Car shipping is the [[auto transport|http://www.crowleyautotransport.com/]] of a vehicle from a seller in one place to a buyer in another place. This includes country to country shipping as well as state to state shipping. Auto shipping and transport was largely a commercial activity conducted by dealers, manufacturers and brokers until the last ten to fifteen years. The explosion of Internet use has allowed this niche service to grow and reach the general consumer marketplace. == Before the Internet == Prior to the Internet, people had to purchase cars from local dealers due to the difficulty in transporting a vehicle from its point of origin to the purchaser's place of residence. While freight businesses did exist, this method of transporting a vehicle was generally expensive and not cost efficient. Freight shipping is still based on increments of weight, and can cost you quite a bit more than a specialized car transport company that charges based on distance or other basis. Due to this cost, the shipment of automobiles was restricted to those who had the money to purchase both the car and the transport. == Advances from the Internet == This [[car shipping|http://www.carshippingone.com/]] industry has grown explosively since the advent of the Internet. People are now able to purchase cars from anywhere in the world and have them shipped to their doorstep. In fact, more and more dealerships are marketing online towards people from all over the world. Even the small used car dealers are selling cars online. These businesses are finding that these online [[progressive house|http://www.mikemiro.com/]] sales are accounting for more and more of their profits. Ebay and other online market places have provided customers with an endless supply of choices. People can now search online to find the perfect car, both new and used. Collectible cars make up a large portion of the [[search engine marketing|http://www.visiblexposure.com/]] cars that are purchased via the Internet. Because rare and collectible cars are limited, people have turned to the Internet to find the car of their dreams. In most cases, the car that they want is not local, and the person must find a way to transport the vehicle. Because of this need, car shipping companies have come into the picture. == Car transportation == There are basic steps that each consumer must take when moving a car. When a car is shipped, it is loaded onto a carrier. This carrier is what transports a vehicle to a new place. Before shipping, each car must be subjected to records and [[search engine marketing|http://www.agentm2.com/]] inspections. Records of damage and other markings of a vehicle are kept so that a company is not liable for damage that did not occur during transport.