A dealer trade is a swap of vehicles between two dealerships. It usually starts with a customer: they want a specific trim, color or package that isn't on your lot, but another store has it. You call that store, agree to trade one of your units for theirs, and the deal can close.
Dealer trades are routine. A medium-sized store can do dozens a month. The paperwork is familiar. The part that causes headaches is simpler: someone has to physically move two cars.
Why dealers trade instead of ordering
Ordering from the factory can take weeks or months, and a customer who is ready to buy today may not wait. Trading gets the right vehicle in days or hours. It also helps both stores balance inventory: the unit you send out may be exactly what the other store's customer wants.
How a trade works, step by step
- Agree on the swap. The two stores confirm which vehicles are being exchanged, usually by phone or through their manufacturer's dealer network.
- Handle the paperwork. Each store transfers the vehicle in its system and prepares what the car needs to travel, such as dealer plates.
- Move the vehicles. One car goes from your store to the partner store, and the partner's car comes back.
- Check in the new unit. The receiving store inspects the vehicle, records mileage and adds it to inventory.
The options for moving the cars
Pull someone off the floor. A salesperson or porter drives over and back. It's free on paper, but that person is gone for an hour or more, and they need a ride to or from the other store.
Keep a driver on staff. Works well if trades are steady. They rarely are: a store can go four days without a trade and then have five in one afternoon, so a dedicated driver is either idle or overloaded.
Call a flatbed. Reliable, but you pay for a truck and a hookup on each leg, and a trade has two legs. It's the expensive answer to a simple problem.
Use an on-demand driver service. You book the trade, a screened driver takes your car to the partner and brings theirs back, and you pay per trade. No payroll, no idle time, and no one leaves the sales floor.
What to look for in a trade driver service
- Screened drivers. At minimum, a driving record check.
- Condition photos. Time-stamped photos at every pickup and drop-off protect both stores if there's a question about a scratch.
- Clear pricing. You should see the price before you book, based on distance.
- Fast assignment. Trades are often time-sensitive, so you want to know quickly that a driver has accepted.
Fast Dealer Trade does dealer trades this way in Huntington Beach and nearby Orange County: $200 flat for stores up to 15 miles apart, then $4 per additional mile. See how it works.