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Buying a Car Online: Should You Ship or Pick Up?

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Home  |  Car Transport   |   Buying a Car Online: Should You Ship or Pick Up?


Congratulations! You’ve finally done it – you’ve found and bought the car of your (online) dreams! That’s phase 1. What’s phase 2? Getting it home, and you’ve got options: pick it up, or ship it. This blog post will uncover the pros and cons on both, so you can be an informed buyer every step of the way.

New Car, New Challenge

You’ve bought your new car online, which means you’ve saved yourself the time, stress and hassle of purchasing it through a dealership. The not so great news? You need to pinpoint the best way to get it shipped to you. Picking it up is a great option, if its relatively close to where you live. Unfortunately, many times it’s not. Here’s how to handle it.

Tips for Shipping Your Car

  • Weight the pros and cons of having the dealership deliver it. Sometimes a dealership will deliver it for a fee, which you can negotiate as long as they don’t have to take it too far. If your vehicle is on the other side of the state or country, shipping it can save you time and hassle. Spend time shopping around a few car transit companies, and shortlist the ones with the most competitive price, most comprehensive insurance and best reviews. These ‘3’ are your golden ticket to finding the right company for you.
  • Be flexible on delivery dates. When you find the right shipping company – one that is reputable and experienced (run for the hills when you discover they have hidden fees!), you’ll need to agree on an estimated delivery date. Keep in mind, the more ahead you plan your transit, and the more flexible you are on a shipping due date, the better off you’ll be.

Most shipping companies will do their very best to accommodate you, but they may not be able to guarantee the date you request. Why? Because of uncontrolled variables such as the climate and weather, changing road conditions and unexpected detours. They should, however be able to provide you with an accurate window.

  • Think outside the box. Consider the factors of when and where you’re having your car shipped to. If it’s winter or the summer, allow extra time because of extreme weather conditions. What you shouldn’t compromise on? The quality of the shipping company.

Ship a Car Direct is America’s number one shipping company. We offer an unparalleled consumer experience, by finding only the best shipping companies to fit your needs and your budget. We don’t trust everyone, which is why we pride ourselves on saying “No” to hundreds of companies and only work with the best. Over 600 5-star reviews will prove it!

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to Your Car Moving Questions

The hardest thing for people researching car moving companies to understand is that the prices they are getting are not hard and fast gaurantees, but rather ESTIMATES of what one company thinks it will take to get a vehicle moved promptly versus another company's opinion of what it will take. Don't be fooled, there are not carriers committed to take your vehicle at these quoted prices, the company you choose will still have to get to work getting a carrier to commit to move it at the price they quote you.

Your total price breaks down into two parts, the broker's fee (or 'deposit' as everyone calls it) and the carriers fee (your COD amount) Make no mistake about this, EVERYONE YOU ARE GETTING SALES CALLS FROM IS GOING TO BROKER YOUR MOVE. In this industry, there are brokers who try to fool you into thinking that they are the actual carriers and there are an equal amount of carriers who sell themselves on the fact that they have a truck or two but are not being honest about the fact that they broker out 90% of the orders they book. Here is a quick easy way to tell, if a company takes an up front fee, whether they call it a deposit or any other name, they are a broker. Carriers do not take any payment until the vehicle is delivered.

In our opinion, you are crazy to do so. Have you ever been paid up front for the work that you perform for your employer? Why would you pay a fee up front when there are reliable and trustworthy companies like ours that won't ask for it until we provide you with your carriers details?

The average transit time from pick up to delivery on any vehicle going coast to coast will be between one and two weeks. From there you can figure your transit time based on how far your vehicle is traveling, i.e. from either coast to the Midwest might average 3-7 days.

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