
The existence of Carvana’s car vending machines helps buyers to save their money. Users who do not want to spend any additional cost associated with delivery to their home of the vehicle they purchase. Sell Car on Carvana has a less expensive model and only spends 10% as compared to the typical dealership spend.
Carvana has 24 car vending machines across the United States currently. They are also built to attract the consumer’s attention. Additionally, they have an alternative of having a vehicle delivered. If users opt to pick up the car from Carvana’s vending machine location, they will receive a coin that activates in vending machines. After inserting the coin, the car would be delivered to the ground.
Does Carvana Pay the Most Cash for Used Cars?
Before making a purchase, it is important to research and consider various possible options. Additionally, buyers can check if they get any better options in seven days as per Carvana’s returns policy. They also help users to handle all the registration information and paperwork. However, Carvana might not offer a great deal as compared to selling a car through Craigslist, Autotrader, and iSeeCars. Buyers can check prices and hunt for any other good deals from local dealers or other platforms like CarMax, and Cargururs. It creates inconvenience when you buy a car and get any other better offer from any other retailer. Carvana surely provides a smooth car selling and purchasing experience. However, they have a fixed price policy. Therefore, it is advised to negotiate with other retailers as well.
Conclusion
Hope this blog gives you a complete understanding of Carvana’s works. Now, stop wondering how to sell car on Carvana and do it! and find answers to ‘how does Carvana work.’ While we talk about seamless selling experiences and preparing your car for sale, there’s one more thing that can help create a significant impact on Carvana’s appraisal process: high-quality images. Even though their reps will inspect your car thoroughly, you should send them the best car pictures to increase the chances of approval.
And guess what? You can do it very easily at lightning speed with the help of state-of-the-art AI cataloging platforms like Spyne. All that you need to do is download the app on your smartphone, follow the on-screen guide, capture the images, apply the appropriate edits, and upload them. As simple as that!
Still, have any questions? Or want to know how Spyne can help you sell your car? Reach out to us now.
