How to Start As a New Buyer on Our Digital Marketplace

If you clicked on this post, you’re either looking for how to start on OPENLANE as a buyer, or how to become a successful one. Below, we’re going to cover both for you in six steps.

Step 1: What to know before sign up

Your dealership’s owner or officer must start the process on behalf of the dealership. This involves filling out a few forms and adding additional users. If you aren’t the owner or officer, we recommend you loop them in first. You also need an AuctionACCESS ID. If you need more information on what an AuctionACCESS ID is, you can find that here.

Step 2: Signing up 

All set? Click the blue sign up button in the center of the website, and start the online sign up process. You can also access it at the bottom of this blog.

During sign up, there are several forms you’ll need to fill out. You can either complete them on the spot and submit, or download them, fill them out and then email them to register@openlane.com. 

Keep in mind, the Power of Attorney, British Columbia, Broker form must be printed, signed and then sent back to us. It cannot be completed online.

We’ve outlined all the forms needed below, but don’t worry: not all of them are required to access our digital vehicle wholesale platform. Some are only mandatory for dealerships in certain geographies.

Required 

• Terms and conditions 
• Auction Policies 
• Direct Debit/EFT Registration 
• OL QST (Quebec dealerships only) 
• OL GST (Non Quebec dealerships only)
• Power of Attorney, British Columbia, Broker
• Power of Attorney, all other provinces
• Simply Sell Guarantee (only required if we image your vehicles)

Optional 

• Floorplan Partnership Request 
• BC PST Tax Exemption (BC Dealership only)

Step 3: Create a Username and Password

During our sign up process, you’ll be asked to create a username and password. You’ll then have the ability to view inventory.

Step 4: Getting approved 

Once you’ve sent or submitted the required documents to us, all you need to do is wait for verification. Typically, you will be activated within 24 hours once you submit all the forms and finish signing up. But when you sign up online and submit your forms through DocuSign, you’ll be able to browse vehicles. Once verified, you’ll be all set to start bidding and buying on our digital marketplace.

Step 5: Get to know our sale types 

OPENLANE is choose your own wholesale adventure. We have different sale types for different schedules, all on one digital marketplace. 

Becoming familiar with each sale type is how you can figure out which you’d prefer to try first. Perhaps you love the thrill of a live auction, in which case, you may decide to try out our 45-minute auctions or weekly Simulcast sales. Maybe you have limited time to get online, and in that scenario, you may decide to use DealerBlock, which has a Buy Now feature that some sellers use. 

The videos below for our two main sale formats are a great place to start, and cover how to buy on each sale format. They’re under three minutes each, because time is money.

Step 6: Best practices 

Following our best practices can help you fill your lot more quickly and create a smoother wholesale experience. 

Set up notifications 

You can choose which notifications you want to switch on, and can change them at any time in your settings. There are a wide range of options — like “Vehicle successfully won or purchased,” to reminders for when you need to reply to a seller. Overall, they keep you looped in on important marketplace activities that can make or break a sale.

Use our Market Guide

Our Market Guide is Canada’s most powerful wholesale pricing tool and one of the few made specifically for car dealers. Sold prices for wholesale vehicles are input into the guide daily, providing millions of historic data points to inform your buying strategy. This will help power smarter bidding decisions by making sure your bids are in line with the market, and to ensure you’re setting realistic expectations. 

Maximize potential by buying on all sales formats

The more sales types you use, the wider range of inventory and sellers you’ll come across. This will position you to fill your lot faster. 

If you’re looking to buy and sell, check out our quick guide to getting started as a seller. 

Ready to make wholesale easy? Sign Up Now

For any questions, give us a call and one of our team members will be happy to help.

888-260-4604

Monday – Friday: 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. ET

Saturday: 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET