How we price your offer

What goes into your offer

We price every offer ourselves, at Sell My Car Online. Your offer comes back within an hour during business hours, and it’s good for 3 days. These are the things we look at:

• The market. What cars like yours have sold for, from our own sale history, and what they’re selling for wholesale right now.
• Year, make, model and trim. The starting point for everything else.
• Mileage. Fewer miles usually means a stronger offer, but plenty of high-mileage cars still sell well.
• Condition. Whether it runs and drives, any damage inside or out, and whether anything is missing.
• The title. A clean title, or a salvage or rebuilt one. We buy both and price the title in from the start.
• Location. Different cars are in higher demand in different parts of the country, so where your car is can change its offer. How far it is from us doesn’t: we pick up nationwide.
• Your photos. They show us what a description can’t, from the paint to the warning lights.

Why two of the same car can get different offers

Two cars of the same year, make and model can be worth very different amounts. One has 60,000 miles and the other 160,000. One runs and drives, and the other won’t start. One has a clean title, and the other was in a wreck and has a salvage title. Or one is in a part of the country where that model sells quickly, and the other isn’t.

Each of those changes what the car is worth to us, so each changes the offer. That’s why we ask for the details we do, and why the photos matter.

How to get an accurate offer

Be upfront about the car. Tell us if it doesn’t run, if it has damage, or if anything is missing. We see every car at pickup, so anything left out comes up then, and it’s easier for everyone when it’s in the offer from the start.

Then send clear photos, in daylight:

• a front corner, showing the front and one side;
• a back corner, showing the back and the other side;
• the dashboard with the engine running, so the mileage and any warning lights show;
• the seats and the floor;
• close-ups of any damage, or anything missing;
• the VIN plate.

Here’s how to take photos of your car, shot by shot.

Can your offer change?

Only if the car doesn’t match what you told us. You’re paid the offer you accepted, as long as the car is as you described it.

Once you accept, we ask for a photo of the title, plus any photos of the car you haven’t sent yet, which help us confirm the details before pickup. Then, at pickup, the driver checks the car. If something is different, the driver calls our office, we verify it, and we give you a new offer. You can accept it, or say no at no cost to you.

The differences we see most often:

• Damage that wasn’t mentioned, inside or out.
• Whether it runs. A car described as running that doesn’t start or drive.
• Missing parts, such as a catalytic converter, wheels or a battery.

An honest description is the surest way to keep the offer you accepted. Here’s what happens after you accept, from pickup to payment.

Questions people ask

Does it matter how far my car is from you?

No. We buy cars nationwide and work with tow companies across the country, and pickup is free. Where your car is matters only because some cars are in higher demand in some places.

Why do you ask for a photo of the title after I accept?

It lets us check the paperwork before pickup, so nothing holds up the sale. We don’t ask for it with your offer request, because it shows your name and home address.

Do you buy cars that don’t run?

Yes. We buy cars that don’t run, wrecked cars and cars with salvage titles too. Tell us how it is, and we’ll price it that way. See cash for cars.

Does it cost anything to get an offer?

No. Your offer is free, and there’s no obligation to accept it.

Ready to see yours? Get your free offer.