Since the beginning of 2026, a batch of similar car collection information on social platforms has attracted attention."High-priced used cars have been collected for 3-5 years, with a driving mileage of 50,000 kilometers, and are dedicated for export."

"I have recently received several consultation calls from used car dealers, asking if I wanted to sell cars. I also specifically mentioned that my model has demand in overseas markets and is willing to give a better offer," a used car owner shared.

A businessman doing domestic used car business in Tianjin revealed to Tech Planet that many of his peers have frequently asked him about specific models recently."The export-oriented collection price is tens of thousands or even tens of thousands of yuan higher than the domestic regular purchase price."

Driven by price differences, high-quality used cars with short age and short mileage have become the "hot cakes" in the circulation market, which also reflects the popularity of the used car export industry.

Data from China Automobile Dealers Association confirms this craze: in 2024, China's total exports of used cars exceeded 436,000 units, a significant increase of 46.5% year-on-year. The export territory has covered more than 160 countries and regions including Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America. Compared with 2020, China's second-hand car exports were only 4300 units, achieving leapfrog development of a hundred times growth in just four years.

Today, used car exports have formed a complete industrial closed loop. From the front-end acquisition of vehicle sources based on overseas market demand, to the intermediate link's refurbishment and compliance license processing, to subsequent international logistics and transportation, customs clearance, and finally to sales and after-sales support services in overseas terminal markets, every link is becoming increasingly mature and standardized.

This craze to go abroad not only activates the domestic used car circulation market, but also makes "China used cars" an important new force in the international automobile market.

1. Second-hand cars are hot at sea. Who is looking for gold

A local second-hand car dealer in Tianjin revealed to Tech Planet that the current pace of price cuts for new cars is too fast, and the industry price war has been going on. The risk of car dealers collecting cars is too high. The second-hand car market is changing day by day, and now they dare not easily hoard cars.

As a result, a lightweight business model that matches car sources on demand and earns service fees has gradually emerged."Collecting exportable cars for some large used car dealers is one of the businesses."

A second-hand car practitioner in Hebei admitted that he originally was mainly engaged in the joint venture used car business, relying on national collection of cars and then relying on social platforms and channels introduced by acquaintances to sell them; now, he is also setting his sights on the second-hand car overseas business.

The demand of overseas markets has opened up new space for practitioners. Overseas buyers have a highly concentrated demand for specific models such as SUVs and off-road vehicles, but it is difficult for domestic scattered vehicle sources to quickly integrate and match orders in batches. This has also become a business opportunity seen by cross-border used car practitioners.

According to his introduction, in recent years, demand for cost-effective China used cars in major export markets such as Russia, Central Asia, and Africa has continued to surge. Popular models such as Volkswagen Golf, Haval H6, and Mazda Angxera are in short supply overseas and are rushing to buy them. Prices have been rising all the way. The overseas sales prices of some models are even tens of thousands of yuan higher than those in China.

However, in the complex chain of second-hand car business, most individual used car practitioners can only get involved in the lowest level of car collection.

"After receiving the car, it needs to be handed over to a professional inspection company for preparation and testing, and then transferred to an enterprise with second-hand export qualifications, who will complete subsequent processes such as customs clearance and transportation," an export automobile trader told Tech Planet.

In his view, it is not easy for newcomers to shift from domestic business to overseas. Most people can only undertake downstream vehicle collection work first. If they want to independently carry out second-hand export business, it is more suitable to use mature service platforms to lower the threshold.

For example, through Dongyang International Automobile City, Suifenhe Automobile Export Base, etc., you can find some services such as qualification agency, logistics customs clearance, overseas display, and buyer docking to support practitioners to start at zero cost. The core risk of this type of business still focuses on "whether it has stable overseas sales channels."

However, the above-mentioned practitioners said that overseas buyers are more inclined to cooperate with large-scale and standardized entities. They are not only worried that the car conditions provided by individual sellers are not transparent, but also worried that follow-up after-sales services cannot be guaranteed. This is also difficult for individual practitioners to directly meet overseas demand. The key reason.

In addition to small and medium-sized practitioners and service platforms, head car rental companies and used car trading platform companies have also entered this track.

China Car Rental will enter the second-hand car overseas business in 2024. Public data shows that it has established 29 domestic second-hand car central warehouses, 5 port front warehouses, and 6 direct sales offices overseas, relying on large-scale vehicle sources and globalization. Layout to seize the market. The second-hand car with melon seeds was laid out earlier, and business related to the export of used cars has continued to be promoted since 2019.

2. Behind the high price difference, why is it difficult to make money?

70%-80% of new trucks in China can be sold for half the price of a new car in Southeast Asia and Africa; local infrastructure and logistics need to increase sharply, so they can run; 30,000 to 50,000 vehicles are collected per vehicle, and the CIF price is 100,000 +., a net profit of 30,000 to 40,000.

On social platforms, this kind of very tempting publicity has moved many used car dealers who are in trouble in the domestic market.

A second-hand car dealer in Hebei admitted that he was attracted by these "high-profit myths"."Now the domestic second-hand car business is not easy to do. New cars are priced in price and the market fluctuates greatly. Seeing overseas markets claiming such high profits, naturally I want to try the water."

In fact, similar publicity has accurately hit the pain points of small and medium-sized car dealers. Under the squeeze of domestic price wars, they are in urgent need of new profit breakthroughs, and the "temptation of high price differences" in overseas markets just provides room for imagination.

However, after actually joining the game, many practitioners realized that reality was far from publicity.

"It's not as easy to make as I imagined." A practitioner who is deeply involved in the second-hand car sailing business analyzed to Tech Planet that the profit margin of seemingly attractive cross-border business has long been compressed by multiple costs and hidden risks.

Judging from the actual profit composition, the profit calculation of a single vehicle is not complicated, but the operating space is far less than as advertised. "The condition and purchase price of each car vary greatly. Normally, about 10,000 yuan of repairs and renovations, such as maintenance and cleaning, must be added first. There are also international logistics costs. After deducting miscellaneous expenses such as overseas customs clearance fees, local sales shares, taxes and fees, the net profit that ultimately falls into our hands is only about a few thousand yuan to twenty to thirty thousand yuan."

The above-mentioned practitioners revealed that although this profit level is not low in the trading industry, there is a key prerequisite: the entire process is smooth and without accidents.

Once an emergency occurs, the meager profits may be swallowed up instantly. The most common risks include the return of goods, such as rejection by local customs when vehicles are not in standard condition, detention at ports, delays in shipping schedules, incomplete customs clearance information, etc., and even overseas customers breach of contract, make a deposit and abandon orders, etc., any of which may cause the time and funds invested in the early stage to waste.

Even the risk comes from exchange rate fluctuations. If overseas transactions are settled in local currency, if the currency exchange rate fluctuates significantly during the payment cycle, the already limited profits may be directly zeroed or even losses may occur.

Among the risks of high profits are also the industry pain points brought by the "non-standard attributes" of used cars.

"Each car is unique, with different car conditions, configurations, and mileage. It requires a lot of manpower to carry out vehicle condition testing, parameter verification, and matching with overseas buyers. It is difficult to form a standardized scale effect." Some practitioners explained that this kind of labor-intensive operating model makes it difficult to continue to reduce costs.

What is even more alarming is that as more and more players enter the game, popular export markets such as Russia, Central Asia, and Africa have shown signs of saturation between supply and demand. Especially for low-end models, not only will profits be further squeezed, but may also fall into the price war dilemma of "the more you sell, the more you lose".

3. "Zero-kilometer used cars" are ebbing

Behind the coexistence of the used car export boom and profit challenges, a gray path has quietly become an important support for market growth. "Last year, zero-kilometer used cars were the core increase in the entire used car export market," one practitioner bluntly said.

The so-called "zero-kilometer second-hand cars" are not really second-hand vehicles, but the export of new cars in the name of second-hand cars. This "hidden rule" in the field of automobile export in the past two years has allowed a large number of new cars to flow to overseas markets.

This kind of "zero-kilometer used car" covers a wide range. Whether it is a self-owned brand, a joint venture brand, a fuel vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or a new energy vehicle, there are all types of models. Relying on the quality of new cars and the policy dividends of used car exports, it was once quite competitive in overseas markets.

However, behind the operation, the lack of after-sales protection after the vehicle identity conversion brings potential risks to the brand image of the car company. In November 2025, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, and the General Administration of Customs jointly issued the "Notice on Further Strengthening the Export Management of Used Vehicles" to strictly control the export of new cars in the name of used cars.

"Now the zero-kilometer second-hand car business is getting more and more difficult to do," the above-mentioned practitioners admitted. According to his disclosure, the "180-day red line" and "after-sales license authorization of automobile companies" set by the New Deal make it almost impossible for automobile dealers to continue operating such businesses.

The so-called "180-day red line" means that used cars must be registered for 180 days before they can be exported; while the "after-sales license authorization of automobile companies" requires that exported vehicles must obtain after-sales protection authorization from the main engine factory.

"If we insist on continuing, the risk of losing money will increase greatly." Another practitioner told Tech Planet that domestic auto market prices change rapidly, and hoarding new cars will consume corporate funds and bring additional costs such as warehousing. "If you calculate, hoarding vehicles waiting for exports may not make money, and you may even face losses."

This also means that those small-scale individual car dealers, small teams, and practitioners who lack market research and judgment capabilities and compliance awareness will have a high probability of being eliminated.

But in the eyes of many business practitioners who have previously made used cars, this is a new opportunity.

One practitioner believes that the new policy will force the industry to compete for compliance, and those companies with vehicle source integration capabilities and overseas service networks will highlight their advantages.

Another personal used car practitioner said,"We have originally focused on the compliant used car business. The adjustment of industry regulations has brought new opportunities. Subsequent efforts to increase the acquisition of high-quality car sources may further expand overseas customer resources."

Source: Tech Planet

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