
Amazon is selling Cars - himanshuy
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&docId=1001359341&linkCode=ur2&tag=l27ba-20
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pslam
First note in the small print:

"1\. All prices are Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP). MSRP
excludes destination and handling charges, tax, title, license and options.
Dealer sets actual price."

Dealer sets actual price. So it's still sold via a dealership. What a crazy
country with crazy laws.

~~~
gesman
So they use Amazon as an ad space?

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moonka
Looks like it. You can't even leave reviews or anything on the page. I'd be
surprised if customers find it useful.

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dekhn
It's a dealer referral service.

Call me when I can do a one-click buy with car delivered to house, from
Amazon.

~~~
runako
carOrder.com spent ~$100m trying to bust the regulations that prevent this
from happening. Spoiler: it failed.

[http://wardsauto.com/news-amp-analysis/carordercom-calls-
it-...](http://wardsauto.com/news-amp-analysis/carordercom-calls-it-quits-
want-focus-dealerships)

~~~
curiouslurker
Tesla has managed to get around these laws.

~~~
runako
Tesla is selling direct. Amazon (like carOrder.com and others before them) is
attempting to compete directly with the existing intermediaries. Different
regulations.

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michaelrbock
I think online car shopping has a huge potential to grow, especially
considering most consumers dislike negotiating at dealerships. That's why
Edmunds.com launched the "Price Promise" ([http://www.edmunds.com/price-
promise.html](http://www.edmunds.com/price-promise.html)) that locks you into
a price before you ever have to speak to a salesperson.

While we're on the topics of online car shopping, I work for Edmunds.com on
the API team (docs here:
[http://developer.edmunds.com](http://developer.edmunds.com)) and we provide
all kinds of car data for use in your application (and it's completely free as
compared to all of our competitors). Feel free to email me (mbock at edmunds
dot com) or comment below if you have any questions.

~~~
gesman
No BMW in 94404 area code left? :)

~~~
michaelrbock
There's 4 BMW dealerships within 20 miles of 94404:
[http://api.edmunds.com/v1/api/dealer?zipcode=94404&makeName=...](http://api.edmunds.com/v1/api/dealer?zipcode=94404&makeName=bmw&radius=20&fmt=json&api_key={Register_for_a_free_one})
(check the URL and add your own key).

Note: register for a _free_ key here
([http://developer.edmunds.com/](http://developer.edmunds.com/)) and then
input it into the URL above.

~~~
gesman
{

    
    
       "status":"FORBIDDEN",
    
       "errorType":"AUTHENTICATION_ERROR",
    
       "message":"Developer Inactive",
    
       "moreInfoUrl":"http://developer.edmunds.com"
    
    }

~~~
michaelrbock
Sorry, see the note I added above about getting a free API key, then use that
to make the call.

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alimoeeny
I really really wish someone takes the car dealer out as a mandatory part of
the equation, I understand many people rely on them but there are people like
me who may be better off doing all by themselves

~~~
oniTony
Mentioned elsewhere in the discussion — Tesla is fighting to take the dealer
out of the equation.

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kenrikm
I was looking for a BuyWithOneClick button and Prime delivery, instant credit
approval. It would be awesome to buy cars that way, too bad dealer laws are so
screwed up in so many states.

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lmg643
I'll believe "amazon is selling cars" when:

* price listed on the website is "firm" and non-negotiable

* price on website is way below MSRP

* car comes with 2-day amazon prime delivery :)

* I can get most major models I would want

IMHO referrals back to a dealer are pointless.

from my perspective, the #1 reason shopping for cars sucks (compared to flat
panel TV) is that you can't get a price without dealing with a dealer. and
yes, even if you call the dealer a consultant. just an awkward conversation
all around.

The #2 reason shopping for cars sucks is that unless you're an absolutely
savage negotiator, you'll always be wondering whether you could have gotten a
better price. the current trend of non-negotiable prices sold by consultants
doesn't really change that, i assume it is a clever way to disarm prospective
clients.

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MattBearman
I'd forgotten I'd installed the XKCD substation extension
([https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6695895](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6695895)).
"Amazon is selling Cats" is a much more shocking title.

~~~
iheart2code
Same here. I am committed, though. Not gonna change it.

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klinquist
Note the &tag, someone is making 4% off of this purchase.

~~~
seiji
Well, not just this purchase, but a percentage of all purchases from anybody
who clicks on this link and checks out within two days (if this was the last
affiliate code they clicked on).

This link will probably make the poster (or whoever they copied the URL from)
a few thousand dollars.

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tptacek
Why would anyone ever take a dealer referral with the price quoted as MSRP?
What good would that do you?

~~~
dangrossman
If you were otherwise already going to buy a Nissan Versa, you can now get a
$1000 Amazon gift card thrown in for free. You're still buying from the same
local dealer, you're still negotiating the price yourself, you just get this
bonus for starting the transaction through Amazon.

~~~
tptacek
Doesn't the dealer know you've got a $1k gift card on the line? Don't they
factor that into the negotiation? Normally, the dealer has to compete on an
even playing field against every other dealer within 40 miles.

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johnmurch
Due to Dealership laws this will never truely happen that way it should :(
Tesla has been fighting this crap tooth and nail. Maybe one day I can click
and confirm a car online and have it delivered to my house at a specific
day/time that is NOT a 10 hour window like most cable providers

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subpixel
I worked as an editor at an alt-weekly in 1999. It was a wildly profitable
newspaper drunk on the idea that the internet was the future, and the path to
the future would be paved with outrageously expensive website projects!

I'm reminded of an all-hands-on deck meeting we had on the loading dock (where
trucks unloaded pallets of newspapers, hot of the presses) in which a middle-
aged guy who had been promoted from account executive to something like
webmaster announced "beginning tomorrow, our readers will be able to purchase
a car on our website!".

I can assure you, nobody ever did. (Obviously Amazon is a whole different
animal, and buying a car in person still sucks, so more power to them.)

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nivla
If I knew what I wanted, had already test driven the car and Amazon offered it
for less (No tax perhaps?), why wouldn't I get it from Amazon?

Off Topic: I see you appended the referral tag. Good luck grabbing the 4%-8%
on it.

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SkyAtWork
I was there when they did this a long time ago (circa 2000), I believe in
conjunction with Greenlight.com - at the time it was a "cars" tab which was
basically just third party storefront space. It didn't last as Greenlight
(pardon the pun) ran out of gas.

But this certainly seems viable. Costco has a carbuying program that includes
baked in discounts and single price point. It is an obvious disintermediation
play with nearly-as-obvious existing regulatory complications and entrenched
interests.

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brianbreslin
Actually if someone wanted to really sell cars online, they would need to find
a state with super lax dealership regulations and then truck/ship the cars to
the consumer. Effectively we could all be buying cars "from wyoming" or
wherever.

What would it cost to ship cars to users? $500-1000/car? (across 48 stateS).
carmax charges $500 transport fee if you order from a different location than
your local one.

~~~
deelowe
This is what Tesla is trying to do. Of course they are running into a lot of
issues.

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kbelbina
Prime eligible with $3.99 for 1-day?

~~~
freehunter
No interest for 12 months with the Amazon store card!

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AtTheLast
I would love to see Amazon and Tesla and a few other companies challenge and
disrupt the traditional dealership model.

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lmg643
i'll believe "amazon is actually selling cars" when i can get: free 2-day
delivery of a car at a firm, non-negotiable price that is well below MSRP.

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cjg
Can I get international delivery?

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aktiur
Is there free shipping as well?

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JOnAgain
click the button, typical lead-gen to a dealership

------
ye
No, Nissan is selling cars on Amazon.

~~~
kenrikm
Actually that kind of listing can't be made without Amazon creating it. So
it's a mixture of the two companies and most likely there was an exchange of
advertising dollars involved.

