Syndication overview
How syndication gets your published cars onto Google, Facebook, CARFAX, CarGurus and more, and what each one needs from you.
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Syndication gets your cars onto outside marketplaces (Google, Facebook, CARFAX, CarGurus, Autotrader, Cars.com, Carsforsale.com, TrueCar, Edmunds, and a generic feed for everything else) without re-typing inventory anywhere. You publish a car once and the marketplaces pick it up.
How it works (the short version)
- Your published inventory is the one list behind every channel.
- Google, Facebook (when you set it up in Meta) and the generic feed each read their own feed URL on their own schedule. One shared key powers all of them.
- For CARFAX and the listing sites (CarGurus, Autotrader, Cars.com, Carsforsale.com, TrueCar and Edmunds) you paste no URL anywhere. That company sets you up, and your listings then update every day. If a listing site's rep asks for your inventory file, send them the feed URL on that site's card.
- List a new car → it appears. Mark a car sold → it drops off. Automatically. You don't push anything per car.
A car has to be published and meet each channel's rules to syndicate. A car can be published to your website while its status is sold or on hold. It still shows on your storefront but stays out of the generic pull feeds, which have no "for sale / not for sale" column. The eligible/total line on each card that is on tells you how many of your published cars actually qualify for that channel.
Turn on syndication
- Go to Settings → Marketplaces.
- Find the channel you want (Google Vehicle Ads, CARFAX, or the Generic feed) and switch it on. The first one you turn on creates your feed key, one key behind every marketplace URL. (Facebook works differently; see below.)
- Open How it works on that card and follow the steps.
- If the steps ask for a link, copy it from the card's Feed URL section and paste it where the marketplace asks for it.
For CarGurus, Autotrader, Cars.com, Carsforsale.com, TrueCar and Edmunds, turn on that site's card and choose Request setup on it. The card shows the steps under How it works.
The Feeds switch under Feed key, at the top of the page, pauses everything at once. While it's off, every marketplace that fetches your URLs gets a 404 until you turn it back on. Switching a single marketplace off stops just that one channel's feed. Only owners and managers can change these settings.
The channels you can set up here
Here's what each one is and what it needs from you.
Google Vehicle Ads (paid)
Cars appear in Google Search through Vehicle Ads. Google retired the free vehicle listings in 2025, so this is now a paid product run from your own Google Merchant Center and Google Ads accounts, with a verified Google Business Profile for each lot. You give each lot its Google store code on the Google card, then add your feed URL in Merchant Center as a file data source fetched daily. Only clean-title cars that are for sale today are sent. Self-serve in the US/CA/AU; the EU/UK need Google to allow-list you first.
Facebook Vehicle Ads (paid)
These are paid Automotive Inventory Ads on your own Meta accounts, shown across Facebook, Instagram, and Marketplace, not free Marketplace classifieds. Used cars over 500 miles only, each with an exterior color and a body style. The Facebook card tells you which way you connect:
- Set up in Meta: add the Facebook feed URL as a data source in Meta Commerce Manager.
- Connect Facebook: click it to link your catalog, then turn on Auto-sync (under Sync settings on the card) so every publish, price change, and sale pushes to Facebook automatically. Use Sync all inventory now to force a full push.
See Google Vehicle Ads and Facebook Vehicle Ads.
CarGurus: dealer account required, set up through Request setup
You need a CarGurus dealer account. Choose Request setup for CarGurus and add your rep's name if you have it. AutoDealer.io contacts you and your rep and finishes the setup with CarGurus, and once CarGurus has set you up, your cars are listed and updated every day. There is no Dealer ID to type, because AutoDealer.io sets your dealer number on your listings. The leads email is optional and defaults to your dealership's email. See CarGurus and the generic feed.
Autotrader, Cars.com, Carsforsale.com, TrueCar and Edmunds
The same steps as CarGurus. Each site has its own card and its own file. You need an account with that site, you turn its card on and choose Request setup, adding your rep's name if you have it, and AutoDealer.io contacts you and your rep and works with that company to get your file accepted. Once that company has set you up, your cars are listed and updated every day. See Autotrader, Cars.com and other listing sites.
CARFAX: a CARFAX Advantage upgrade, set up by your CARFAX rep
CARFAX lists cars on CARFAX.com only for dealers with CARFAX Car Listings, an upgrade only CARFAX Advantage dealers can add, arranged with CARFAX. Turn the CARFAX card on and tell your CARFAX rep that AutoDealer.io provides your inventory. CARFAX Car Listings sets up the rest with us; you don't send the feed URL anywhere. From then on CARFAX Car Listings reads the file about once a day. See CARFAX listings.
Craigslist: bulk posting on your own account
Craigslist doesn't read a feed. It needs bulk posting turned on for your own Craigslist account, a person confirms each posting, and Craigslist charges your account for it. See Post cars to Craigslist.
Generic feed (for everything else)
A standard CSV any other marketplace or tool can ingest. Hand the URL to any service that accepts a vehicle inventory feed; they pull your latest inventory on their own schedule, and sold cars drop off automatically.
Keep your data flowing
- Replace key (under Feed key) issues a brand-new key. The old URLs stop working within minutes, so re-paste the new URL anywhere you used the old one. Replace it only if a URL leaked. If a site was set up through Request setup, contact us through Support and we'll update it.
- New cars, price changes, and sales reflect automatically on the next pull; there's no manual "republish" step.
Watch the eligible / total line on each card that is on. If a channel says "3 of 10 eligible," seven of your published cars are missing something that channel requires, usually an asking price, at least one public photo, or a valid VIN. Fix those on the vehicle and the count climbs on the next pull.
FAQ
Do I need a feed URL for every marketplace separately?
No. One feed key powers all of them, and each marketplace that reads a URL gets its own, pointing at the same key and formatted the way that channel expects. For CARFAX, CarGurus and the other listing sites you paste no URL anywhere. If a listing site's rep asks for your inventory file, send them the feed URL on that site's card.
Why is a published car not showing on a marketplace?
Three common reasons. First, the marketplace pulls on its own schedule, so a brand-new car can take until the next fetch to appear. Second, the car may not be eligible for that channel. Check the eligible/total line on the card; a missing price, no photos, or an invalid VIN are the usual culprits (and Facebook also requires over 500 miles, an exterior color and a body style). Third, a site you chose Request setup for may not have finished setting you up yet; your rep can confirm.
Are Google and Facebook listings free?
No. Google retired its free vehicle listings in 2025: Google Vehicle Ads are paid and need a Google Ads campaign. Facebook Vehicle Ads are paid Automotive Inventory Ads, not free Marketplace classifieds. AutoDealer.io builds and hosts the feed for free; the ad spend and the marketplace accounts are yours.
What happens to a marketplace when I mark a car sold?
It drops off on its own. The feed always reflects your current published, for-sale inventory, so the next time the marketplace pulls, the sold car is gone. No manual removal needed.
Can a salesperson set this up?
No. Only owners and managers can generate the feed, toggle channels, connect Facebook, request setup, or change marketplace settings.
I paused syndication. Did it break?
No. Pausing is expected behavior. While the master feed switch (or a single channel) is off, that feed URL returns a 404 by design. Turn it back on to resume; nothing is lost.
How do I get my cars on Cars.com or Autotrader?
Have an account with that site, then turn on its card under Settings → Marketplaces and choose Request setup. AutoDealer.io works with that company to get your file accepted, and once that company has set you up, your cars are listed and updated every day. See Autotrader, Cars.com and other listing sites.
What about OfferUp?
OfferUp works only with software it has approved itself, so there is no card for it.