If you happen to be in the used car business, you know two things right now: 1) used car inventory is scarce and 2) when you do find vehicles, auction fees to acquire said vehicles will kill your margins, not to mention those post-auto auction shipping prices.
That’s the story playing out across the country for dealers, independents, and wholesalers, who can spend hundreds of thousands of dollars, even millions a year, on auto auction fees and shipping.
What’s worse, they are currently paying ‘retail’ rates for vehicle inventory that sells on their lots at the same price. The good news? People are still purchasing.
In other words, consumers are buying cars, while dealers are buying time. As economic conditions adjust and improve, the dealer business model may find more solid ground.
uShip + 1Click Auto Auction
To help dealers, independents, and wholesalers struggling with this dynamic, uShip has teamed up with 1Click Auto Auctions, a company that brings buyers and sellers together virtually in 15-minute online vehicle auctions.
1Click customers can save thousands of dollars in auto auction fees through 1Click’s all-you-can-buy subscription program, which starts at $599 a month as opposed to potentially tens of thousands at a given auction.
“This is a real game-changer for dealers,” said Mark Gibson, founder of 1Click Auto Auctions.
And dealers no longer need to attend vehicle auctions in person, saving them time and money. Historically, teams would send staff to shows, often taking an entire day away from the lot with no guarantee of returning with any preferred inventory.
1Click is using uShip Logistics, uShip’s in-house vehicle shipping brokerage, to offer their customers additional speed, ease, and personalized attention when it comes to shipping vehicles from the auto auctions to their lots.
The Power of the API
1Click is using uShip Logistics’ single-price API (Application Programming Interface), a technical connection that ultimately gives 1Click customers an instant vehicle shipping rate within their post-auto auction Bill of Sale.
With just a click or two, vehicles can get booked and shipped from auto auction to a dealer’s lot through vetted, licensed and bonded car haulers.
“1Click gives dealers a ton of flexibility, from their subscription model to their virtual auctions to their ability to tap into our shipping rates and reliable service,” said Nathan Reid, president of uShip Logistics, a subsidiary of uShip, Inc.
In 2020, uShip will reach a key milestone: its 3 millionth vehicle listing, a count that started back in 2004. That trend was given a real boost in 2013 when uShip partnered with eBay Motors to be the shipping solution incorporated into each eBay Motors listing.
