I’m a foreigner running a US single-member LLC (based in Wyoming). I plan on selling used cars to individuals in Europe, so the final transactions are to take place out of the US. Does my LLC need any kind of US dealer license in this case?
First, you must verify if the international car shipping company you are considering is legit. You must verify all three of the following steps for each company you want to do business within order to reduce your level of risk, especially if you are in countries outside the USA. so, they know the country’s import tax, permits, and vehicle import regulations. Depending on the country and its trade agreement with the United States, import taxes can make importing a car virtually impossible.
1: Check their rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), a nationally recognized company that maintains an ethical marketplace where buyers and sellers can trust each other. Go to the BBB website, then enter the Business Type, Name, URL or Phone under “Search For.” Click the box for “BBB Accredited.” If the name of the company you are researching shows up, this company passes the first step. Next, click the listing to view the details.
2: Check with the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), an independent regulatory agency responsible for the regulation of ocean-borne transportation in the foreign commerce of the U.S. Then go to the FMC Ocean Freight Forwarders page and select “Organization Name” under Search. Type in the name of the international car shipping company. If you see the company is there, they passed the second step.
3: Check with Whois, which will give you the ownership information for a particular website. It usually shows the name of the company or person who owns the website AND what country they are located in. This is important because if you are in a South American country and want to ship a car from the USA, this site will show you if the website is based in the USA. For example, one of the top-ranking websites in Google for the keyword phrase “International Car Shipping” doesn’t even exist in the United States; rather, it is based out of the UK, which means this company does not pass step three. First, enter the website of the car shipping company, then under the tab “Whois Record,” you will see the Registrant information and where they are located. Under the tab “Registration” you will see the date when the website was created. Make sure the site has been around for more than a year. Under the tab “Server Stats” you will see what country the website’s IP Location. If the car shipping company’s name matches the Whois record and is in USA, it passes step three.
Meanwhile, other countries have free trade. We will use Italy as an example, but this should work for any country. You want to filter the results in Google to display Italian government websites only. Gov, we are telling Google to display URLs with. Here we will go over a few of the most reputable ones:
1. Craigslist.org: Try Craiglist.org for a great deal, as many people who own cars post them here. Sometimes it is an older gentleman getting rid of a car. Other times, it’s a college graduate who bought a new car and needs to sell the old one.
Pros:
1. Search by “For Sale by Owner” which is where you can get the best deals.
2. Search by “For Sale by Dealer”
3. Search by both “Owner + Dealer”
4. There may be some desperate private sellers who need to sell their cars at any cost. These people will give you great deals because many don’t know the real value of their car.
Cons:
1. You may run into some scams from Nigerian people asking for Western Union Payment.
2. People selling on here are not always expert car sellers.
3. There are not enough pictures, but you can have them email more.
4. Many “For Sale by Owners” do not include their phone number, so you will have to email them.
How to use Craigslist: Many people filter the Craigslist results. This will save time for people who do not want to see certain results. For example, a person wants a 2005 Honda Civic and needs to ship a car to Saudi Arabia but cannot import a salvage title vehicle. This person would filter the results to eliminate all ads that have a salvage title by typing a minus sign before salvage, like this: -salvage. This would also apply if someone is shipping a car to the UK.
2. eBay Motors Ship Overseas, Inc: eBay has many customers who are international car buyers. They purchase through eBay Motors and have Ship Overseas ship their cars to another country. eBay Motors is a popular and safe website to use.
Pros:
1. Shows the Kelly Blue Book value right on the results page
2. Shows the feedback left from previous buyers for each seller
3. Shows a lot of pictures of the vehicle
4. Easy to communicate with
5. Free AutoCheck for many cars
6. Search by “For Sale by Owner”
7. Search by “For Sale by Dealer”
Cons:
1. Most sellers cannot quote international car shipping rates.
2. Payment must be made in full.
3. Immediate payment is sometimes required by sellers to make sure an item is paid for before they ship it.
3. Recommended Online Car Dealerships: At Ship Overseas, many car dealerships ask us to ship cars overseas to their customers abroad. Many of them have been using our service for years.
Pros:
1. Lots of pictures
2. Professional and reliable service
3. Works with international car buyers
4. Open on weekends
Cons:
1. Less of a selection (except for Enterprise Car Sales & CarMax)
If you choose to use Western Union payment method, make sure the Western Union Money Order is made out to the name of the company and not to a person. Once payment has been arranged, everything else is simple. If the owner of the vehicle bought the car over the Internet and is in a country outside the U. The Title of Ownership must be sent to the international car shipping company in its original form and the Bill of Sale must be sent to the new owner. There can be no liens on the Title of Ownership.
After the sailing, the international car shipping company will return the original Title of Ownership via FedEx Express International mail with signature confirmation. These documents will be sent from the car shipping company to the owner or consignee. The Title of Ownership must be presented when the car is picked up. The Bill of Lading, which will be handled by the car shipping company, will show the names of the authorized people who can pick up the car.
Many car dealerships only have one copy, but if they can provide two copies, the international car shipping company can mail a setback along with the Title of Ownership. As each country has its own set of import tax and regulations, and the amount will vary accordingly. You should know the amount of import tax already but bring a little more cash just in case an unforeseen circumstance arises, especially if you are in a third-world country.
If the owner of the vehicle bought the car over the Internet and is in a country outside the U. The Title of Ownership must be sent to the international car shipping company in its original form and the Bill of Sale must be sent to the new owner. There can be no liens on the Title of Ownership. After the sailing, the international car shipping company will return the original Title of Ownership via FedEx Express International mail with signature confirmation. These documents will be sent from the car shipping company to the owner or consignee. The Title of Ownership must be presented when the car is picked up. The Bill of Lading, which will be handled by the car shipping company, will show the names of the authorized people who can pick up the car. A copy of the Bill of Lading will be sent to the owner or consignee. Nobody else is permitted to pick up the car except for the owner or the consignee named on the Bill of Lading. Many car dealerships only have one copy, but if they can provide two copies, the international car shipping company can mail a setback along with the Title of Ownership.
Besides if you do have any questions give me a call: https://clarity.fm/joy-brotonath
