CarStruck
A
2025 Cadillac Escalade
Example: what happens when a car sells

2025 Cadillac Escalade AWD V-Series

Price
$209,750
Buyer fee
$4,900
Tax, ON est.
$27,268
All in
$241,918
Buyer

The buyer's steps

  1. The buyer wins
    At $209,750, Sep 23. Buyer and seller get each other's name and number.
  2. Buyer fee charged
    $4,900 (3.9% launch rate, capped at $4,900) on the buyer's card, charged when the auction ended and before contact details were shared.
  3. 3
    Pick it up by Wed, Sep 30 and pay the sellerNext up
    The car is in Markham, ON. Pay the seller $209,750 at pickup, by bank draft or wire. CarStruck never holds the car money. If there's a loan on the car, pay the lender what's owed against their payout letter, and the rest to the seller.Confirm the seller's bank details by phone before you send anything. Sale BL-012-BUYER.
  4. 4
    Or get it delivered
    Pay the seller before delivery. The driver scans the VIN and photographs the car at handover, and you have 48 hours after delivery to raise a problem with the seller.
  5. 5
    Paperwork at handover
    A bill of sale you both sign, a copy of the inspection report, the signed vehicle portion of the ownership, the UVIP and the Ontario safety certificate.
  6. 6
    Register and plate it
    Insure it first, then register it at ServiceOntario within 6 days. You pay about $27,268 in tax (13% RST, estimated).
Seller

leafsfan92's steps

  1. Inspection and photos
    Done before the auction by our independent inspection partner. The buyer gets a copy of the report with the paperwork.
  2. Your car sold
    To apex_buyer for $209,750, Sep 23. Selling on CarStruck is free, so the whole price is yours.
  3. 3
    The buyer pays you at pickupNext up
    By Wed, Sep 30, by bank draft or wire. Don't hand over the car or keys until the money has cleared. With delivery, the buyer pays before the car leaves.
  4. 4
    Get the paperwork ready
    Sign the vehicle portion of your ownership. Have the UVIP, the safety certificate you promised, the service records and every key ready. Still paying a loan? Get a payout letter from your lender; the buyer pays them what's owed and you the rest.
  5. 5
    Handover
    The buyer or their carrier picks the car up. You both confirm it in CarStruck. Keep your plates, they stay with you.
  6. 6
    Wrap up
    Cancel the insurance once the car is gone.
If the buyer doesn't pay

They lose the $4,900 buyer fee and their account. The second-highest bidder is offered the car at their own top bid and has 24 hours to accept; otherwise the seller relists for free.

If the seller backs out

They pay the buyer fee, worked out on the high bid (or the reserve or our estimate, if higher), plus the inspection and photo cost.

Paperwork and tax steps are our reading of Ontario's rules for a private sale, to confirm with a lawyer before launch.