How Selling Your Car to CarBidNow Works

Selling through CarBidNow is a four-step purchase, not a listing. Nationwide Remarketing dba CarBidNow buys the vehicle, sends a tow provider, and pays you at pickup. This is how to sell my car for cash with CarBidNow, from the Instant Bid to the check at the truck.

We buy in all 50 U.S. states. Vehicles must roll and have a transferable title, or a title we can help complete when eligible. Clean, salvage, and rebuilt titles are accepted when they transfer. Pickup is typically 24 to 48 hours after the sale is arranged—not a same-day guarantee.

The four steps

Step 1. Enter the vehicle and get an Instant Bid

Provide the VIN so we can decode year, make, model, and trim. Add the title type and whether the vehicle starts, runs and drives, or is inoperable. The system returns a guaranteed Instant Bid based on those inputs. The VIN is on the driver’s-side dash, the door jamb, or your insurance card.

The VIN is on the driver’s-side dash, the door jamb, or your insurance card. Most sellers see a bid in seconds. There is no fee to get the Instant Bid and no obligation to accept.

Be accurate on condition. If the car will not start, mark inoperable. Read how to sell a car that doesn’t run. Start at the Instant Bid; this page does not embed the form.

Step 2. Review and accept

The Instant Bid is the purchase price if the vehicle matches what you submitted. Read it as a purchase offer for that VIN, title type, and running versus inoperable status—not a listing price you negotiate with strangers.

Accept the bid and tell us where the vehicle is located. The check is made out for that agreed amount when condition matches. If there is a lien, the seller-side amount and split are explained before pickup. You can walk away; getting a bid does not lock you in until you accept.

Step 3. Schedule pickup

Dispatch contacts you to set a pickup window. Most vehicles are picked up within 24 to 48 hours, depending on your location and the nearest tow provider. Share gate codes, tow restrictions, storage-yard rules, and the best phone number to reach you.

If title or lien paperwork is incomplete, say so early. Pickup waits on a transferable path—we do not treat the truck appointment as a way to skip paperwork. Review title help and lien guidance before locking in a date.

Step 4. Hand over the vehicle and get the check

The tow truck arrives with a check for the Instant Bid, or the seller-side amount after an explained lien split. You provide the keys, the transferable title or title documents we arranged, and the vehicle. The driver takes the car.

Payment is check at pickup, not cash-in-hand as the default. Deposit clearing follows your bank. See how you get paid. If a pickup is missed or a title issue hits after, see Our commitment.

Title and lien edge cases

Clean title, no lien: the standard path is Instant Bid, accept, pickup, and check to you when condition matches.

Salvage or rebuilt: eligible when the title can transfer. Mark the correct type in Step 1; do not mark salvage as clean. See sell a salvage title car.

Title with a relative or co-owner: legal owner involvement is usually required. Call 1-877-669-2431 before you accept so signatures and payee are clear.

Lost or incomplete title: we can help when eligible, but we do not buy with no path to a transferable title. Use Title help and call before locking a date.

Eligible lien still owed: we can help pay off eligible liens and explain payoff before pickup. Do not assume you receive the full Instant Bid until the split is clear. If you may be underwater, call 1-877-669-2431 before accepting; we will not invent a payoff number on this page. If the title is still with the bank, say so in Step 2 or 3.

What if the bid or vehicle condition changes?

Instant Bid is guaranteed when the car matches what you entered. The number can change at the truck if the condition was wrong, the title type was wrong, the VIN or vehicle identity does not match, or the vehicle cannot be rolled or accessed as described.

Enter the car as it sits. If it will not start, mark inoperable. If you are unsure about roll, access, or title, call 1-877-669-2431 before accepting—not after the truck is already there. A condition mismatch is not the same as changing the offer for no reason; accuracy at Instant Bid time keeps Step 4 aligned with Step 1.

What you should have ready

• VIN and accurate condition: runs-and-drives versus inoperable
• A transferable title, or information needed for eligible title help
• Lienholder information if money is still owed
• Keys or key fobs when available
• A reachable pickup address, gate codes, and tow restrictions
• A phone number available during the pickup window

Vehicles we can buy

We buy cars, trucks, SUVs, and vans that roll and have a transferable title. Clean, salvage, and rebuilt titles are accepted when eligible. Inoperable vehicles are eligible when they can be loaded and transported; they are priced as inop, not as running vehicles. A vehicle that cannot be rolled needs a phone conversation first at 1-877-669-2431.

Related paths include sell my car for cash, sell my junk car, sell a damaged car, and Instant Bid versus private sale versus trade-in.

Frequently asked questions

How fast is pickup?

Most vehicles are picked up within 24 to 48 hours after the sale is arranged, depending on your location and tow provider. It is not a same-day guarantee, and title or lien paperwork can extend timing.

How do I get paid?

The tow driver brings a check at pickup for the agreed price when condition matches. Lien splits are explained before pickup.

Do you buy a car that doesn’t run?

Yes. It is priced as inoperable, must still roll, and needs a transferable title or eligible title-help path.

Can the Instant Bid change at the truck?

Yes, if the vehicle, title, VIN, or access does not match what you entered. Accurate condition and title type keep the check aligned with the bid.

Is there a fee and do you pick up in every state?

There is no fee to receive an Instant Bid or arrange standard eligible pickup. Pickup is available in all 50 U.S. states.