Moving Overseas? How to Have Your Car Sold On Your Behalf in NZ

If you're moving overseas, you don't have to sell your car before you fly, and you don't have to take a rushed offer. A registered trader can sell it on your behalf: you sign the agreement and hand over the car and keys before you leave, the trader handles the advertising, viewings, negotiation and paperwork, and you're paid once it sells, wherever in the world you are by then. Here's how that works with MV Consignment, a timeline to follow, and a checklist for the week before you go.

Why leaving the country makes selling a car hard

Selling a car well takes time, and time is the one thing you don't have when you're moving.

• A deadline weakens your position. A buyer who knows you fly out on Friday knows you'll take less on Thursday.
• You still need the car. Most people need to drive right up until they leave, which rules out selling early.
• The last few weeks are already full. Packing, visas, farewells and work handovers don't leave room for answering messages and hosting test drives.
• Leaving it with family rarely works. It's a big favour. Someone else has to field the enquiries, meet strangers, negotiate on your behalf and handle the paperwork, usually without knowing the car or the market.

The result is that a lot of good cars are sold cheaply in the final week, or sit in a relative's driveway for months.

Your four options

If you have more than a few days, the last option is usually the one that protects your price without eating your time. We compare it with the quick sale in sell on behalf vs cash for cars.

How selling on behalf works when you're leaving

The process is the same as any consignment, with one difference: it's designed so that nothing needs you in the country.

1. We agree the plan before you go. That means the asking price, your bottom line, and which package suits the car. With your bottom line agreed in advance, we can negotiate properly without needing an answer from you in another time zone at 3am.
2. The car is inspected, detailed and photographed. Every registered vehicle gets an independent pre-purchase inspection, a consignment-grade detail and a professional shoot of 25 or more photos.
3. It's advertised nationwide. We handle every enquiry, viewing and test drive, along with finance and warranties for the buyer.
4. We keep you posted. You get updates by phone, text or email, wherever you are.
5. We complete the sale. We negotiate, finish the change of ownership and hand the car over.
6. You're paid. Our sellers are paid within 12 hours of the sale. We'll confirm where you want the money sent before you leave.

The step-by-step version is in how selling a car on behalf works, and the service itself is on our consignment page.

A timeline that works

Most vehicles we've sold have gone in 1-6 weeks. That's past experience, not a guarantee, so the earlier you start, the more options you keep.

6 to 8 weeks before you fly

• Get a free quote and a realistic view of what the car will sell for.
• Decide on your bottom line.
• Gather the paperwork listed below.

4 to 6 weeks before

• Book the inspection, detail and photos.
• The car goes live. If you're local and still need to drive it, talk to us. We can usually work around that and bring the car in for viewings.

The final week

• Hand over the car, every key and the documents.
• Confirm your overseas contact details and payment details.
• Fly out. The car is stored securely with us, at $20 per week while it's listed.

After you've gone

• We carry on selling. You hear from us when there's something worth hearing, and when it's sold.

Left it too late?

It happens. If you're flying out in days, a full retail sale may not be realistic, and we'll tell you that.

You still have two decent choices:

• Leave the car with us anyway. Being overseas doesn't stop the sale. You'll wait a little longer for your money, but you won't have given the car away.
• Use our wholesale service. We shop your car to our network of wholesale buyers and bring you the best offer. You say yes or no, and if it's a yes we handle the paperwork, logistics and payment. See how wholesale works.

Not sure which suits you? Our two-question quiz takes about a minute.

Checklist before you fly

The car

• Every key, including spares and any remote fobs
• Service history, receipts and the owner's manual
• Current registration and WOF details
• Anything you know is wrong with it. The inspection will find it, and being upfront gets a better result

The money

• Details of any finance owing. Tell us early, because it has to be dealt with before a sale can settle
• Where you want the sale proceeds paid
• A decision on your bottom line

The loose ends

• Take out your personal belongings, including anything in the glovebox and boot
• Remove toll tags and cancel or transfer any parking permits
• Talk to your insurer, and to us, about cover while the car is in our care, so there's no gap
• Give us an email address and a phone number that will work overseas

What it costs

Packages are $189, $429 or $749. Indicative commission is 9% on sales of $10k-$30k, 7% on $30k-$60k and 6% on $60k-$80k, with vehicles over $80k priced individually at 3-5%, and it's only earned when the car sells. The pre-purchase inspection is passed on at cost and refunded on sales over $30k, and storage is $20 per week while the car is listed with us.

Every line is on our pricing section, with worked examples in sell on behalf fees.

Why movers choose us

People leaving New Zealand are some of the sellers we help most often, because the whole job can be handed over in one visit. We're a registered motor vehicle trader (MVT M0510401), 100% Kiwi owned and based in Riverhead, Auckland, and we take every make and model. There's more in why sellers choose MV Consignment.

If you've got a departure date, get in touch or call 027 474 8942, and we'll work backwards from it with you.