Some years back, buying a car from the United States will require that you work with a car dealer who might delay your requests and even charge you outrageously at the end of the deal.
Fast-forward to 2020, the case has changed for better, all thanks to the internet. You can now order your choice cars from the comfort of your bedroom and get them shipped to you in a matter of weeks.
Imaging having a list of over 150,000 cars to choose from, you'd have hundreds of cars that fit in to your budget.
Advantages of buying a car from an online car auction or car listing websites
One of the major advantages of buying your choice car from a car listing website is that you get to choose from thousands of cars. Sometimes when you visit a car dealer, he might convince you into buying another car when your choice car is unavailable.
This isn't bad though, but do you know that with an online car auction site, you won't have any issues picking out your choice car models? In fact, every car listing website I've visited has a way of allowing you search for cars based on make, model, price of car (minimum and maximum budge) and year of manufacturing.
The photo above was taken from a popular car listing website in Nigeria. Apart from the things I earlier listed out, you will also be allowed to chose between Used, New or Imported cars.
7 Steps To Buy Your Car From USA And Ship To Nigeria
We'd be listing out some steps that you can follow in purchasing your first car from the United States as a Nigerian. We hope to hear the testimonies on how this article helped you in the comment section. Also, don't forget to share with your friends.
• Search and register with a car auction website
The first step you should take is pick up your gadget and search for a good car auction website. My best search engine is Google, but there are a number of other like Bing, Yahoo, Ask.com, AOL.com, Baidu (Chinese), Yandex.ru (Russian), and DuckDuckGo (if you value your privacy).
You'd get a list of the auto auction websites to make your choice from. Some of the popular sites that you might see are;
- AuctionExport.com
- IAAI.com
- Copart.com.
- Cars.com
NOTE: Don't get too comfortable with all the information that you might get from the search engines. The work of the search engines is just to relay the information to you,. they don't verify the sources and might include scam sites in the search results.
Always watch out for tips on how to identify scam websites, it's go a long way towards protecting your hard earned money.
• Register with your choice car auction site
Now we believe you've made your choice after checking out the reviews online, you should now proceed to the registration proper. Most of the websites will allow you to create an account for free.
A site like IAAI.com will also give you the option of creating two types of accounts; as an individual or as a business. We believe you're buying the car for a personal use, so the first option will go for you.
You'd be required to fill in your full name, email address and phone number. Ensure you only input your correct details to avoid having issues in the later run.
• Get used to the terminologies and locations in the United States
I should have merged this with the registration step described above, but it's quite more serious than you might think. I read a story of a man that ended up paying an additional $1,500 (check the current dollar rate in your local currency) because of a little mistake he made while ordering fro the car.
According to the source, he paid for the car believing that it was in Orlando, Florida, while it was in a far away state. Assuming he bothered to know about the car's location before making the payments, he might have made a U-turn before it became late.
Some terminologies that you should get used to include “clean title”, “pure sale”, “salvage title”, “enhanced vehicle”, “run”, “buy it now”, “engine start program”, etc.
• Search and select your choice car
I might be forced to say that this is the most important stage in the whole process. It is when many mistakes are made, but those mistakes can equally be avoided.
Don't just select a car because of good exterior, look at other things like defects. A buyer might purposely refuse including the repair history in the listing.
In some cases, you might not see the car's front damage in the picture because it might have been partially repaired by the insurance company before putting it up for bid.
Also note that you can still buy cars from other countries apart from the United States. For example, China recently began exportation of second hand cars to Nigeria. You can also check out this post on the checklist for buying a car.
NOTE: Experts advise that you do a Vehicle History and vehicle identification number (VIN) check before buying a car. It'll help you in making a better judgement.
• Buy and pay for your car
This is also another important stage and might involve a bidding process. Some other persons might also be interested in that your choice car, so the highest bidder (which may be you) will eventually go home with it.
Every bidding has its own timing, so eventually the highest and the last bidder will get to own the car.
Payment can be made via Western Union, Money Gram or direct transfer depending on the platform.
Some will also allow you to pay with your debit/credit card, that's if it won't exceed your daily transaction limits anyways.
Kindly note that you'd have to be quick with the transfer process to avoid paying that penalty fees which might be as high as $50 to $100 after two days.
As soon as your money is received, your car auction account will be credited online, and boom...you're a car owner.
• Ship from the United States to Nigeria
There is an adage that says that "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush," so you won't celebrate yet until the car gets to Nigeria. You will be needing a tow truck or flatbed truck to pick up and deliver the car at the closest (US) seaport. This can either be arranged by the shipping agent in the USA or you.
The cost of transporting your car can range from $100 to $2,500, depending on the distance from the place your car was bought to the seaport.
Your shipping agent will then clear the car through the United States customs for export and place it on a ship heading towards Nigeria.
• Clear with the Nigerian customs service
This is the final stage and should also be prepared for, because it'd demand for some money from your pocket. The amount will vary, depending on your car model and year of manufacturing.
You can either decide to do the clearing yourself or employ the services of a reliable clearing agent who will do that withing 2 to 3 working days.
The surface duty is 35% of the vehicle's estimated value. You will also pay the surcharge, VAT, shipping and terminal charges plus other miscellaneous charges.What more?
You're now a car owner and it's worth celebrating. If this article helps you, don't forget to drop us a comment and share with your friends.
And before I forget, even if you don't have a shipper abroad, the auction site you bought the car from can help you with the whole processes. Many of them, especially the ones I earlier mentioned offer freight service.
Before you leave, I'd also suggest that you check out these 7 things to consider before buying a car in Nigeria. It will help you in making the best decisions irrespective of your budget.
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