Trade Appraisal Form
An online trade estimate that gets treated as a locked-in number, then comes in $2,000 lower once the customer's actually at the dealership, isn't a bait and switch, it's what happens when nobody said the number was preliminary. Collect the vehicle details upfront, and be upfront that the real number comes after someone's actually looked at the car.
Right now, a customer fills out a quick trade-in estimate online, sees a number, and shows up expecting that exact figure, without anyone explaining the number is based on what they typed in, not on what a physical inspection actually finds. When the in-person appraisal comes back lower because of a ding they forgot to mention or a tire that's more worn than they thought, it reads as a bait and switch instead of standard practice.
Typeform's trade appraisal form collects VIN, make, model, year, mileage, general condition, accident and title history, and photos, generating a data-backed estimate before the customer ever visits. Conditional logic can adjust which condition questions get asked based on vehicle type or age, and a file upload lets a customer submit photos of the exterior, interior, and any damage upfront instead of describing it in a text box.
Every submission lands in one record your team can review before the customer arrives, instead of appraising a vehicle cold at the desk. The one thing worth stating clearly, on the form itself and not just internally: this estimate is preliminary, and the actual offer depends on an in-person inspection confirming the details submitted, current market conditions, and anything the physical inspection turns up that the form didn't capture. Setting that expectation upfront, rather than after a lower in-person number surprises someone, is what keeps this from feeling like a bait and switch.
A trade appraisal form collects a vehicle's details, VIN, mileage, condition, accident and title history, and photos, to generate a preliminary trade-in value estimate before the customer brings the vehicle in for an in-person inspection and final offer.
Because it's based entirely on what the customer reports, and a physical inspection can turn up things a form can't, undisclosed wear, a warning light, a detail the customer didn't think to mention. The online figure is a strong, data-backed starting point, but the firm, transactable offer comes after someone's actually looked at the vehicle.
Cover what actually drives both the estimate and the eventual in-person review:
- VIN, make, model, year, and mileage
- General condition, exterior, interior, and mechanical
- Accident and title history
- Photos of the vehicle
- Contact information
Yes, and it's worth explaining that upfront rather than letting it come as a surprise. An in-person inspection can reveal condition issues the customer didn't mention or didn't notice, and market data, what similar vehicles are actually selling for locally, can shift between when someone submits the form and when they show up. Both can move the number in either direction.
Local market demand for that specific make and model, how quickly similar vehicles are selling, and whether the vehicle fits what your dealership, or a sister dealership in the same network, can actually resell. None of that shows up in a customer's form submission, which is exactly why the online estimate and the final offer aren't always the same number.
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