full

full
Published on:

12th Oct 2025

What Else Can You Do With a Dealers License?

What Else Can You Do With a Dealer License?

What can you do with a used motor

vehicle license, well you can do a lot.

Are you thinking about getting a

dealer license?


Well, this little piece of paper

does way more than just let you sell cars from a lot.


I want to break down the powerful

and lucrative things you can do with a dealer license—and how it can turn into

a business with unlimited profits.


At first I want to show you the

benefits of a dealers license and if you watch to the very end, I will show you

how to get licensed depending on where you live.

https://dealerslicense.com

Number 1. You Sell Cars to the

Public

If you would like to start that

small car lot and sell vehicles locally you can certainly do that, the small

lot is truly the foundation of the industry.

With a license, you can legally

buy vehicles at low wholesale prices and sell at retail prices—right from your

lot. That means more profit per sale. The average profit per sale normally runs

around two thousand one hundred dollars per vehicle


Number 2. Buy From Dealer-Only

Auctions

You will have access to exclusive dealer

only auctions like Manheim, Adesa, ACV AUCTIONS, CAR MAX Now has a dealer

auction, Backlot Cars and a website called OVE.com, OVE, or Online Vehicle

Exchange, OVE is Manheim's 24/7 online marketplace for licensed dealers. It

allows dealers to conduct business outside of traditional physical auction

lanes. OVE provides a platform for dealers, buy and sell vehicles nationwide

with several delivery options available to licensed dealers. No matter what

vehicle your customer needs, dealers can scan OVE, show the vehicle to the

customer and hide the price, then buy any vehicle the customer is looking for

and have it delivered within a couple of days. You will have access to vehicles

the public never sees at prices the public can never get.

3. Flip Cars Without Limits


Most states only let you sell 3 to

5 vehicles a year without a license. Some states require you to obtain a

license even if you are selling 1 or 2 vehicles for a profit. But with your

dealer license? No limit. Buy, fix, and flip as many vehicles as you want.

4. Sell to Other Dealers

(Wholesale)

If you are not interested in

retail , you can be come a wholesale only dealer, which tends to have lower

startup costs.

You can sell directly to other

licensed dealers without dealing with the public. But I do want you to be aware

that a wholesale license only allows you to sell vehicles to other licensed

dealers which can really limit your income opportunities.

5. Export Vehicles Internationally


There is a HUGE worldwide demand

for vehicles in other countries.

Used cars are in demand all over

the world. With your license, you can buy at U.S. auctions and ship cars

overseas with very large profit margins.


Africa  Toyota Corolla, Camry, Honda Accord, Ford F-150


Eastern Europe has a huge demand

for  German and Japanese sedans, U.S. SUVs

South America cant get enough

Pickup trucks, diesel-powered vehicles

Middle East   they need Full-size SUVs, luxury cars, salvage vehicles

Caribbean     Compact sedans, older SUVs, motorcycles


6. Offer In-House Financing

You can start a very lucrative buy

here pay here dealership, and I am aware of software that will run a buy here

pay here dealership for you automatically.

If you think about how a buy here

pay here model works when you have a multitude of customers making payments to

you every month, it can create a very lucrative cash flow


And you can sell the loans that

you create every month to investors. Investors want to by your loans,

especially the loans that you create for someone with bad credit.


7. Buy Vehicles Tax-Free

You can legally buy vehicles to

resell without paying sales tax. That helps your cash flow and gives you more

room to negotiate deals.

8. Run an Online-Only Dealership

In many states, you don’t need a

big car lot. Just a compliant business office. Some dealers sell entirely

online and still make great money. Let me know if you have ever sold a car

online in the comments below.


Some states will allow you to have

a dealers license at your home but that is not the norm and will usually only

apply to someone that lives in a rural area with lenient or no zoning laws.

While it may seem tempting to

avoid the expense of rent by operating online only or selling from home, paying

a small monthly fee for a physical location brings real benefits that far

outweigh the cost.

A small physical location whether

it is an office or office with one or two parking spaces allows you to meet

local licensing requirements much more easily. And if you cannot meet licensing

requirements, you are missing out on a very lucrative industry that has many

more benefits than just selling on the lot. Even if you are going to run your

business entirely online, you will still need to meet your local licensing

requirements which usually require some type of physical location away from

your home.

So whether you want to run a

retail dealership, export worldwide, flip cars, or wholesale to other

dealers—your license is the key that unlocks it all


https://dealerslicense.com

Listen for free

Show artwork for Dealer Training Podcast

About the Podcast

Dealer Training Podcast
Information for obtaining and maintaining a dealers license
The Dealer Training Podcast is for any person that is interested in obtaining a dealers license to open a small car dealership. It is also for persons that currently have a dealer license.

The podcast covers dealership trends and offers valuable advice for any currently licensed dealer or anyone getting a dealer license for the first time.

Learn more at Delus Johnson's Official Dealer Training website:
https://dealerslicense.com

About your host

Profile picture for Delus Johnson

Delus Johnson