For dealers
How a Dealership Takes a Deposit or Full Payment Online
Taking payment for a vehicle online is not the same problem as taking payment for a product. The amount depends on where the buyer lives, many buyers finance, and the sale is not done until the paperwork is.
Here is what a vehicle checkout needs to handle.
What taking payment for a vehicle online involves
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Start from the real total, not the sticker
A vehicle payment is not a cart total. The checkout has to show the price with taxes and fees calculated for the buyer’s jurisdiction, itemized, before any money moves.
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Offer financing inside the same checkout
Many buyers finance. In Ekho’s checkout each lender’s offer appears as its own card with a price and payment breakdown, so the buyer compares and accepts without leaving the purchase.
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Take the payment, and know it cleared
On orders where Ekho is the seller of record, buyers can pay by expedited ACH in all 50 states, with same-day confirmation of funds.
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Take a deposit when the unit is not on the lot
For vehicles ordered from the manufacturer, buyers can preorder through the same checkout. The confirmation screen confirms their deposit, spells out what happens next and shows their place in the delivery queue.
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Finish the sale, not just the payment
A payment alone does not complete a vehicle sale. F&I, online signing, titling and registration follow in the same flow, so the deal closes rather than waiting on paperwork.
Go deeper
What goes into the price the buyer pays, and what the rest of an online sale requires.
Questions dealers ask
Through a vehicle checkout rather than a general payment link, so the amount reflects the buyer’s taxes and fees and the paperwork follows. With Ekho, buyers finance or pay in the checkout on your website, expedited ACH is available in all 50 states on orders where Ekho is the seller of record, and preorder vehicles take a deposit that the confirmation screen confirms.
One built for vehicles: it shows an itemized total for the buyer’s jurisdiction, offers real financing, presents F&I, collects signatures, and handles titling and registration. A general-purpose payment checkout handles none of that. Ekho’s checkout runs on your own website with your own logo.
For vehicles ordered from the manufacturer, yes. The buyer preorders through checkout, and the confirmation confirms their deposit and their place in the delivery queue.
Expedited ACH comes with same-day confirmation of funds on orders where Ekho is the seller of record.