You list it. Dealers bid. You decide.
Clear answers about vehicle submissions, dealer bidding, inspections, payment, loans, leases, and your right to decide.
Marketplace basics
What is Blaze Bids?
Blaze Bids is an online vehicle marketplace that connects private sellers with a network of licensed automobile dealerships competing to purchase their vehicles.
Instead of taking your vehicle to multiple dealerships or accepting a single instant offer, Blaze Bids allows participating dealers to compete for your vehicle through our marketplace.
Blaze Bids does not purchase your vehicle or take ownership of it. If you accept an offer, the vehicle is purchased directly by the winning dealership, subject to final inspection and the terms of the transaction.
You list it. Dealers bid. You decide.
Is there a fee to use Blaze Bids?
There is no fee for sellers to list a vehicle, receive bids, or accept an offer through Blaze Bids.
If your vehicle does not sell, you owe Blaze Bids nothing. The amount shown to you for an offer is the amount you can choose to accept.
No listing fees. No upfront fees. No obligation to sell.
How is the value of my vehicle determined?
There is no single formula that determines what your vehicle is worth. Participating dealerships independently evaluate your vehicle using current wholesale market data, comparable vehicle sales, market demand, inventory needs, mileage, condition, equipment, trim level, vehicle history, and other factors.
Each dealership determines its own bid. One dealership may value your vehicle differently than another based on its inventory needs, customer demand, or ability to retail the vehicle.
Factors can include condition, mileage, accident history, tires and brakes, interior condition, trim level, factory options, modifications, title history, and current market demand.
Your vehicle is not worth what one buyer says it is worth. Blaze Bids lets the market decide.
Why should I sell my vehicle through Blaze Bids?
Selling privately can mean advertising, answering messages, meeting strangers, negotiating with multiple buyers, and handling payment and title-transfer concerns. Accepting a single dealership or instant-buy offer may be easier, but it gives you only one buyer's opinion.
Blaze Bids presents your vehicle to participating dealerships that can independently compete for the opportunity to purchase it. You do not have to drive from dealership to dealership or negotiate with countless private buyers.
- Convenience: One submission can put your vehicle in front of multiple participating dealerships.
- Competition: Dealers bid independently based on what your vehicle is worth to them.
- Control: You decide whether the winning offer is good enough.
Auction and acceptance
Am I obligated to sell my vehicle if I receive a bid?
No. You are always in control. Receiving bids through Blaze Bids does not require you to sell your vehicle.
If you accept an offer, the purchasing dealership will arrange a final inspection. The offer may change if the vehicle's actual condition, mileage, history, equipment, or other material information differs from the auction submission. You are not obligated to accept a revised price.
Your car. Your decision.
Who is bidding on my vehicle?
Vehicles are presented to participating licensed automobile dealerships within the Blaze Bids dealer network. These are professional automotive buyers evaluating vehicles for their inventory and business needs, not random private buyers responding to a classified ad.
Each dealership independently decides whether it wants your vehicle and how much it is willing to bid. Different inventory needs, customer demand, and retail opportunities can make the same vehicle worth more to one dealership than another.
Multiple dealers. Independent bids. One marketplace.
How does the Blaze Bids auction work?
- Submit your vehicle. Provide its VIN, mileage, condition, options, photos, and other requested details.
- Your vehicle goes live. Once ready, it is presented to participating dealerships.
- Dealers compete. Interested dealerships bid independently and can improve their bids during the auction.
- Review your best offer. When the auction ends, you receive the highest offer and decide whether to accept it.
- Final inspection. The winning dealership confirms the submitted condition and information. Material differences may change the offer.
- Complete the sale. If everything checks out and you agree to the final price, you sell directly to the dealership.
Submit. Compete. Decide. Sell.
What happens after I accept the winning offer?
Blaze Bids connects you with the purchasing dealership. The dealership then arranges a final inspection to confirm the vehicle's condition, mileage, equipment, and submitted information.
If the vehicle matches, the dealership can proceed at the accepted price. If it discovers a material difference, it may revise its offer, which you are never obligated to accept.
Once you agree on the final price, the dealership handles the purchase and title-transfer paperwork directly with you. Blaze Bids facilitates the connection; the actual purchase is between you and the dealership.
Ownership and payment
Can I sell my vehicle if I still owe money on it?
Yes. If your vehicle is financed, you will need your lender's current payoff amount. The purchasing dealership can use it to determine how the loan will be satisfied.
If the purchase price exceeds the payoff, the remaining equity belongs to you. If it is lower, you generally must cover the difference before the transaction can be completed. For example, a $23,000 purchase price against a $20,000 payoff represents approximately $3,000 in positive equity, subject to lender or transaction adjustments.
You do not necessarily need to pay off the vehicle and take title first. Consumer sales or use tax may apply when a customer personally buys out a vehicle before reselling it, while dealerships purchasing for resale may operate under different rules.
Lease and lender restrictions vary. Depending on the financial institution's policy, an eligible dealership in the Blaze Bids network may be able to purchase directly when another third-party buyer cannot.
Can I sell a leased vehicle through Blaze Bids?
Yes, in many cases. Participating licensed dealerships may be eligible to purchase the vehicle directly from your leasing company, even when that company restricts sales to certain independent vehicle-buying services.
If the dealership's price exceeds the applicable lease buyout or payoff, the difference may represent positive equity, subject to the leasing company's terms and applicable charges. A direct dealer purchase may also avoid requiring you to buy out the lease and potentially incur sales or use tax first.
Lease-buyout rules vary by lender and manufacturer, so eligibility depends on the policies governing your lease.
Have equity in your lease? Blaze Bids can put competing dealerships in position to bid for it.
How do I get paid for my vehicle?
Payment is made directly by the purchasing dealership. Blaze Bids does not take possession of your vehicle or hold your money.
If you own the vehicle outright, the dealership arranges payment with you. If there is a loan or lease balance, the dealership may coordinate the payoff with your lender or leasing company and pay any remaining positive equity according to the transaction terms.
The purchasing dealership will explain its payment and payoff procedures before the transaction is completed.
Does Blaze Bids ever take possession of my vehicle?
No. Blaze Bids does not purchase, own, store, or take possession of your vehicle. It is the marketplace that connects you with participating licensed dealerships.
After you accept an offer, the winning dealership coordinates the inspection and sale directly with you. Once the transaction is completed, the vehicle transfers directly to the purchasing dealership.
Your car goes from you directly to the dealership. Blaze Bids never takes ownership of it.
Trust and timing
How do I know the dealerships bidding on my vehicle are legitimate?
Blaze Bids is not an open marketplace where anyone can bid. Participating dealers are required to be licensed automobile dealerships and meet Blaze Bids onboarding and verification requirements before receiving access to seller vehicles.
You are dealing with professional automotive buyers operating through established dealerships, rather than anonymous private buyers responding to a classified ad.
Qualified dealers. Competitive bidding. A marketplace built around trust.
What is Blaze Shield?
Blaze Shield™ is Blaze Bids' verification and transparency program designed to create greater confidence between sellers and participating dealerships.
Depending on the vehicle and transaction, Blaze Shield may help verify the seller's identity, VIN, ownership documentation, title information, mileage, and other details provided during the auction process.
Better information can give dealers more confidence when evaluating and bidding. Blaze Shield is a verification service and does not replace the purchasing dealership's final vehicle inspection.
Verified information. Greater confidence. Stronger competition.
How long does the Blaze Bids auction last?
Once your vehicle is approved and goes live, participating dealerships have 48 hours to review it and submit bids. Dealers can improve their offers as the auction progresses.
When the auction closes, you receive an email with the highest offer and decide whether to accept it. There is no obligation to sell.
48 hours. Multiple dealerships. Your decision.
How long do I have to accept the winning offer?
You have seven days after the 48-hour auction closes to accept the highest offer. If you accept within that period, Blaze Bids connects you with the winning dealership for final inspection and completion.
Acceptance does not eliminate the final inspection requirement. If a material difference is discovered and the dealership revises its offer, you are not obligated to accept the revised price.
48 hours to find your best offer. Seven days to decide.
What information do I need to submit my vehicle?
You will be asked for information that helps participating dealerships evaluate the vehicle, including:
- VIN and current mileage
- Year, make, model, trim, factory options, and equipment
- Overall condition and accident or damage history
- Exterior and interior photos
- Title and ownership information
- Current loan payoff or lease buyout information, when applicable
Complete and accurate information helps dealerships bid with confidence and reduces the possibility of an offer changing during final inspection.
Can I list a vehicle that has been in an accident or has damage?
Yes. Vehicles with accident history, cosmetic damage, mechanical issues, higher mileage, or other imperfections may still have value to dealerships in the Blaze Bids network.
Accurately disclose the known condition and history when submitting the vehicle. Different dealerships buy different types of vehicles, so a vehicle that is not right for one may be exactly what another needs.
Tell us what you have. Let the dealers decide what it is worth.
Decisions and support
What if I change my mind after the auction?
You are in control of the decision to sell. After the auction ends, you have seven days to review the highest offer. If you change your mind before accepting, there is no obligation to sell.
Once you accept and begin completing the sale, any agreements or transaction documents you enter into with the purchasing dealership will govern the transaction.
Does Blaze Bids guarantee that I will get more money for my car?
No. Blaze Bids does not guarantee that you will receive more money than you could receive from another buyer.
Blaze Bids creates competition by putting your vehicle in front of participating dealerships that independently decide how much they are willing to pay. Different inventory needs, customers, and opportunities can make one dealership willing to pay more than another.
We do not determine what your car is worth. We give dealerships the opportunity to compete and let the market decide.
How can I contact Blaze Bids?
We are here to help with vehicle submissions, active auctions, offers, and the selling process.
Email info@blazebids.com.
Ready to see what dealers will offer?