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Draft v0.1 · pending attorney review

ShipMova Seller Terms

Draft v0.1 · prepared 2026-10-09 · published 2026-10-14 · not yet reviewed by a licensed attorney — do not rely on this as final.

> For the attorney. These Seller Terms add to (and do not replace) the ShipMova Terms & Conditions (v1.2, effective 2026-09-30; v1.3 is prepared for launch day — PR #45) and the Buyer Protection & Refund Policy. They describe what a Seller agrees to when listing a vehicle. Text in *[brackets]* is a decision for ShipMova or a question for you; the open questions are collected in Section 15.

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1. Who these terms apply to

These Seller Terms apply to anyone who lists a vehicle for sale on ShipMova ("Seller"). By submitting a listing for review, you agree to these Seller Terms, the ShipMova Terms & Conditions, the Prohibited Vehicles Policy, the Buyer Protection & Refund Policy and the Privacy Policy. If these Seller Terms conflict with the Terms & Conditions on a Seller matter, these Seller Terms control.

2. Eligibility

To list a vehicle you must:

  • be at least 18 years old and able to enter a binding contract;
  • be located in the United States, and the vehicle must be located and titled in a U.S. state *[or D.C. — confirm territories]*;
  • complete ShipMova's identity verification (currently Stripe Identity: a government photo ID and a selfie) before any listing can go live;
  • be the titled owner of the vehicle, or be authorized in writing by the titled owner to sell it (a dealer, family member or agent), and upload that authorization with the listing;
  • not be on any U.S. sanctions or denied-parties list (Terms & Conditions §12).

[Decision: are licensed dealers welcome on the same terms as private sellers, or do dealers need a separate agreement (dealer license number, business verification)?]

3. What a listing must include

Every listing must include, accurately and completely:

  1. The VIN, exactly as on the vehicle and the title. ShipMova decodes it and checks it against public records before approval.
  2. Odometer reading as shown on the vehicle, in miles, and whether it is the actual mileage. *[Attorney: does the federal odometer disclosure requirement, 49 CFR Part 580, need to be made through the platform, or only on the title at transfer?]*
  3. Title status: clean, salvage, rebuilt, flood, lemon/buyback or other brand, as printed on the title.
  4. Accident and damage history known to the Seller.
  5. A photo of the title (front), and the authorization document if the Seller is not the titled owner. These are seen only by ShipMova staff, never by buyers.
  6. At least one photo of the vehicle (up to 20), and optionally one walk-around video. Photos must be of the actual vehicle, current, and not edited to hide damage.
  7. Asking price in U.S. dollars, and whether the Buyer pays ShipMova's full 8% fee or the fee is split (Section 6).
  8. Location (city and state) where the vehicle can be inspected and collected.

Knowingly giving false or misleading information — including a false VIN, mileage, title brand or undisclosed flood or salvage history — breaches these Seller Terms (Section 11).

4. Listing review

Every listing is reviewed by ShipMova before buyers can see it. ShipMova may:

  • check the VIN against the National Insurance Crime Bureau VINCheck, NMVTIS (vehiclehistory.gov) and NHTSA records, and, once enabled, a commercial title-history provider;
  • compare the title photo with the Seller's verified identity;
  • ask for more information or documents;
  • approve or reject the listing, and give a reason for a rejection.

Approval means ShipMova performed its checks and found no issue at the time; it is not a guarantee of the vehicle's condition or history (Terms & Conditions §9). ShipMova may remove a live listing at any time if new information shows it breaches these Seller Terms or the Prohibited Vehicles Policy.

5. While a listing is live

  • Keep it accurate. If anything material changes (damage, mileage, a new title brand, a lien), update the listing or remove it at once.
  • Selling elsewhere. You may remove your listing at any time before a Buyer has paid ShipMova's fee. *[Decision: once a Buyer has paid ShipMova's fee on a reservation, may the Seller still sell the vehicle elsewhere? Proposed: no — after the fee is paid the Seller must hold the vehicle for that Buyer until the escrow is opened or the reservation is released, and withdrawing breaches these terms (Section 11).]*
  • Communication. All communication with Buyers happens in ShipMova's chat until the escrow is open. Sharing phone numbers, emails, WhatsApp, social handles or payment details in chat is not allowed and is blocked automatically.
  • Price changes. You may propose a different price to a Buyer through the platform; it applies only if the Buyer accepts it on the platform.

6. Fees

  • ShipMova charges a facilitation fee of 8% of the vehicle price on each completed sale.
  • For each listing the Seller chooses who pays it:
  • Buyer pays the full 8% (default): the Seller pays ShipMova nothing.
  • Split 50/50: the Buyer pays 4%, and the Seller's 4% is deducted from the Seller's escrow payout *[attorney/Escrow.com: confirm the mechanism — a deduction instructed through Escrow.com's broker features, or a separate invoice to the Seller after release]*.
  • The Seller never pays anything upfront to list.
  • Escrow.com's own fee is paid by the Buyer.
  • *[Attorney: is the split-fee deduction from escrow proceeds consistent with ShipMova not holding vehicle funds?]*

7. How you are paid

- The Buyer pays the vehicle price into an Escrow.com transaction, never to the Seller or to ShipMova. - The Seller must accept the Escrow.com transaction when Escrow.com emails them, and keep their Escrow.com account details accurate. - Escrow.com releases the price to the Seller only after: 1. an independent inspector assigned by ShipMova has inspected the vehicle in person (VIN, odometer, title) and the inspection has passed; and 2. the Buyer's shipper has collected the vehicle with its original title. - Payout timing and method are set by Escrow.com's terms. - The Seller must never ask a Buyer to pay them directly, by any method, for any part of the price.

8. Inspection and handover

The Seller agrees to:

  • make the vehicle available for the in-person inspection at the listed location, at a reasonable time ShipMova arranges;
  • not choose, contact or pay the inspector; inspectors are assigned at random and independently of the Seller;
  • at pickup, give the Buyer's shipper the vehicle, all keys, and the original title, signed over as the titling state requires, plus a bill of sale *[attorney: name the buyer on the title, or the shipper/consignee? Practice differs for export]*;
  • make sure any lien is paid off and released before handover, with the lien release document;
  • remove license plates and personal items, and cancel registration and insurance as the state requires after handover;
  • give the federal odometer disclosure at transfer where required.

9. Taxes and legal compliance

The Seller is responsible for any income, sales or other taxes on the sale, and for complying with the law of the state where the vehicle is titled. *[Attorney: does ShipMova or Escrow.com have any 1099-K or other reporting obligation for Seller proceeds?]*

10. Cancellations

  • Before the Buyer pays ShipMova's fee: either party may walk away; nothing is owed.
  • After the fee, before escrow is funded: *[Decision: what happens if the Seller cancels? Proposed: ShipMova refunds the Buyer's fee and may suspend the Seller.]*
  • After escrow is funded: cancellation follows Escrow.com's process and the Buyer Protection & Refund Policy.
  • Inspection fails: the vehicle is not released for shipping; ShipMova contacts both parties; the escrow follows Escrow.com's rejection and return process.

11. Breaches and consequences

If a Seller breaches these Seller Terms (for example, misrepresents a vehicle, lists a prohibited vehicle, asks for a direct payment or withdraws after the fee is paid), ShipMova may, as the situation warrants:

  • remove listings and suspend or close the Seller's account;
  • refund the Buyer's facilitation fee under the Buyer Protection & Refund Policy;
  • keep a record of the breach for future listings;
  • report suspected fraud, theft or a false VIN to law enforcement or NICB.

[Attorney: may ShipMova recover the refunded fee, or other Buyer losses, from the Seller — and how, given ShipMova never holds the vehicle price?]

12. Reviews

Buyers may review Sellers after a transaction, and Sellers may review Buyers. Reviews are moderated under the Terms & Conditions §10; a Seller may not offer anything in return for a review or retaliate against an honest one.

13. Referral program

Sellers may refer anyone — a buyer, another seller, a shipper or an inspector — under the ShipMova Referral Program Terms (shipmova.com/legal/referral-terms).

14. Changes

ShipMova may update these Seller Terms. Material changes are shown with a new version and date, and active Sellers are asked to accept them before listing again.

15. Questions for the attorney

  1. Dealers: same terms as private Sellers, or a separate dealer agreement?
  2. Odometer disclosure (49 CFR 580): what must happen through the platform, and what on the title at transfer?
  3. Title assignment for export: should the title name the Buyer, the shipper or the consignee? What documents does the shipper need for AES filing and CBP export clearance (72 hours before export)?
  4. The split fee: deduct the Seller's 4% through Escrow.com, or invoice after release? Is either consistent with ShipMova not holding vehicle funds or being a money transmitter?
  5. Seller exclusivity after the Buyer pays the fee: enforceable? What remedy?
  6. Recovering refunded fees or Buyer losses from a Seller who misrepresented a vehicle.
  7. 1099-K or other tax reporting for Seller proceeds (ShipMova vs Escrow.com).
  8. Lemon-law buyback and manufacturer-buyback disclosures by state.
  9. Whether these Seller Terms need separate click-to-accept at listing time (recorded with version, date and IP), as the Terms & Conditions do.
  10. Interaction with the Prohibited Vehicles Policy (separate draft).
Seller Terms — ShipMova