Want to Buy a Ford on Amazon? Well, now you can

Recently, Amazon added that you could buy Hyundais on their platform. Now Ford is the second major automaker to join Amazon’s new online car-buying platform. Customers can browse, finance, and purchase certified pre-owned Ford vehicles in Amazon Autos, with pickup at a local Ford dealership. But, this is a limited market launch, with it only available in Los Angeles, Seattle, and Dallas, compared to Hyundai's much wider rollout.

Dealerships still control most of the actual sales, so Amazon is more like a middleman, not replacing the dealership model. Ford dealers still set the pricing, handle the service relationship, prepare the vehicles, and schedule pickup or delivery, so they are definitely doing a lot more.

Amazon’s pitch to dealers is access to Amazon’s massive customer base, with over 310 million active users. But a different thing is how the cars sold here will only be pre-owned vehicles, all backed by Ford’s warranty, inspection standards, roadside assistance, and reward points.

This move reflects how customers are frustrated or not satisfied with the traditional dealership shopping, which usually ranks number one as the least-liked parts of buying a car. Tesla was the one who popularized this direct-to-consumer model, though many states still restrict automakers from cutting out dealerships from the mix. This partnership with Ford and Amazon is a hybrid approach, offering online convenience while still working with dealership structures and laws.

Amazon’s long-term success here may depend on whether buyers trust the process, and also whether dealers embrace the new type of sales channel. So let’s see how it goes!

Would you feel ok with buying a vehicle from Amazon, or would you prefer using a dealership? Do you think that this type of car buying will actually find success? Let us know in the comments!

Source: The Verge Image: Amazon