Allocation gaps: how dealers fill the trims they are missing

The practical way to fill an allocation gap is to define the exact build you are missing, then look for that build at other stores instead of waiting for the next allocation. On Locates.io you search other dealers' listed units blind, see a delivered price estimate, and buy a single unit or a mix. Everything here is about trading units that already exist.

What is an allocation gap?

An allocation gap is a trim, package, color or powertrain your customers ask for and your store cannot get from its own allocation. Meanwhile, another store may be sitting on that exact build and trying to move it. The gap and the surplus are two halves of the same problem.

How do you describe the exact build?

Be specific before you search. Write down:

• Model year, make and model.
• Trim and package.
• Exterior and interior color, and which you will accept as alternates.
• Options that matter, and options you can live without.
• A target delivered price over invoice.

Specific searches return fewer results, but the results are usable. A vague search leaves you sorting through units that will never close.

Can you find the unit without seeing the other store?

Yes. The marketplace is blind. You see the vehicle and its attributes, a distance band and an anonymous dealer profile. You do not see the seller's name, city, dealer code or VIN. Likewise, the seller does not see yours. Identities and VINs are released only after both dealers sign. See why blind trading protects your inventory.

How do you buy more than one unit?

You can request a single unit, use Buy Now for an estimated delivered total, or build a load in Mix Builder: several units, from one seller or several, at one Plus per unit. A mix shows how the target changes as units are added or removed. Freight estimates also fall per unit when several units ship from the same seller on one load, though an estimate is always a range, never a quote.

What does it cost to fill a gap this way?

The buyer's delivered price is the seller's price plus the freight charge plus the platform fee. The buyer pays the fee, $199 per unit, one time. Freight starts as an estimate range. At terms, the charge is the carrier's quote split per unit plus Locates.io's flat $75 a unit, and it is locked. Buyer pickup means no freight charge. From terms you see the price, freight charge and fee itemized, with an "invoice plus" delivered figure.

Read the pricing page for how the fee is set.

Can you swap allocation or orders?

Not today for allocation or order swaps. Locates.io does not currently offer allocation or order swaps, so please do not plan around them. What you can do is buy a built unit and, if you have one that is aged or surplus, list it for another dealer.

When is the best time to look?

Gaps cost the most when a customer is waiting or when the model year is turning. Month-end is also a good time, because sellers mark units motivated and price them to move. Our month-end playbook covers how sellers approach those days.

Can the search run while you sell cars?

Yes. Save the search and you get an alert the moment a matching unit lists. Locates.io also pushes units built for you when they match your exact make and model. You get at most three of these a day, and no phone alerts between 8 PM and 7 AM local.

Who handles the deal once you find a unit?

Locates.io is the rep for both sides. There is no dealer-to-dealer messaging. You agree terms through the Locates.io desk, sign in the app or from an emailed link, and the agreement executes when both dealers have signed the same current version. Units transfer at invoice between the dealers by floor plan swap or check, and any amount over invoice runs through Locates.io.

Why not just wait for the next allocation?

Waiting is sometimes the right call, especially when the gap is small and the customer is flexible. But a customer who wants a specific build usually does not wait. Every week the gap stays open is a week you may lose the sale to a store that has the unit.

Filling the gap by trade also helps the store on the other side. A unit that is aged or surplus for them is exactly what you are missing. A well-run trade solves both problems at once, which is why a blind marketplace can work for dealers who have never spoken.

How do you know the price is fair?

Compare the delivered price, not the headline price. A unit listed slightly higher but closer to you can cost less delivered than a cheaper unit in a far distance band. Look at the "invoice plus" figure for each candidate, and remember that a freight estimate is a range until terms are finalized.

If a unit is open to offers, you can also send a blind offer against invoice and see whether the seller meets it.

What can you do with the units you do not need?

Gaps and surplus often sit in the same store. The trim you are missing may be the trim another store cannot sell, and the unit you cannot move may be exactly what a different store wants. List your aged or surplus units so they can fill someone else's gap. The aged unit plan shows how to decide which ones to move first.

A quick checklist for filling a gap

What to do next

List the three builds your customers ask about most and cannot get. Then see how dealers use the marketplace or read how it works.