Bought a Car Online? How to Get It Picked Up From Another Dealer

To get a car you bought online picked up, send your transport company the address where the car sits, a contact there, the VIN, proof the car is paid for and released, and your delivery address. The pickup works the same whether the car is at an auction, another dealer's lot or a private seller's driveway.

Online buying lets your desk shop well beyond the auctions down the road. The catch is that every online buy is sitting somewhere you have never been, with someone you may never have talked to. Getting it home is mostly about sending the carrier complete information.

Where online purchases usually sit

• An auction lot. Online auction buys are picked up from the auction like any other sale, with a gate pass or release.
• Another dealer. The selling store holds the car until the truck arrives.
• A private seller. The car is at a home or business, and someone has to be there to hand it over.

Wherever it is, the car can come straight to your store, not to a holding yard.

What to send for an online buy

• The pickup address. The full address, plus the lane, lot or stock number at an auction.
• A contact at the pickup. Name, phone and any lot hours or gate rules. This matters most for private sellers.
• The VIN. Plus year, make and model.
• The release. Proof the car is paid for and ready to leave. Carriers cannot load a unit that has not been released. See auction gate passes and releases.
• Condition. Whether it runs, and anything the listing or condition report flagged. Non-running units need the carrier told before dispatch: see moving non-running units.
• Delivery address. Your lot, your reconditioning shop or wherever it needs to land.

Who checks the driver at a pickup you are not at?

When the car is at an auction or another location, you are not the one handing over the keys. Ask the location to check the driver and truck against the details your transport company sent before releasing the car. For FCT dealers, that is the 5-Point Verified Handoff: when a vehicle is picked up somewhere other than your dealership, you arrange with that location to complete the handoff and email it in on the day of pickup.

Bought more than one?

Send them together. Several online buys from the same seller or auction can go on one order with one point of contact. See several cars from one auction.

Online buys with FCT

We pick up online purchases from wherever the car sits, whether that is an auction, another dealer or a seller, and deliver it to your lot anywhere in the continental U.S. Send the details by phone at (980) 552-1101, by email or through the quote form, and we match a vetted, fully insured carrier and confirm the pickup window with you. More on auction vehicle transport.

Frequently asked questions

Can a transport company pick up a car I bought online from another dealer?

Yes. Send the dealer’s address and a contact there, the VIN, the release and your delivery address, and the car is picked up from that lot and delivered to yours.

Can you pick up from a private seller?

Yes. Online purchases can be picked up wherever the car sits, including a private seller. Send a contact name and phone so the driver can arrange the handover.

What do I need before the carrier can load an online purchase?

The car has to be paid for and released. Send the release or gate pass with the order, or say it is pending so the carrier can be lined up.

Who checks the driver when I am not at the pickup?

Ask the pickup location to check the driver and truck before releasing the car. FCT dealers arrange for that location to complete the 5-Point Verified Handoff and email it in the same day.

Need a car moved?

FCT gives dealers one point of contact from quote to drop-off. Request a quote or call (980) 552-1101, and a real person gets back to you.