carsales Trade-In and Inspection Terms and Conditions
1. What is the Effect of This Agreement
This Agreement applies to Your use of the carsales Trade-In service (Service) made available by carsales.com.au Pty Ltd (carsales) to You via carsales.com.au or any website owned or operated by carsales (carsales Website). The Service requires a (complimentary) inspection of your Trade-In Vehicle by the Dealer (as defined in clause 5(a) below). For the avoidance of doubt, a reference to the “Dealer” in this Agreement includes the Dealer’s employees, officers, agents and contractors.
2. Eligibility for use of the Trade-In Service
In order to be eligible for use of the Service (Eligible Consumer), You must:
(a.)be 18 years or over;
(b.)set up a membership with carsales;
(c.)complete and submit a request to trade-in Your Trade-In Vehicle (Trade-In Request);
(d.)purchase an eligible new vehicle from a participating Dealer (Eligible New Vehicle) (see clause 5 below for further details); and
(e.)not be determined by carsales as falling into one of the excluded categories listed at (i) to (iv) below.
Excluded categories:
You may not be considered an Eligible Consumer if You:
(i.)hold a motor vehicle dealer licence or are required to hold a motor vehicle dealer licence;
(ii.)are engaged in the business of providing motor vehicles for commercial use, including rental, taxi or courier or delivery services;
(iii.)submit for sale via the Service more than 4 items in any single category (such as motor vehicles) within any 12 month period; or
(iv.)are trading-in a vehicle that is determined by carsales to be ineligible for the Service. This may include but is not limited to older vehicles, vehicles with high odometer readings, vehicles where carsales’ data sample is too low for a trade-in Conditional Quote to be generated, or where vehicles are located in areas to which this Service does not apply.
3. What You Must Do
You must:
(a.)comply with the terms and conditions set out in this Agreement;
(b.)provide all information reasonably requested by carsales, or the Dealer in the form reasonably required by carsales, or the Dealer from time to time;
(c.)describe Your Trade-In Vehicle accurately; and
(d.)maintain the confidentiality of all Your email and password information required to access Your account and immediately change the password if it is lost, stolen or compromised in any way. You are responsible for all transactions entered into under Your email and password.
4. What You Must Not Do
(a.)You must not submit any vehicle for trade-in via the Service:
(i.)that is not located in Australia;
(ii.)that is, or has previously been, engaged in commercial use, including without limitation, as a rental car, taxi or for courier or delivery services;
(iii.)that is not immediately available for sale - such as a vehicle which You seek to auction or rent or a vehicle subject to syndication; or
(iv.)which You do not have the right to sell.
(b.)You must not submit any material via a carsales Website or to the Dealer regarding a vehicle which does not comply with all relevant laws or is misleading or deceptive or likely to mislead or deceive.
(c.)You must not utilise the Service, including any data, information, pricing or other material made available via the Service for a commercial purpose including that You must not use any process of any sort (automated or otherwise) to query, access, retrieve, scrape, data-mine or copy or generate or compile any document, index or database based on the any material made available via the Service.
5. Specific terms for Your use of the Service
(a.)The Service enables Eligible Consumers to receive a conditional quote (Conditional Quote) for the trade-in of their vehicle (Trade-In Vehicle) from a participating third party motor vehicle wholesale dealer (Dealer), when You purchase an Eligible New Vehicle from the Dealer. The price or price range set out in the Conditional Quote (Conditional Quote Price) will be provided subject to Your Trade-In Vehicle meeting the conditions set out in item (g) below, including that the vehicle is in Acceptable Condition (as defined in 5(g) below).
(b.)If You accept the Conditional Quote Price and proceed with the purchase of an Eligible New Vehicle, and Your Trade-In Vehicle meets the conditions, the Conditional Quote Price (including any adjustments) will be applied against the purchase price of the Eligible New Vehicle by the Dealer, and is not redeemable for cash. However, if the Conditional Quote Price exceeds the purchase price of the Eligible New Vehicle, the Dealer will pay You the difference in cash. This obligation applies only to the difference between the Conditional Quote Price and the Eligible New Vehicle purchase price and does not entitle You to redeem the Conditional Quote Price itself for cash. You may choose a different Eligible New Vehicle than You originally enquired on, provided You proceed with the purchase of at least one Eligible New Vehicle.
(c.)The Conditional Quote Price has been determined based on information supplied by You in relation to Your Trade-In Vehicle and other information which is supplied by motor vehicle dealers, motor vehicle manufacturers and other private consumers including sales data of similar vehicles. You should undertake Your own investigations and enquiries to determine whether the Conditional Quote Price provided to You is a fair and reasonable price for the sale of Your Trade-In Vehicle in the circumstances. You acknowledge that carsales and the Dealer are not making any recommendation to You to take any action regarding the sale of Your Trade-In Vehicle.
(d.)The Conditional Quote will be valid for 7 days (or such other period indicated to You) from date of issue and will expire at the date notified to You in the Conditional Quote (Acceptance Period). To accept the Conditional Quote, You must submit a trade-in enquiry on an Eligible New Vehicle (Trade-In Enquiry) during the Acceptance Period. If you do so, the Dealer will, subject to these Terms and Conditions (including any inspection requirements), honour the Conditional Quote Price for 30 days from the date of Your Trade-In Enquiry, provided the Eligible New Vehicle remains available, during which you must arrange to have Your Trade-In Vehicle inspected by the Dealer in accordance with the instructions advised to You by carsales and as agreed between You and the Dealer. If you do not submit a Trade-In Enquiry during the Acceptance Period, You may request a new Conditional Quote, which will be subject to then-current pricing and conditions.
(e.)carsales will send Your name, address, contact details and Trade-In Vehicle details to the Dealer to enable the Dealer to conduct fraud and vehicle related searches and to contact You in relation to the Conditional Quote and any subsequent offer to trade-in Your Trade-In Vehicle. See clause 12 for further information on privacy.
(f.)If You have paid for and published Your Trade-In Vehicle for sale in an Ad as a private consumer Your Ad will remain on the carsales Website and you are responsible for removing Your Ad. The Conditional Quote is confidential to you and must not be disclosed to any person without carsales’ prior written approval which shall not be unreasonably withheld.
(g.)The Dealer will undertake the inspection of Your Trade-In Vehicle at the location specified by the Dealer. The inspection is undertaken by the Dealer (as applicable) for the information of the Dealer only. You will not receive a copy of the inspection report or a roadworthy certificate and, to the extent permissible under applicable law, the Dealer will not be liable to You for any claim, loss or damage relating to the inspection services.
(h.)Following inspection of Your Trade-In Vehicle, and provided You proceed with the purchase of an Eligible New Vehicle, the Dealer will agree to purchase Your Trade-In Vehicle for the Conditional Quote Price unless the Dealer determines that Your Trade-In Vehicle is not in an Acceptable Condition. A guide to the meaning of “Acceptable Condition” is contained in Appendix A to these terms. If the Dealer determines that Your Trade-In Vehicle is not in an Acceptable Condition, then the Dealer may elect to withdraw its offer for the trade-in at the Conditional Quote Price and may (but is not obliged to) provide You with a revised offer to trade-in Your Trade-In Vehicle at a new price based on:
(i.)the cost of repairs
(ii.)the accurate details of the vehicle
(iii.)any other matter which is likely to have a material impact on the value of the vehicle to a purchaser; or
(iv.)any combination of the above (Revised Price).
(i.)No contract of sale is formed between You and Dealer through Your use of the Service. You must separately enter into an agreement with Dealer for the sale of Your Trade-In Vehicle and purchase of an Eligible New Vehicle. You acknowledge and agree that any contract or agreement for the sale of Your Trade-In Vehicle or purchase of an Eligible New Vehicle that may occur as a result of Your use of the Service is between You and Dealer, and carsales is not a party to, nor bears any responsibility for such transaction except to the extent required by law. You agree that You will act in good faith towards Dealer in negotiating and finalising the sale of Your Trade-In Vehicle and purchase of the Eligible New Vehicle following Your acceptance of the Conditional Quote.
(j.)The Dealer may withdraw any offer to trade-in Your Trade-In Vehicle if the vehicle is not substantially in the same condition on the date of delivery or collection as it was at the date of inspection e.g. new damage or significantly increased odometer reading (over 3,000km). Please notify carsales of any such changes promptly to avoid Your inconvenience.
(k.)You acknowledge that carsales and the Dealer may send You communications in relation to Your use of the Service, to provide You with further conditional or unconditional quotes for the trade-in of Your Trade-In Vehicle and to conduct surveys in relation to Your use of the Service.
(l.)If the Dealer offers a Dealer Bonus in connection with the Services, the Dealer Bonus will be applied against the purchase price of the Eligible New Vehicle, in addition to the Conditional Quote, provided You proceed with the purchase of an Eligible New Vehicle from the Dealer. The Dealer Bonus will not be adjusted based on the condition of Your Trade-In Vehicle; and is not redeemable for cash and cannot be exchanged for any other benefit.
6. Your Advertisement
Your Ad will remain on the carsales Website and it is your responsibility to remove Your Ad. You will not be entitled to any refund of your Ad fee (if any) if you ultimately trade-in Your Trade-In Vehicle via the Service.
7. Cancellation of a Conditional Quote
(a.)To the extent permitted by law, carsales reserves the right to cancel a Conditional Quote for any reason and at any time prior to You concluding Your trade-in with the Dealer.
(b.)carsales generates a Conditional Quote Price by relying on various data and systems. carsales takes reasonable steps to ensure that its data is accurate and its systems are operating correctly, but in rare circumstances the data and systems may generate Conditional Quote Prices that are unexpectedly high or otherwise inconsistent. carsales may cancel a Conditional Quote which has been generated using inaccurate data or systems operating incorrectly or in an unexpected manner.
(c.)In the event Your Conditional Quote is cancelled (including if You have already submitted a Trade-In Enquiry):
(i.)You are not able to trade-in Your Trade-In Vehicle to the Dealer for the Conditional Quote Price via the Service;
(ii.)Your Ad will remain on the carsales Website until Your Ad is otherwise suspended or removed; and
(iii.)You may request a new Conditional Quote, which will be subject to then-current pricing and conditions.
8. Intellectual Property Rights
You hereby grant to carsales and the Dealer in respect of all materials and information submitted by You to carsales or Dealer, a perpetual, royalty free and irrevocable licence to use, reproduce, adapt, commercialise or otherwise utilise in any manner those materials and information.
9. Your warranties to carsales
You warrant that:
(a.)You have the authority to sell any Trade-In Vehicle which You have submitted for trade-in via the Service;
(b.)You have the authority to grant to carsales and Dealer the licence contained in clause 8 of this Agreement;
(c.)All contact and other details You have provided to carsales or Dealer are accurate; and
(d.)Your use of the Service and carsales Network will comply with the terms and conditions set out in this Agreement, the carsales Terms and Conditions of Use and any other reasonable requirements or directions issued by carsales or Dealer from time to time.
10. You Indemnify carsales
You indemnify carsales against all loss or damage arising from actions, claims and / or demands (including the cost of defending or settling any actions, claims and demands) caused by:
(a.)a breach of this Agreement (including a breach of any representation or warranty contained in this Agreement) by You;
(b.)any wilful, unlawful or negligent act or omission by You; and
(c.)the sale or offering for sale of any vehicle by You; and
(d.)the purchase of any vehicle by You.
11. Liability
(a.)Other than as set out in this clause 11, and to the fullest extent permitted by law, all implied guarantees and warranties in respect of any goods or services provided by carsales are hereby excluded. Nothing in this Agreement excludes, restricts or modifies any right or remedy conferred on You by an applicable statute (e.g. the Australian Consumer Law) that cannot be excluded, restricted or modified.
(b.)To the fullest extent permitted by law, carsales' maximum liability to You is limited to $1,000.
(c.)To the fullest extent permitted by law, carsales is not liable for any indirect or consequential loss or damage, including for loss of use, production, profit, revenue, business, data, contract or anticipated savings or for delay or for any financing costs or increase in operating costs or any economic loss.
(d.)For the purposes of clauses 10 and 11, the term carsales will mean carsales, its officers, employees, contractors and agents, whether individually or collectively.
(e.)This clause will survive the expiration or termination of this Agreement.
12. Privacy
To read how carsales collects, uses and discloses Your personal information click here. Where carsales provides any of Your personal information to the Dealer as part of Your use of the Service, that information will be stored, used and disclosed in accordance with the Dealer’s Privacy Policy. Please be aware that as a user of the Services, You may receive correspondence (including electronic correspondence) regarding Your account and Your use of the Service. This correspondence forms part of this Service and is necessary for the management of Your account and Your use of the Service. If You do not wish to receive this correspondence please do not use the Service.
13. What Law Governs this Agreement
This Agreement is governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Victoria, Australia and You irrevocably submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts in that State.
14. Entire Agreement
This Agreement, the Trade-in Request, carsales’ Terms and Conditions of Use (https://www.carsales.com.au/info/terms-conditions) and any warranties implied by law which cannot be excluded constitute the entire agreement of the parties in relation to its subject matter. This Agreement will prevail to the extent of any inconsistency with the carsales Terms and Conditions of Use.
15. General
carsales may modify or amend this Agreement from time to time by updating this website. However, any such modifications or amendments only apply to Trade-In Requests made after the date the modification or amendment is made, and not affect any accrued rights or obligations under the prior terms and conditions relating to historical Trade-In Requests. All rights not expressly granted are reserved. If any provision of this Agreement is invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provision is to be severed from this Agreement and the remaining terms will apply. Any delay or failure by carsales to enforce any provision of this Agreement will not be deemed a waiver or create a precedent or prejudice carsales' rights in any way. No waiver by carsales will be effective unless it is in writing and signed by carsales.
Appendix A - “Acceptable Condition” Guide
Part A: High value vehicles ($60K value and over)
carsales' buyers are given wider discretion to alter the price of these vehicles because of complexity and expense of repair.
No Offer to Buy or Conditional Quote Price Adjustments:
•Service history books: Incomplete records & log books
•Exterior damage
•Interior damage
•Missing Components
•Inoperable items
•Cracked Rim
•Warning Lights
•Mechanical Issue detected on Road Test
•Oil Leaks
•Modifications that render vehicle un-roadworthy or substantially reduce its value
•Rust
•Written-off
•Hail
•Vehicle is subject to an active recall notice (where such recall notice is published by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts on www.vehiclerecalls.gov.au or such other relevant authority website) and:
(a.)the actions required by the active recall notice have not been completed; and
(b.)any part/s or component/s required to fulfil the recall notice cannot reasonably be obtained within one month from the date the vehicle is inspected by the Dealer.
•Evidence of previous commercial use of vehicle which could impact the valuation of the vehicle such as prior use as a rental car, taxi or for courier or delivery services.
Part B: All other vehicles (under $60K value)
(i.) Conditional Quote Price Adjustments:
•Service history books: Incomplete records & log books
•Exterior damage
•Interior damage
•Missing Components
•Inoperable items
•Cracked Rim
(ii.) No Offer to Trade-In (or referral to Dealer for review):
•Exterior damage
•Interior damage
•Warning Lights
•Mechanical Issue detected on Road Test
•Oil Leaks
•Modifications that render vehicle un-roadworthy or substantially reduce its value
•Rust
•Written-off
•Hail
•
Vehicle is subject to an active recall notice (where such recall notice is published by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts on www.vehiclerecalls.gov.au or such other relevant authority website) and:
(a.)the actions required by the active recall notice have not been completed; and
(b.)any part/s or component/s required to fulfil the recall notice cannot reasonably be obtained within one month from the date the vehicle is inspected by the Dealer.
•Evidence of previous commercial use of vehicle which could impact the valuation of the vehicle such as prior use as a rental car, taxi or for courier or delivery services.
Version 1 (January 2026)
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