Frequently asked questions
Straight answers for Ontario used-car dealers. Something missing? support@compceiling.com.
What does CompCeiling actually do?
You enter a vehicle — year, make, model, and optionally trim — plus your region, and CompCeiling shows you what similar units are being asked for on Ontario lots right now. Then you add the unit's condition and your target profit, and it works backwards to a wholesale price ceiling: the most you should pay on a trade-in or at auction and still hit your numbers. It's built for licensed Ontario used-car dealers, not consumers.
Where do your comparables come from?
Every night we gather asking prices from over a thousand independent and franchise dealer websites across Ontario. When you search a vehicle, we pull the matching live listings, remove duplicates and obviously mispriced ones, and show you the typical asking price with the range around it. The numbers are what cars are listed for today — not a book value that's weeks or months old.
Are these asking prices or sold prices?
Asking prices — what dealers are currently listing comparable units for. We're deliberate about this because we can't see confirmed sale prices, and we won't pretend to. Asking prices tell you where the live retail market sits: where cars are listed, which is exactly what you want when you're deciding how a unit will price against the competition on your lot. We say "asking, not sold" everywhere for a reason.
How is the wholesale ceiling calculated?
It's simple math with nothing hidden. We start from the typical asking price for that vehicle (or a more careful, lower figure near the bottom of the range — your call), then subtract your target front-end profit, your reconditioning estimate, and standard fees like safety certification, detail, and transport. What's left is your suggested maximum buy price. Every number in that chain is shown on screen, so you can see how the ceiling was built and adjust any input.
What does "typical asking price" mean — is it just an average?
It's the middle of the range: half the comparable units are asked higher, half lower. We use the middle rather than a straight average on purpose — one wildly overpriced or underpriced listing can drag an average around, but the middle stays honest. Alongside it we show you the range most units fall into, so you can see how tightly or widely those cars are priced.
How do I know there's enough behind a number to trust it?
Every result shows how many matching cars sit behind the figure, plus a plain confidence rating. If your region is thin on a particular vehicle, we automatically widen the search to all of Ontario, and then, if needed, to within a model year — and we tell you each time we do it. You'll never get a confident-looking number built on two cars without being shown that's what it is.
How fresh is the data?
The collection runs nightly. When you pull comps, we favour listings seen in the last several days so you're looking at the current market, not stale inventory. There's a live indicator on the site showing the latest refresh; if one is ever delayed, it says so rather than quietly serving you old numbers.
How does the reconditioning estimate work?
You describe the unit's condition — body damage by panel and severity, mechanical items, tires, windshield, interior wear, mileage — and CompCeiling builds a line-by-line recon estimate. Every line shows the benchmark behind it (for example, an Ontario safety certificate or a bumper repaint), and every line shows a range, not just a single number. It also scales for vehicle class, since panels and parts cost more on a truck, SUV, or luxury unit. It's a ballpark to help you budget recon before you bid — not a repair quote or an appraisal.
Do you show individual dealers, listings, or VINs?
No. Everything CompCeiling shows is market totals and averages — typical prices, ranges, listing counts, and time on lot across many listings. We never display another dealer's name, a specific listing, or a VIN. You get the market picture without anyone's individual inventory being exposed, and that's a firm line, not a setting.
Is this an appraisal? Can I rely on it for one specific car?
It's decision support, not an appraisal. CompCeiling tells you what the market is asking and what a reasonable ceiling looks like given your profit and recon inputs — a fast, data-backed sanity check before you commit money. The final call on any specific vehicle is yours; nothing here replaces your own inspection and judgment.
Can I price a specific trim?
Yes. Once you pick a year, make and model, the trim dropdown shows the trims actually for sale in Ontario right now — pick one and the prices, range, and your ceiling recalculate for that trim only.
What do I get for free?
Ten full valuations over 14 days, no credit card required. A full valuation is the complete picture — live comps with the listing count and confidence, the reconditioning estimator, and the wholesale ceiling calculator. It's one free run per dealership account, so you can properly test it on real units you're actually looking at before deciding.
What do the plans cost, and what's the difference?
Two paid plans, both in Canadian dollars (HST added at checkout), monthly or annual — annual is effectively two months free. Basic is $99 a month: 25 valuations a month, live regional comps with confidence ratings, the recon estimator, and the ceiling calculator. Pro is $249 a month: everything in Basic, unlimited valuations, downloads for Excel, the live market ticker, and time-on-lot trend signals. Most single-rooftop dealers start on Basic; higher-volume buyers who live in the tool go Pro.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. You cancel yourself from your account — no phone call, no retention hoops. When you cancel a paid plan, you keep your tier through the end of the period you've already paid for, then the account simply reverts to the free view. A free run just ends on its own at day 14 if you don't subscribe. Nothing auto-charges you.
Do you offer refunds?
If you think a charge was made in error, ask within 30 days of that charge and we'll review it — the same terms written into our Terms of Service.
Is CompCeiling only for Ontario?
Right now, yes — the comps are built entirely from Ontario dealer listings, so the market read is genuinely local to where you're buying and selling. That focus is the point: an Ontario-specific number beats a national average every time you're pricing against the lot down the road.
Try it — 10 free lookups, no card Read the dealer guides See the Ontario market index