No calls, no chasing
There is no dealer-to-dealer messaging. Locates.io is the rep for both sides, and you answer offers with a number.
Trade new units dealer to dealer. Blind until you sign. $199 a unit.
Locates.io lets franchised dealers trade new units with each other without revealing who they are. You list a unit or search for one, Locates.io sets the terms and runs the paperwork, money and freight, and names and VINs are released only when both dealers have signed. The platform fee is a transparent $199 per unit, one time.
How does a blind dealer trade work?
- 1
List
Forward a factory invoice, import your DMS file or use the form. The VIN fills in the vehicle. Price it, mark it open to offers, or keep it private.
- 2
Match
Buyers search blind: vehicle, distance band and an anonymous profile. Your name, city and VINs stay sealed.
- 3
Agree
Locates.io sets the terms with each side. Each dealer sees its own itemized numbers, including freight and the $199 fee, before signing.
- 4
Sign
Both dealers sign the same version, in either order. Names and VINs are released to both sides only then.
- 5
Deliver and settle
Units move at invoice by floor-plan swap or check. Whoever owes pays Locates.io, Locates.io pays whoever is owed, and freight runs door to door.
Why dealers switch
One flat price
$199 per unit, invoiced only after both dealers sign. No deal, no fee. No listing fee and no monthly fee.
Freight, paperwork and settlement handled
We book the carrier, produce the agreements, and run the money so nobody is paid before funds arrive.
List by forwarding an invoice
Send the factory invoice to your intake address and confirm the draft.
Open to offers
Not sure of the number? Let buyers send blind offers against invoice, up to three rounds.
Month-end mode
In the last days of the month, mark units motivated with a month-end price that resets on the 1st.
Hide your units from local competitors
Set a radius block and dealers near your store never see those units.
Who is Locates.io for, and when should you use it?
It is for franchised new-vehicle dealers who sell or buy units from other dealers. It fits best at month-end, when a unit has aged on the lot and is costing floor-plan interest every day, and when you are missing the exact trim or package a customer wants. Carriers who deliver the units sign in separately.
Read more:
Hold or move?
An aged unit costs you interest every day it sits. Put in your own invoice, rate and days to see what holding 30 more days costs against moving it now.
Run the Hold vs Move calculatorPricing
Pay only when you trade. No monthly fee, no listing fee, no contract.
Standard
$199 per unit
Locked in when the terms are set; invoiced only after both dealers sign. No deal, no fee.
From the blog
Allocation gaps: how dealers fill the trims they are missing
Dealers fill allocation gaps by naming the exact build, searching other stores' units blind or saving the search for alerts, and buying one unit or a mixed load.
November 2, 2026 · 5 min readBlind trading: why your competitor should never see your inventory
Blind trading shows dealers the vehicle, not the store: names, cities and VINs stay sealed on Locates.io until both dealers have signed the agreement.
November 2, 2026 · 5 min readDealer-to-dealer trade checklist: what to confirm before you agree
Before agreeing to a dealer trade, confirm the exact build, the price basis, holdback treatment, freight, paperwork and who pays what, in writing.
November 2, 2026 · 5 min readQuestions dealers ask
What is Locates.io?
Locates.io is a dealer-to-dealer marketplace for new vehicles. Dealers list units, other dealers find and buy them, and Locates.io runs the deal end to end: terms, signatures, settlement and freight. Both sides stay anonymous to each other until both have signed.
What does it cost?
Selling is free. The buyer pays $199 per unit, one time, only when a trade happens (locked when the deal's terms are finalized, invoiced when both dealers have signed, and refunded if the deal is cancelled before pickup). There is no monthly fee, no listing fee and no contract. Freight is priced per load and shown before anyone signs.
Will other dealers see my name or my inventory list?
No. Buyers see the vehicle, a distance band and an anonymous dealer profile. Your name, address, city, dealer code, VIN and exact distance stay sealed until both sides have signed the agreement.