carsales Payments FAQs

How much does it cost?

Nothing! There are no hidden fees from carsales when using this service.

 

How do I receive money?

When the buyer releases their payment to you, you will need to accept the funds. Once accepted, the funds will be transferred directly into your bank account. We’ve worked hard to make this process as fast as possible so you feel comfortable handing over the keys.

 

When do I have to send money?

Once you and the seller agree on a price, you can transfer the money to your carsales account. This protects both you and the seller until the car is handed over. Once all the funds land in your carsales account (this may take a few days depending on your bank), you can arrange a convenient time to pick up the car and finalize the purchase with ease.

 

How do you secure my money?

Your money is safe and easy to manage. You control your account and can deposit or withdraw funds anytime.

 

What if I have finance owing?

Great question! If you have financing owning you will need to coordinate with your financing company to handle the owing amount. carsales does not handle financing through this service. If this is something you’d like to see included let us know here.

 

What if I change my mind?

As a buyer, you can change your mind at any point until you release the funds to the seller. At this point the transaction is irreversible through carsales

As a seller, you can change your mind at any point until you accept the funds from the buyer. At this point the transaction is irreversible through carsales.

 

Is my data safe?

We take the security of your personal information very seriously. Your bank account and identity document information is encrypted in transit and at rest.

 

How do I add a deposit? 

At the moment, carsales does not support deposits being paid directly through our platform. 

However, you can arrange a deposit payment with the seller outside of carsales. For instance, you can use traditional methods like paying cash in person or transferring the deposit directly from your bank to the seller’s account. 

Note: If you have payed the seller a deposit prior to using our payments service, you can enter the amount into the dedicated deposit field. The remaining agreed amount will then be automatically adjusted for you. 

 

Why do you perform verification?

Verifying your identity information helps us to reduce the risk of fraudulent activity and increase security for our users. carsales takes your privacy seriously and will only use your personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

We perform a number of different verifications.

If we ask to verify your passport or driver licence: One of these documents - not both - are checked against Australian government databases.

For email verification: You will receive an email from carsales which contains a link that you must click to verify the validity of the email address.

For phone verification: A one-time password is sent to your nominated phone number to verify the validity of the phone number.

 

Why do you require identity document verification?

At carsales, creating a more secure and safe environment allows customers to buy and sell cars, make payments and offers, and interact with each other with greater confidence and ease.

While we take a number of steps to carry out verification checks on identity documents, we highly recommend that you manually confirm the identity of the other party, i.e. meet in person, before releasing funds. The verification process we offer provides a level of assurance but does not guarantee the identity of the other party.

 

Who will be able to see the identity verification?

If a seller or buyer wants to use pay through carsales, then they will have supplied either a passport or a driver’s licence and had the information on the identity document verified.

As a seller, other users of carsales will see your ID verification badge on your profile.

As a buyer, during the payments offer process, sellers will be able to see a badge indicating you have completed ID verification.

We do not share the details of your identity document with the buyer or the seller.

 

How do we share and manage my data?

carsales is required to collect data in order to provide the user with access to the pay through carsales service. carsales takes your privacy seriously and will only use your personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

 

I can’t complete identity verification.

Unfortunately if your ID documents could not be verified, you are not eligible to use payment through carsales.
Don't worry, you can still proceed with your advertising, buying and selling as usual on carsales.

 

I don’t have an Australian driver's licence or passport.

Unfortunately we only support identity verification through Australian drivers licences or passports at this time.

 

I only have a single name.

If you only have a single name you can still use the service. Insert a dash/hyphen ( - ) in the First Name field, and then your name in the Last Name field.

 

I don’t have an Australian driver's licence or passport.

Unfortunately we only support identity verification through Australian drivers licences or passports at this time.

 

Why do you check against a credit reporting agency?

To help verify your identity we check the details you share against different databases. This may include databases operated by credit bureau(s). Rest assured this does not count as a credit check. It will not mark your credit file in any way. It is only used to verify your details. We do not see your credit file, or your credit score, as part of this check.

 

Why do I need to verify my bank account?

Adding your payment details helps ensure a fast and seamless money transfer process through carsales.

We verify your account by performing a “penny test”. We’ll send $0.01 to your nominated account with a unique code. Once that code is shared with carsales your account will be verified.

 

I’m not receiving the penny test.

We send $0.01 to your nominated account with a unique code to verify you are the account owner. Most users receive the deposit within 30 seconds. However the code may not appear until the next business day.

 

How can I change my linked bank account?

For the safety of all users we do not allow changing of verified bank accounts at this time. If this is something you’ve like let the team know here.

How can I change my linked bank account?

Why could it take a few days for my payment to reach carsales? 

Most transfers occur in 1-2 business day. However, there are a number of reasons that may slow this down. Your bank may impose daily transaction limits or delay payments to accounts, so funds may take a few days to reach carsales. Public holidays and weekend might also cause a delay. 

 

What should I do on the day of the handover?

On the day of the handover we recommend both the buyer and seller perform a final physical inspection of the vehicle, verify the identity of the other party (e.g. ask for photo ID), and make sure you are comfortable with the purchase/sale before finalising the transaction through carsales.  

As a buyer, we recommend: 

  • Ensuring the vehicle has been thoroughly inspected by yourself and/or an independent person. We recommend RedBook Inspect.
  • Ensuring insurance has been arranged that is in effect from the time of the handover

  • Ensuring there is no finance owing or other third party interests over the car. We recommend a carsales Vehicle History report.

While we take a number of steps to carry out verification checks on identity documents, we highly recommend that you manually confirm the identity of the other party, ie meet in person, before releasing funds. The verification process provides a level of assurance but does not guarantee the identity of the counterparty. 

Once the vehicle is handed over the next steps are to transfer the vehicle registrations, handle any services (e.g. roadside assistance providers or insurance) and transfer your tollway tag or pass. Transfer of registration differs by state, please see here for more information

 

When should I release the funds?

Releasing funds to the buyer is final, so make sure you are confident you wish to proceed before selecting to release.

We recommend releasing funds only when you are with the seller. We recommend you perform a final inspection, verify the identity of the seller (e.g. ask for a photo ID), and ensure you are comfortable proceeding with the purchase before you release funds.

See What should I do on the day of the handover? for more information.

carsales Payment T&Cs.

 

 

Any information on this page is provided as a guide only. It is not professional or expert advice and is not a substitute for such advice. The content may not be appropriate, correct or sufficient for your circumstances and should not be relied on as the only reason you do or don’t do anything.
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