The Answer

No, eBay does not ship cars or refer you to auto shipping services.

The Explanation

There's no doubt that eBay Motors is a great place to look for a vehicle. With so many listings excellent deals come up all the time. The process of buying is convenient, simple, and they even help you get started. Just by expanding your search beyond your city, town, or even state will provide you with vast inventory of vehicles to pick from. However, unless you are planning to fly or otherwise travel to the vehicle and drive it back, you will need have your eBay vehicle shipped to you.

There are some listings, mostly car dealerships, that shipping for vehicles can be arranged. This is still outside of the eBay transaction. Sometimes dealers have an auto transporter they work with or have become licensed auto shipping brokers to ship cars for customers. Some private sellers will know of an auto shipping company they like. National Express specializes in eBay car shipping as well as other kinds of auction car transport.

Why eBay is Not Involved in Auto Shipping

eBay is focused on auctions and do not focus on auto shipping as most auto shipping is controlled by owner operators. Basically, these are carriers that run their own trucks and almost exclusively take vehicles from licensed brokers. eBay would have a difficult time managing third party shipping from a customer service standpoint as carriers are not required to conform to eBay's stringent guidelines. Carriers are also not willing be tied down to working for only one company.

What About eBay Car Sellers that Offering Their Own Shipping?

As mentioned dealers are likely to arrange shipping for vehicles mostly. Some private sellers too if they are very familiar with it. But, keep in mind this takes you away from the decision process should you have a say on who moves your vehicle for you. It's always best to do research and pick an auto transport company.

It's important to understand that eBay does not ship any vehicles. You as the buyer or seller will have the responsibility of getting the vehicle shipped with an auto transport company.

It's possible the dealer or seller will have a referral, but you will want to do your research. There are actually some eBay dealers that will actually include transport costs. 

You may have also noticed eBay gives a referral to a shipping vendor, however it is based on a business arrangement. There are many in the eBay community that have shared their experience. Therefore, to get the best results, you should do your own research and pick someone after reviewing their reputation and getting a shipping cost quote from various auto shippers.

Getting Started with Shipping a Car from eBay

You can ship almost any type of vehicle purchased on eBay. From your daily driver (open carrier), to classics, exotics, and more. You can even ship vehicles that do not run.

Remember, the cost of shipping can put you over your your planned budget if you're not careful. The best practice when looking for eBay vehicle shipping is to know how much it costs ahead of time for the vehicle you are interested in so you can factor that into your bidding strategy.

Doing something as simple as using our calculator can save you a lot of guesswork. If you are in a position where you are crunching numbers to get the vehicle you have been wanting it's definitely a good idea to be absolutely sure. Shipping a car purchased through eBay can be quick and easy with a little preparation.  Don't hold back on obtaining pricing because you haven't won the car or maybe even bid on it yet. If you were thinking about multiple vehicles, then we will quote all of them for you with no obligation. Any other good auto transporter will do the same.

How to Get the Cost for eBay Car Shipping

You should obtain multiple eBay car transportation quotes from various companies so you can weigh in on the reliability and pricing of each one. By doing this early, you can take your time in picking the best one for the job. This is also the best way to see what you would be paying.

As it is would be with just about any another auto transport company, eBay car shipping services are very similar types of transport where someone is buying or selling. To get started, we just need the ZIP codes or cities for both locations, an estimated date, if it's in running or non-running condition, as well as the type of transport you are looking for. It takes less than a minute you'll have your rate right away.

How Much Does it Cost to Ship a Car Purchased on eBay?

Don't try to "guesstimate". Each location is different and prices could vary drastically. However, to give you a general idea, eBay car shipping normally it will cost about $0.55 a mile for a state to state transport, or as low as $0.40 for cross country shipping.  That is the national average but will vary from area to area.

The type of transport you're requesting will also influence price. For example if you want vehicle to be shipped enclosed there is a higher rate for that service. If the vehicle does not run that could add anywhere from $150-200 to the price depending on the locations. Your best bet is to call us to get information from one of our advisers for special purpose vehicles, or custom cars.

Can You Ship a Car Purchased on eBay That Does Not Run?

Absolutely. Since shipping car from eBay is transferred like other types vehicles, you can safely and efficiently move an inoperable vehicle or salvage vehicle.  Just remember, it needs to role and steer unless both locations for pickup and delivery have a forklift that can lift the entire vehicle off the trailer. Carriers will usually not feel safe scraping or dragging cars with locked or missing wheels.

Shipping a Vehicle You Won on eBay Safely

After you have won the eBay auction, you are one step closer to arranging the shipping. Arranging safe eBay car shipping also involves assuring the purchase itself is safe and involves an honest seller. We recommend you carefully review their terms. We also have a great guide that details buying a car out of state. The guide includes a lot of excellent advice such as how to get inspections and otherwise how to buy a vehicle safely from afar so you do not get scammed with a phony sale.

To further help, eBay offers Vehicle Purchase Protection (VPP). Keep in mind, this only covers transactions completed on eBay.  This does not mean that you cannot use a bank wire or transfer to be covered. Just that the buyer and seller are the same as registered on the site, that institutions are both in the U.S., and it's not more than $100,000. They cover both the purchase and any deposits.

How to Ship a Vehicle you Won on eBay

Once all the arrangements for the sale are complete, you have settle on the price to ship, and everything is ready we can have the vehicle shipped for you. Be aware that the driver may be fine with taking the title for you with the vehicle, however it is highly recommended that you send the title via express mail with tracking and signature delivery to absolutely make sure it does not get lost.

By this time you should have obtained a price from our company and perhaps a few others. If you have not done so, head to our shipping calculator to get started.  You can book the transport online from there if you like, call us to book the shipment, or if you did get a previous quote you can open the email and book from there too. We try to make this process as simple as possible for you.

Make sure you have all the seller's details and the destination details. At this point you can move on to the next step which is to order the transport for your eBay vehicle.

As mentioened when placing the order, we will need the pick up and delivery details. For the seller in this case, we will nee the up name, address, and phone numbers. We will then put in your name, address, and phone numbers to pass on the to the carrier for delivery.  If the information for delivery is another location such as a different residence, business, paint shop or mechanic, we will then need name, address, and phone numbers to that location.

You will be sent our terms and conditions to sign, which is the permission to ship your vehicle. It explains that the price is guaranteed, no hidden fees, door to door transport.  The final step will be to provide us billing info for when the carrier is scheduled. Once that is in, we will then at that time begin sourcing the carrier that will take the vehicle from its current location to you. You will not be charged any fees until the carrier pickup is arranged.

When the carrier is scheduled, they will contact the eBay seller for you and arrange a time (and place if the area is not accessible with a car carrier) . The seller is to sign the bill of lading (vehicle condition report) to certify exterior condition of the vehicle. They will need to forward you this inspection as it is needed for delivery. This is a great time to make sure you are getting what you paid for. If there is exterior damage not disclosed by the seller, you should handle it at this time.

Once the eBay vehicle is in transit you will need to do nothing else until it's time for delivery. At that time, the carrier will contact you to arrange a time (and place if the area is not accessible with a car carrier). You will have the bill of lading from the pickup to compare at delivery. You will walk around the vehicle with the carrier to assure there is no additional damage not noted at pickup.

National Express Auto Transport is a licensed and bonded auto transport company.  Questions? Call us at 800-284-7177.