Comparables
Comparables in an Evaluation
Comparables show you what similar vehicles are currently listed for, pulled from live dealer and aggregator listings, directly on the evaluation. Vehicle Fair Trade matches the listings to the unit you are appraising, so you can check a number without searching across multiple sites.
Comparables show what similar units are asking, pulled from live dealer and aggregator listings, right on the evaluation. It is the comparable shopping you would otherwise do by hand, built in, so you can sanity-check a number without opening several browser tabs.
What the Comparables panel shows
While you work an evaluation, Vehicle Fair Trade finds comparable live listings with a similar year, make, model, and trim, and shows what they are listed at. The comparables arrive already matched to the unit, so you do not have to confirm whether a listing found online is the same trim as the vehicle in front of you. They sit next to the rest of the appraisal.
Why the feature exists
Pricing a trade by hand means opening several listing sites, confirming whether each listing matches the trim, and calculating a customer number while leaving room for reconditioning and profit. That work is slow and easy to get wrong. The Comparables panel performs that step for you, matching listings to the unit and presenting them on the evaluation.
Comparables are asking prices, not the wholesale number
Comparable listings are asking prices, not sold prices, and they are retail, not wholesale. They are useful for the customer conversation and as a check on your reasoning. They are not your buy number.
Use the comparables for context, rely on the book value for the benchmark, and let the offers from your wholesalers set the actual number.
When comparables help most, and when they mislead
Comparables are most useful for common units with many similar listings, and least useful when the market is moving. Cross-border exportation and recalls can swing wholesale prices faster than a listing refreshes, and comparables do not sort by country of origin, so a comparable may differ from your vehicle in a way that affects value. Treat a comparable from two weeks ago in a fast-moving market as a weak signal rather than a definitive figure.
FAQ
Where do the comparable listings come from?
From live dealer and aggregator listings. Vehicle Fair Trade pulls comparable units with a similar year, make, model, and trim, and shows what they are currently asking.
Are these sold prices or asking prices?
Asking prices. They reflect what comparable units are listed at right now, which is useful context rather than a record of what anything actually sold for.
Is this a wholesale number or a retail number?
Retail. Comparables are what similar units are listed for to retail buyers. Your wholesale buy number comes from the book value and the bids.
Does it match the trim?
It pulls comparables matched to the unit’s year, make, model, and trim, so you are not comparing a loaded version to a base model listed at a lower price.
Can comparables be wrong or misleading?
They can be stale or off-trim, and they do not account for factors such as country of origin. In a volatile market, treat them as a signal rather than the answer.