How to Ship a Car You Bought Online to Another State
An Auto Transport Company Will Deliver Your Online Purchase to Your Hometown
If you just bought a car online and you haven’t figured out how to ship it to another state, we can help you. We work with several reputable auto carriers to find the best deal, and we ship to cities across the United States. In fact, you will likely complete most of the shipping process online. The process starts with filling out an easy form requiring shipping information to get an estimate of how much it will cost to ship the car you bought online to your hometown. You’re probably excited to be getting the car you just purchased, and we want to help you get it delivered as soon as possible.
Can I Get a Cheaper Price to Ship My Car to Another State?
You looked at many different car factors before you chose a car to buy. An auto transport company has to look at many different factors. Five basic issues affect the price of your delivery:
- The weight of the car
- The dates for pickup and delivery
- Location
- Whether the car is working or non-working
- Whether you want an open carrier or a closed carrier for your car.
How Much Does Your Car Weigh?
The year, make and model of your car will let the auto transport company know how much your car weighs. (If you’re curious, you can do a Google search for your make and model and the word weight.) Weight is important because auto carriers are subject to federal regulations which limits the gross weight the truck can carry, and they are inspected frequently. Your car will need to be cleared out before it is shipped to your home. Auto transport companies add the weight of the cars on the car carrier to the formula determining gross weight. This helps the auto carrier can stay within the legal weight requirements.
Shipping Date Flexibility May Lower Shipping Rates
Car shipping has pricing seasons just like air fare and hotels do during the holidays. When it’s busy, prices go up. When it’s slow, prices go down. Summer is busy for the shipping industry. Families move, kids go off to college, and people ship their sports cars to their summer vacation home. Prices will be higher in the summer, and there may need to be a window of time to receive your delivered car. Shipping in the fall should be slightly lower. People are getting settled in to their personal school and work zones. In the winter, prices go up again for shipping from North to South or North to Southwest. Snowbirds fill the highways as they escape the snow in the early winter months, and shipping prices will reflect their migration. If you bought a car in Miami, Florida, and are shipping it to the Chicago, Illinois or New York, New York areas, you may not see the spike that comes with Snowbird shipping. You may be anxious to get the car you just bought online as soon as possible, but you can probably get cheaper dates if you ship in an off-season. Cheaper shipping prices are good for you, but the seller may not want to wait to ship the car.
What if I Need to Ship a Non-Working Car?
If you bought a non-working car to repair and resell, repair and drive, or you bought a parts car or a project car for the next classic car show, you can still ship your car to another state using an auto transport service. Shipping non-working cars will be costlier than shipping working cars because extra steps are needed to load the non-working car onto the motor carrier.
Do I Need an Online Carrier or Enclosed Carrier to Ship My Online Car Purchase?
Whether you should ship your online purchase with an enclosed carrier or open carrier depends on the type of car you bought. If you bought a classic car, luxury car, sports car, muscle car, or high-performance vehicle online, we highly recommend shipping with an enclosed carrier to protect your vehicle. Auto transport companies take careful precautions to make sure the body and interior are protected from damage. The driver will cover shoes and hands before handling the car, uniforms will be free from zippers, and plastics and cloths are used to cover the interior and exterior. Shipping an exotic car in an enclosed carrier will cost you more than shipping the exotic car with an open car carrier.
If you’ve just purchased a daily driver or a fixer-upper, or you just don’t have the funds for an enclosed shipper after an expensive online luxury car purchase, your car will be shipped safe and secure on an open carrier. Cars on open carries are tied down with legally mandated straps, and they are exposed to no more wear and tear than if you drove the car to another state yourself. In fact, shipping your saves your car from more wear and tear. If you’re not quite sure what’s wrong with your car, shipping it on an open carrier is a big advantage.
Will You Ship My New Car to My City?
Filling out the online shipping quote form will identify your pickup and delivery locations, so we can determine if we ship to your city. Our open and enclosed car carriers ship across the United States, but here’s a list of some of the more tech-friendly cities our carriers ship to (since you bought your car online):
- Los Angeles, California
- New York City, New York
- Austin, Texas
- Seattle, Washington
- Denver, Colorado
- Washington, D.C.
- San Francisco, California
- Miami, Florida
Since large commercial trucks are not allowed on may streets because of weight and navigation difficulties, you may have to meet the driver to pick up your car at a location other than your home.
Will My Online Car Purchase Be Covered by Insurance When Shipped?
Absolutely. The Department of Transportation and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration have regulations that require car carriers (open and enclosed) to carry insurance. Insurance policies for auto transport companies are usually between $750,000 and $5,000,000. Car carrier companies are also bonded. Shipping a car to another state is safe and cost effective. If you purchased a used car online, it would be safer for you to ship your car than drive it across multiple states only to discover all the problems the car has in the middle of the freeway.
How to Ship a Car You Just Bought Online:
- Find an auto transport company online.
- Fill out the easy shipping quote form on our website, and enter your car and delivery information. (You can fill the shipping form out now and then come back to this list.)
- Confirm the auto transport company delivers on a date you are available.
- Confirm the auto transport company can pickup the car on a date when the original owner is available.
- Make sure you can be at the location to pick up the car.
- Make sure the seller can be at the carrier company’s suggested location to drop off the car.
- Look at the auto transport carrier company’s certificate of insurance.
- Go to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) website and search for the carrier company’s name. Check to see if the registration and insurance is valid.
- Review your car insurance.
- Double check the forms for dates and locations and finalize the deal.
- Read the rules for preparing the car for shipping, and make sure the original owner can meet the standards or have someone else prepare the car for shipment.
- Ask the person dropping off the car to take pictures before it goes on the auto carrier.
- Wait patiently for the driver to drive your newly purchased car to your home.
- Get excited when they announce arrival, and meet the driver to pick up the car.
- Examine the car and take a picture. In the rare case something went wrong, make sure you document the instance in writing.
- Enjoy your newly purchased car!
Shipping the Car You Bought Online is Easy
An auto transport company makes it easy for you to get the car you bought online shipped to your home state. Just start the shipping process by filling out the online shipping form to find out how much it will cost to ship your car to another state. Once you determine the price for shipping your online car purchase and review the requirements of the auto transport company, contact the original owner to get the car rolling towards your home. If you’re excited about the car you just purchased online and want it shipped to you fast, fill out the form now, and you’ll start the easy online shipping transaction. Hopefully you’ll be as happy with your new car purchase as you will be with our auto transport service.