Policies for motor vehicle listings

To make sure buyers have a great experience when browsing and buying vehicles, we have some rules and guidelines when listing on Trade Me Motors.

These policies are in addition to our general Listing Policies and terms that apply across all of Trade Me. 

Image guidelines

Use as intended, and keep it onsite

In-trade sellers

Image Guidelines

First photo

• Your first photo must show the vehicle for sale.
• We recommend using a large, clear image of the vehicle.
  

Images of other vehicles

• No stock photos – except for new or demonstrator cars, with the consent of the rights holder.
• No images of vehicles other than the vehicle for sale.

Overlays, branding, and messages

• Overlays, text, images, watermarks, photo borders or other enhancements can’t be used to promote additional information, offers or messages.
• If you’re in-trade and want to advertise your dealership brand, contact your account manager.
• Our Showroom product can’t be used to promote additional information, offers, or messages.

Approved logos for listing images

• MTA Approved
• AA Approved
• AA Preferred Dealer
• VINZ Approved
• VTNZ Approved
• In transit
• Manufacturer Certified
• Honda Certified
• Mercedes-Benz/AMG Certified
• Audi Approved
• Toyota Certified/Signature

To use one of these logos:

• Get requisite approval from the logo owner (e.g. having VTNZ approval to use the VTNZ Approved logo).
• Use the approved logo files provided by us – get in touch.
• The logo must be placed on the bottom-left corner of the image.
• The logo can’t be larger than 57 x 45 px.

These guidelines are also available to Dealerbase users and will be shared with relevant VMS providers.

Contact details

Images and listing descriptions can’t include:

• Phone numbers.
• Dealership addresses.
• Websites.
• Any other contact details.

Non-vehicle images

Up to two non-vehicle images may be used, of:

• Your dealership brand
• Dealership yard
• Report about the vehicle (e.g. MotorWeb VIR, AA report, CIN).

Non-vehicle images can’t be used to advertise or promote other offers. Images of the actual vehicle for sale must also be used.

Use as intended, and keep it onsite

Listings are not for general advertising

• Listings must be used for the sale or promotion of an actual or specific vehicle that is for sale. 
• Listings may not be used solely for the general advertising of your brand, business or dealership.
• You must not use a Trade Me Motors listing to promote a business or website.
• If you wish to use Trade Me purely for advertising, check out our advertising service.

Sale of a specific vehicle

• Listings must promote a specific vehicle and should not be used for multiple or generic vehicles.
• You may not use a listing to offer to sell additional vehicles outside of Trade Me, or list a per vehicle price (e.g. if you have two of the same motorbike for sale that you want to promote through Trade Me, you must create two separate listings).

One listing per vehicle

• Don’t create multiple listings for a single vehicle.

URLs

• URLs or website links may not be used in listing descriptions. 
• If you want to include a link to your website, ask your account manager about our Sitelink product.

Relisting

• Listings can’t be reused or edited to advertise a different vehicle.
• The relist function may not be used to manipulate search results, or artificially improve the search position of a listing.
• There are also additional specific terms for relisting Motors listings, depending on the vehicle and listing type (e.g. classified or auction).  

Withdrawing auctions

• Listing a vehicle by auction is a commitment to sell it through Trade Me.
• Auctions may not be withdrawn because it hasn’t reached the price you wanted – consider setting a reserve price. 
• If you don’t want to commit to the auction process, consider using a classified listing.

Keyword spamming

• Listing descriptions may not use excessive or irrelevant keywords.
• Keywords must be relevant to the specific vehicle for sale.
• We may remove listings that appear to attempt to manipulate search results.

In-trade sellers

Consumer Guarantees Act (CGA) 1993

• The CGA sets out quality guarantees that any business or person in-trade must provide to their customers.
• You cannot contract out of these guarantees if you’re in-trade, and selling to a consumer (someone who’s not in-trade).

Listing descriptions can’t attempt to contract out of the CGA, where the buyer is a consumer. Don’t:

• Imply the buyer will not have the benefit of protection under the CGA.
• Claim that a vehicle is being sold ‘as-is, where-is’.
• State that you’re selling on behalf of a private seller.

We'll remove any listings that breach these requirements.

Selling to another business or person in-trade

When selling to another business or person in-trade, you can contract out of CGA guarantees if there is an agreement, in writing, between both parties.

If you intend to contract out of the CGA when selling to another in-trade person you must make it clear in your description that:

• you intend to do so
• this only applies to buyers who are a business, or in-trade
• any claims of contracting out of the CGA do not and will not apply to consumers.

If your listing description isn’t clear that any terms intended to contract out of the CGA apply to in-trade and business buyers only, we may amend, remove, or deprioritise your listing.

Registered motor vehicle traders

If you sell six or more vehicles in a year, you’re likely to be required by law to register as a registered motor vehicle trader (RMVT).

If so, you must register and state your RMVT number in your listings. You authorise us to search the Motor Vehicle Traders Register on your behalf to check your RMVT status.

Offshore vehicles

You may only sell a vehicle that is offshore if you are a registered vehicle trader. 

If you’re a registered vehicle trader and want to sell a vehicle that’s offshore, you must:

• Hold clear authority to sell the vehicle.
• Ensure it is intended for imminent transit to NZ. 
• Clearly indicate in the listing that such vehicles are offshore or in transit. 

You may sell a boat that is offshore, however you will need to be clear in the listing description that the boat is located offshore and additional costs to ship the boat to NZ may apply.

Consumer Information Notice (CIN)

• Motor vehicle traders must display a CIN, when selling a car online via auction.
• The CIN must be in a prominent position on the listing and be provided to the successful buyer.

Pre Order

To list new vehicles for pre-order, you must:

• Have express authority from the manufacturer.
• Be clear in your listing that the vehicle is available for pre-order only.
• Have authority from the rights holder, if using stock photos.

‘New’ vehicles are brand new vehicles that:

• Haven’t been manufactured or driven.
• Haven’t yet been shipped to NZ. 

Security interests

Anyone selling cars on Trade Me is required to ensure that the buyer of the motor vehicle takes the motor vehicle free of any security interest. 

Any security interest on the vehicle must be disclosed in the listing.

Prices and fees

• All prices must be in New Zealand dollars (NZD) and include all applicable GST (if any).
• Listings fees and success fees (if applicable) are to be paid by the seller. Fees may not be added to the winning bid amount.

Clean Car Information

All motor vehicle traders are required to display certain information, as set out in the Energy Efficiency (Vehicle Energy Economy Labeling) Amendment Regulations 2022. Listings must comply with those requirements (as well as any replacement regulations and any other relevant regulations). 

The following Clean Car information must be displayed on your listings:

• vehicle make.
• vehicle model.
• energy economy (cost per year).
• energy economy (rating out of 6 stars).
• energy economy (litres per 100 km, kilowatt-hours per 100 km or both as applicable).
• CO2 (rating out of 6 stars).
• CO2 (grams per kilometre).
• Clean Car Rebate or Fee (as applicable).

You acknowledge that it is your responsibility to ensure that accurate Clean Car information is being displayed on your listing, and that it relates to the vehicle being advertised. 

See our Clean Car information page for more details on how to ensure the right information appears on your listings.

Correct vehicle details

You must provide one of the following for the specific vehicle you’re selling:

• VIN
• Chassis number
• Number plate

Whichever you choose to provide, it must be the correct one for the vehicle you’re selling. 

If you breach these policies (or any of our other terms or policies), we may take action and you will need to accept how we proceed. We may, for example, remove or edit your listing, adjust your listing in search results (even where you have paid for a feature / premium product), remove your listing from the homepage of our site or suspend or terminate your access to Dealerbase and/or Trade Me.