Following previous deals with Hyundai Motor Co. and Hertz, Ford became the latest brand to begin selling vehicles through Amazon Autos.
Ford and Amazon announced that certified pre-owned Ford vehicles, which are used models that pass specific inspections, will be offered for purchase through Amazon’s platform. The program is focused on Los Angeles, Seattle and Dallas to start. Buyers will not be able to have a car shipped to them for free with a Prime membership. Instead, they must visit a participating dealer to pick up their purchase.
Amazon ranks No. 1 in Digital Commerce 360’s Top 2000 Database. The database is how Digital Commerce 360 tracks the largest North American online retailers by their annual ecommerce sales and more.
Amazon is also No. 3 in Digital Commerce 360’s Global Online Marketplaces Database. That database ranks the 100 largest such marketplaces by third-party gross merchandise value (GMV).
How Ford vehicles will be sold on Amazon Autos
A corporate blog post from Ford described the arrangement with Amazon Autos in greater detail.
“Every vehicle is backed by a Ford Blue Advantage warranty, which means it has passed a thorough multi-point inspection and comes with roadside assistance,” wrote Wendy Lane, senior manager of Ford Blue Advantage vehicles. “This program combines the trust and quality of a Ford-certified vehicle with the familiar, convenient shopping experience of Amazon.”
Liz Erk, founder and principal partner at the tech communications firm The Jaxson Group for Redpoint Global, said that shopping for a pre-owned car used to mean a long day, a long drive and painfully long negotiations between multiple car lots. However, she noted that in recent years, consumers have been shopping with web browser tabs open, price alerts and more recently with AI advising them about which choices actually make the most sense for budgets and lifestyles.
“Amazon has a real shot because people already trust the ‘Amazon way,’ which is clear info, fast comparisons, and very simple steps to completing a purchase,” Erk stated.
She added that a high-ticket item like cars only works online when the data underneath holds steady.
“For example, if mileage is wrong, if condition notes don’t match the actual vehicle, if the [vehicle identification number] history doesn’t match, then the whole thing falls apart because trust weighs heavily when it comes to major, often one-time-in-a-while purchases,” she explained.
Erk elaborated that clean data, real-time updates and no surprises or missing details between the listing and the driveway are the key components to success.
Risk for Amazon
Erk said the biggest pitfall for Amazon is not necessarily selling a lemon, but rather potential “gaps” in the sales journey.
“Surprisingly, the biggest risk isn’t the car itself but rather any ‘gaps,’” she explained. “Used cars always come with stories … and stories can come with messy data, like a scratch missed, wrong price, confusing or misleading warranty note that doesn’t match the fine print.”
Erk added that one bad detail in a major, often one-time purchase can break trust.
“With consumers now leveraging AI agents for shopping, the AI will absolutely amplify any errors,” she said. “So if an AI shopper is comparing dozens of listings and one looks ‘off’ in any way, the system will red flag it and push it down, or not recommend it at all. So the pitfall here is, if the data behind the car isn’t tight, the sale never had a chance.”
There are other potential perils that Amazon is exposing itself to, said Michael Klitzke, CEO at Auto Law Firm.
“‘Certified’ cars come with a lot of representations about the quality of the vehicle, and when it doesn’t measure up, fraud lawsuits will follow,” Klitzke said.
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