Instant offers & appraisal pickup

Instant offers

Our instant online offers provide customers with a fast and easy way to get a real offer for their car in 2 minutes or less.

• “Instant offer” is not a branded product name so use sentence case.  

• “Instant” can't be used as a descriptor on carmax.com due to a partner relationship. 

• The use of “offer” (“2-minute online offer”) is preferred over “appraisal” as long as the selling context is clear to consumers. We want people to understand this is about selling your car to CarMax, not buying a car from us. 

• To minimize copy, use imagery to convey that offers are made online. If imagery is not an option, use “online” or “carmax.com” in copy (2-minute online offers). 

• Legal has approved our use of “2 minutes” for instant offers. Note that “2 minutes” is in reference to time it takes consumers to get their instant offer online, not to sell their car. At this point in time, you cannot sell a car to CarMax in 2 minutes. 

Appraisal pickup

Appraisal pickup is an option for customers in select markets who are only selling their car to CarMax, not purchasing. Customers can have the car they’re selling picked up from wherever they choose.   

• “Appraisal pickup” is not a branded product name so use sentence case. 

• “Appraisal pickup” is a noun. Use the single word “pickup” when it’s a noun. Use “pick up” or “pick it up” when needing a verb. 

• Include the following legal disclaimer when mentioning “appraisal pickup”: Pickup available within a 30-mi radius of select stores.