Collection & Handover Terms
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1.Two ways a handover happens
Most sales go through our payment provider (a "PSP sale"). A few sellers settle payment directly (a "direct sale"). You're told which one applies when you pay, and the steps are slightly different — but in both you must inspect before you accept.
2.Get ready
Seller: have the car ready, with the V5C (logbook) and keys, and available to inspect. Buyer: pay in full first, book your collection, and inspect the car (yourself or someone you trust) before accepting.
3.Inspect, then accept with your release code
You accept the car by confirming in the Trader app or by using your release code. Keep that code safe — giving it to someone (like a transporter) counts as you accepting the car. Once you accept, the sale is final and can't be undone through the platform. So always check first.
4.Your choices at a PSP collection
On a PSP sale, when you inspect you can: accept the car; raise a problem and agree a new price with the seller; or cancel. Once you accept, that's it.
5.Collection time and storage
Collect within 7 days of paying. If you don't, the seller can charge storage or cancel, and the car won't be released until everything owed is paid.
6.Cars that aren't safe to drive
If a car isn't safe or legal to drive, the seller can stop it being driven away — you'll need to arrange transport, and it's your job to make sure a car is road-legal before driving it.
7.Refunds and chargebacks
Refunds are handled by the payment provider and may need you to verify your identity first. Don't use a bank chargeback to undo a completed sale — problems with the car are between you and the seller. Who carries chargeback risk is set out in the full terms.
8.Once it's done
After you've accepted (and, in a direct sale, taken the car away), the sale is final. Any dispute is between buyer and seller; we're not a judge and our liability is limited.
1.Introduction and Scope
These Collection & Handover / Acceptance Terms ("Handover Terms") govern how a Vehicle is collected, handed over, inspected, and accepted after a binding contract of sale is formed on Trader.co.uk (the "Platform"). They apply to both the Buyer and the Seller and form part of the Trader.co.uk Terms Suite. Capitalised terms have the meaning given in the Platform Terms.
Two handover versions. There are two handover processes, depending on how the sale is settled: the PSP handover (clause 4) and the direct-seller handover (clause 5). The version that applies to a particular purchase is identified and shown to the Buyer at the point of payment/booking, and the Buyer confirms it then.
Trader.co.uk's role. Trader.co.uk provides the handover and acceptance tools (including the Trader app and the release code) as the Seller's disclosed agent. We are not present at, and take no part in, the physical handover, and we are not a party to the contract of sale.
2.Before Handover — Seller and Buyer Preparation
Seller. The Seller must have the Vehicle ready and accessible, provide the V5C or valid proof of ownership and all available keys, and make the Vehicle available for inspection. Any matter that makes the Vehicle unsafe or unlawful to drive must have been disclosed at listing and clarified with the Buyer before handover is arranged.
Buyer. The Buyer must pay in full (including the Vehicle price and all applicable fees) before the Vehicle is released, arrange collection within the collection window (clause 6), and inspect the Vehicle (in person or through an authorised representative) before accepting it.
3.Inspection and the Release Code
Inspect before you accept. The Buyer or their authorised representative must inspect the Vehicle before acceptance. Acceptance occurs through the Trader app and/or by use of the release code, and once it occurs the sale is final and cannot be reversed through the Platform.
The release code. The Buyer is issued a release code. The release code is the Buyer's authorisation to release and accept the Vehicle. The Buyer is responsible for keeping it secure and for the actions of any person to whom they provide it (for example a recovery agent or transporter collecting on the Buyer's behalf). Use of the Buyer's release code to collect the Vehicle is treated as the Buyer's authorisation and acceptance.
4.PSP Sale Handover
Which sales this covers. This version applies to a PSP sale (a sale settled through the regulated payment service provider). You are told which handover version applies to your purchase on the invoice and at payment/booking. It is an app-driven process, with the Buyer in control of acceptance.
Funds held until acceptance. The Buyer pays in full and the funds are held securely by the PSP in a safeguarded account. They are shown in the Seller's Platform wallet but are not available to draw down. The Seller must not hand over the keys until notified through the Platform that the sale is final.
At collection, after inspecting the Vehicle, the Buyer chooses one of four outcomes in the Trader app:
- Accept. The Buyer confirms acceptance. Risk in the Vehicle passes to the Buyer, the sale becomes final, the keys are handed over, and the funds move to "available for draw-down" (the Seller is notified and may then draw down; payout may take 1–2 days per PSP processing). The Seller must not release the keys until this notification is received.
- Dispute / renegotiate. At collection only, the Buyer may raise a dispute and propose a revised price with a reason. If the Seller accepts the revised price, the sale completes at that price as a single split settlement: the revised price is released to the Seller and the difference is refunded to the Buyer (the refund subject to buyer verification — see clause 8). No cancellation or relist fee applies to a mutually agreed renegotiation. If the Seller rejects the revised price, the matter proceeds to cancellation or admin review.
- Cancel. The Buyer may seek to cancel. No keys are transferred. The cancellation is subject to admin review; if approved, a refund is due to the Buyer (subject to buyer verification — see clause 8) and any fees are handled in accordance with the Fees & Payments Schedule. Buyer cancellation after payment incurs the consequences set out in the Fees & Payments Schedule.
- No decision. If the Buyer walks away or makes no decision, no keys are transferred, the transaction is placed on hold, and it is escalated to admin review. Funds remain held securely by the PSP.
Risk and finality — PSP. Risk in the Vehicle passes to the Buyer at the point of acceptance in the app, which is the same point at which the funds move to available for draw-down. The sale is final at that point. The manner of physical removal (drive-away or transporter) does not affect when risk passes or when the sale becomes final. "Sold as seen" and the no-recourse position apply only after acceptance; before acceptance, the Buyer has the outcomes set out above.
Roadworthiness still applies. The Buyer remains solely responsible for ensuring the Vehicle is legal and safe before it is driven on the road (MOT, tax, insurance, roadworthiness), as set out in the Buyer Terms, regardless of when risk passed.
5.Direct Sale Handover
Which sales this covers. This version applies to a direct sale (including a named-Seller / CSM bucket and auto-site collections), where the Seller settles outside the PSP and the handover takes place at the Seller's site. You are told which handover version applies to your purchase on the invoice and at payment/booking. It is a physical, on-site process, and may involve a Buyer (or guest collector) who does not confirm acceptance in the app.
Authority to act — the Collector. The person attending to collect the Vehicle (the "Collector") confirms that they are duly authorised to act on behalf of the Buyer to inspect, accept, and complete collection of the Vehicle. This applies whether the Collector is the Buyer, an employee of the Buyer, or a third-party agent (for example a recovery agent or transporter) appointed by the Buyer. The Seller is entitled to rely on this authority without further enquiry.
The steps are:
- The Buyer has paid the Seller directly in accordance with the direct-seller provisions of the Buyer Terms.
- The Collector attends and carries out any inspection they consider necessary, including a walkaround, review of condition, and confirmation of keys, documents, and accessories. The Collector MUST be satisfied with the Vehicle before providing the release code.
- If satisfied, the Collector provides the Buyer's release code to the Seller (or the Seller's agent). Providing the release code constitutes the Buyer's final acceptance of the Vehicle's condition.
- The Seller (or the Seller's agent) actions acceptance in the Trader app using the release code.
- The Vehicle is removed from site by the Collector.
Renegotiation is manual. The in-app four-outcome flow does not apply to a direct sale. Any renegotiation of price is handled manually between the Buyer (or Collector) and the Seller at the point of collection. If they cannot agree, the Vehicle is not collected and the matter is resolved directly between the parties, with any refund handled in accordance with these Handover Terms.
Auto-site / guest buyers — admin approval before release. Where the Buyer is a guest or third-party buyer whose acceptance cannot be reliably captured in the app, seller-led confirmation of handover is NOT by itself sufficient to release funds. In those cases, release of funds to the Seller requires explicit administrative approval following confirmation of handover. Physical possession of the Vehicle does not, by itself, authorise release of funds.
Condition — "as is, where is". In a direct-seller sale, the Vehicle is sold by the Seller on an "as is, where is" basis. Save for any liability that cannot be excluded by law (including for fraud or defective title), the Seller gives no warranties, representations, or guarantees as to the Vehicle's condition, roadworthiness, or suitability for any purpose, and on handover the Buyer accepts full responsibility for the Vehicle and its associated risks (including mechanical failure, bodywork condition, missing parts, or other defects). Trader.co.uk, as the Seller's disclosed agent, gives no warranty of any kind and is not a party to the sale.
Drive-away provisions. The default method of removal is by transporter. A drive-away is permitted only if expressly pre-authorised by the Seller and only where the Buyer or Collector has satisfied all legal and insurance requirements (including valid insurance, MOT, tax, and lawful use of trade plates where applicable), with any required declarations signed at handover. The Seller may refuse a drive-away at their discretion, including where the Vehicle is clearly unroadworthy. Where a drive-away is authorised, this does not change the point at which risk passes (see below).
Risk — direct-seller. In a direct-seller handover, risk in the Vehicle passes to the Buyer on acceptance (the provision of the release code) and removal of the Vehicle from the Seller's site.
No recourse after collection. Once the Vehicle has left the Seller's site, no claims will be accepted for any reason in respect of the Vehicle's condition (including mechanical condition, bodywork, missing parts, or damage incurred during or after removal). The Buyer waives any right to withhold payment, seek a refund, or raise subsequent disputes regarding the Vehicle's condition. This does not affect any liability that cannot be excluded by law.
6.Collection Window and Storage
Collect within 7 days. The Buyer must collect the Vehicle within 7 days of payment.
After 7 days — Seller's choice. If the Buyer has not collected within 7 days of payment, the Seller may, at their discretion, either charge storage at the rate in the Fees & Payments Schedule (£75 per week or part week from day 8, payable before release) or cancel the sale. The Platform facilitates whichever the Seller elects.
No release until paid in full. The Vehicle is not released until the Vehicle price and all applicable fees (including any storage, late, platform, or other fees) are paid in full.
7.Unsafe or Unlawful-to-Drive Vehicles
Where a Vehicle is unsafe or unlawful to drive, this must have been disclosed at listing and clarified with the Buyer before handover is arranged. The Seller may refuse to allow the Vehicle to be driven away. The Buyer is responsible for arranging appropriate transport (for example a recovery truck or transporter), and for ensuring the Vehicle is legal and safe before it is driven on the road (see the Buyer Terms).
8.Refunds and Buyer Verification
When a refund arises. A refund to the Buyer may arise from a cancellation, an admin-approved outcome, or a renegotiated (partial) refund. Refunds are processed by the PSP. Trader.co.uk does not hold or control the funds.
Buyer verification before refund. Where the PSP requires it, the Buyer must complete identity verification before a refund is released. The PSP's current requirement is that verification is needed where the cumulative refund amount exceeds £2,500, or where the Buyer is a limited company. This requirement is set by the PSP and may change.
Funds remain safeguarded. Where a refund is due but the Buyer has not completed any required verification, the funds remain held securely by the PSP in a safeguarded account. They are not released to the Seller or to Trader.co.uk, and are never forfeited. The Buyer is reminded to complete verification, and the matter is escalated for review if it remains incomplete.
9.Chargebacks and Payment Reversals
Before acceptance. Where a chargeback or payment reversal is raised before the Vehicle has been accepted and handed over, the funds remain held securely by the PSP, are not released to the Seller, and the matter is handled in accordance with these Handover Terms and the PSP's rules.
After acceptance. Where a chargeback or payment reversal is raised after acceptance and handover, it is handled in accordance with the PSP's rules and the chargeback provisions of the Seller Terms. The Seller is liable for chargebacks and reversals relating to a Vehicle they have sold, as set out in the Seller Terms.
10.Finality, Disputes and Liability
Once a Vehicle is accepted (and, in a direct sale, removed from site), the sale is final and cannot be reversed through the Platform. Any dispute about the Vehicle or the handover is between the Buyer and the Seller; Trader.co.uk does not adjudicate, mediate, or bear any liability in respect of it, and provides the app and release-code records only as a neutral record. Trader.co.uk's liability is subject to the cap in the Platform Terms.
11.Priority and Governing Law
These Handover Terms are subject to the order of priority in the Platform Terms; for collection, handover, and acceptance, these Handover Terms take precedence. The Fees & Payments Schedule prevails on all fee amounts. These Handover Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction.