If you’re looking to sell your used Tesla, you may have seen Give Me The VIN reviews or heard of the website  GiveMeTheVIN.com. You may have also come across their “last look” promotion or “sight unseen” buying advertisements. Unfortunately, while their ads sound great, Give Me The VIN’s promise to buy your car at the best price with the least hassle may not pan out like for owners of used Teslas.

Ready to take a look at Give Me The VIN’s buying process? We’ll explore 4 reasons we feel Give Me The VIN (or GMTV) won’t be a positive experience for you when you are looking to sell your used Tesla, and explain how Find My Electric can help you instead.

Reason #1: GMTV’s “Sight Unseen” Still Includes an Inspection

Give Me The VIN’s advertising campaign operates on the premise that they can buy your “unseen” car and sell it for profit every time. This may not be entirely true, and for good reason: any legitimate business needs to verify what they are buying; it’s a legality issue and just common sense.

After Give Me The VIN sets up their offer with you (which is non-binding and has plenty of wiggle room), they will send someone to pick up the car. This is where the process is a little confusing; while Give Me The VIN is sending someone with the authority to pick up your car, the transportation company does double duty as an inspection service. They look over your car and compare its condition to the one you described (verbally over the phone or through email / text) and make a determination from there as to whether the offer is fair and adjust accordingly.

Some Give Me The VIN reviews mention that a number of customers were not even able to have their car picked up and had to drop it off at an inspection site, which seems like a frustrating change of procedure to us.

In other words, it appears Give Me The VIN is still operating under the same rules as everyone else in the middleman car sales world does. Their ability to change your offer on inspection is still in the contract, regardless of what they say about buying a car “sight unseen.”

We don’t like the idea of an offer changing when a transport truck shows up. Find My Electric’s Instant Cash Offer comes directly from dealerships that know Teslas, not from an agent for an auction house.

Whenever possible, our dealerships keep the inspection simple the better way: via virtual inspection. Using video conferencing technology, the entire walkthrough of your car can be scheduled at home without the awkward situation of a salesman or transportation truck showing up at your door before the deal is made.

Reason #2: Give Me The VIN Does NOT Specialize in Tesla Tech and Features

While Give Me The VIN’s founder and buying agents can rightfully boast about their years of car buying experience, their time as car buyers doesn’t mean as much for EVs as it does for gas cars. The technology, considerations, and value of electric vehicles make them a niche commodity that needs specialized attention.

Where general EV brands are special, Teslas are exceptional. They require their own separate evaluation thanks to their advanced technology in everything from battery life to Autopilot hardware. Asking for a fair offer on your Tesla’s tech options from a team trained in internal combustion engines is asking for poorly-informed pricing.

Simply relying on years of gas vehicle buying experience to convince Tesla owners that their offer is worth it doesn’t make sense to us. Find My Electric doesn’t ask you to look at our time buying or selling Fords or Hondas when we talk about our experience. We’re Tesla enthusiasts. We know a Raven drivetrain when we see it. When we set up our listing service, it was with all Tesla options in mind. After all, Tesla isn’t just a car brand; it’s an entire technology line.

Our Instant Offer Dealers are also vetted and verified Tesla enthusiasts. They are fully-versed in pricing for tech, software, rare Tesla options, colors, and perks. If you want to make sure that your Model X’s Free Unlimited Supercharging is fairly evaluated in your offer or that your Model S’s upgraded AP hardware isn’t overlooked, our dealership network has the Tesla knowledge to work with you. You won’t need to spend energy educating them on the ins and outs of Tesla just to get your car’s tech and features noticed.

Reason #3: Tesla Aftermarket Mods are Unknown Price Factors

When Give Me The VIN gets your Tesla’s condition info, you’ll be including aftermarket mods in your description to ensure full disclosure. Give Me The VIN does not specify whether or not they consider modifications a plus or minus.

We see this lack of information as a big red flag when it comes to aftermarket mods. As a general rule, buyers for auction houses and places with a business model like CarMax or Carvana don’t see aftermarket modifications as a plus. They typically reduce the offer for your Tesla as soon as they find out that you’ve got mods regardless of their value.

We know that mods can increase the value and enjoyment of a Tesla, and we’ve made sure to include aftermarket modification options in our listings and to make them a filtering feature.

When we started our Instant Offer Program, we wanted to make sure that our dealerships were on the same page as we are when it comes to the value of well-chosen mods from major aftermarket manufacturers. The dealerships in Find My Electric’s network know their stuff when it comes to mods from places like EVANNEX and TSportline, so you won’t need to wonder if you’re getting a fair evaluation for all your money and hard work.

Reason #4: GMTVs “Last Look” Gimmick May Be Twice the Work, Half the Convenience

The main reason people seem to try Give Me The VIN in the first place is in response to the sales gimmick of a $100 check for the “last look” at your Tesla before it sells. The details are a little uncertain, and it appears that quite a few people may end up confused about how they are supposed to receive this offer. Basically, you have to go through the full process to receive a final offer from CarMax and then show proof of it to Give Me The VIN so they can try to beat that offer. If they can’t, GMTV promises to give you a check for $100.

So is the offer at Give Me The VIN legit? Sure. But in order to get that offer or a possible $100 check, you’ll still need to complete every step of the process, just like selling to any other car buyer or dealership. In fact, you may be doing double the work with double the phone time and giving out your personal info twice…for the chance at an extra $100. Doesn’t sound like much fun, does it?

We aren’t offering a gimmick with our Instant Cash Offer system. In fact, Find My Electric doesn’t offer anything at all except a technologically advanced Tesla listing service and a point of connection to our dealership network. Our job with the Instant Cash Offer is facilitating your connection to professional, Tesla-informed dealership buyers who won’t give you a runaround or need to be told what your options and features are worth.

There’s a Better Way: Find My Electric

You can sell your used Tesla two ways with Find My Electric: the Instant Cash Offer, which puts you in touch with our dealership network, or through our exceptional used Tesla listing service. Either way, your Tesla is evaluated by the people who care for them most: the Tesla community.

If you’d like the convenience of selling your used Tesla quickly to a dealership who knows what your investment in your Tesla is worth, our Instant Cash Offer is for you. The network is nationwide, offering inspections done at your convenience. Even better, the inspection can be 100% virtual; no more worrying about offer reductions when the transport truck rolls in to pick up your Tesla.

Want top dollar for your Tesla and feel like going the private sale route? We designed this site for YOU. Your buyers will see your Tesla at its best, with your options, features, tech, and perks as an essential part of your listing. No more facing off in listings against gas cars and other brands; Find My Electric is focused on Teslas.

From the original Tesla’s Roadster to the incredibly popular Model 3 and Model Y, our listings come from all over the country from sellers just like you.

Get your listing in front of eager Tesla buyers today, or get in touch with our dealership network through the Instant Cash Offer system.