Frequently Asked Questions

Pixar Cars Garage is a free online platform built specifically for Disney Pixar Cars diecast collectors. It helps you:

• Catalog your collection — Add all your cars with photos, details, and notes
• Check estimated values — Prices based on over 2,114 real eBay sold transactions
• Trade with other collectors — A structured 6-stage trading system
• Buy and sell — List cars for sale with PayPal checkout
• Build a wishlist — Get notified when cars you want become available
• AI scanning — Photograph a car and let AI identify it instantly
• Join the community — Connect with collectors and trade or sell cars

Think of it as your personal garage combined with a collector community — built by a collector who got tired of buying duplicates at Target.

Yes. Everything is completely free. That includes:

• Unlimited car entries in your catalog
• Price estimates based on real eBay sold data
• AI-powered scanning and identification
• Trading, buying, selling, and messaging
• Wishlist alerts
• All community features including trading, messaging, and leaderboards

There are no hidden fees, premium tiers, or subscriptions. We built this for collectors, by collectors.

No. Pixar Cars Garage is an independent fan-created platform. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Disney, Pixar, or Mattel in any way.

All trademarks, character names, and related imagery are the property of their respective owners. We're simply passionate collectors who built a tool to help the community.

1. Click the "Sign Up" button on the homepage
2. Enter your name, email address, and create a password
3. Verify your email (check your inbox)
4. Start adding cars to your garage

The whole process takes less than 2 minutes.

You MAY post:

• Photos and videos of Pixar Cars diecast toys
• Photos and videos of Pixar Planes diecast toys
• Related Pixar vehicle diecast (ships, trains, etc.)
• Packaging, display cases, and storage for the above
• Hands holding cars (but no faces or identifiable people)

You may NOT post:

• No human faces — adults, teenagers, or children
• No identifiable people — not even in the background
• No images of minors — especially children under 18
• No other merchandise — only diecast toys allowed
• No action figures, plush toys, clothing, or non-diecast items

These policies exist to protect the privacy and safety of all users (especially minors), keep the platform focused, and create a safe space for collectors of all ages.

For complete details, see our Content Restrictions in the Terms of Service.

Option 1: Quick Add (Recommended)

1. Click the + button in your catalog
2. Search our Masterlist database by name or Mattel number
3. Select the matching car
4. Add your own photo and notes
5. Save

Option 2: Manual Entry

1. Click + then "Manual Entry"
2. Fill in all the details yourself
3. Upload a photo
4. Save

Option 3: AI Scan

1. Click the Scan button
2. Take a photo of your car's packaging or the car itself
3. Our AI will identify it automatically
4. Confirm and save

1. Go to Settings
2. Find Privacy Settings
3. Toggle "Public Catalog" on or off

When Public: Other users can browse your collection and see what you have.

When Private: Only you can see your full collection. Cars listed for trade or sale are still visible in the Community Garage.

To Edit:

1. Find the car in your catalog and click on it
2. Click Edit
3. Make your changes and save

To Delete:

1. Open the car's detail view
2. Click Delete
3. Confirm the deletion

Warning: Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone.

Our trading system uses a structured 6-stage process designed to keep both parties on the same page:

1. Offer — One user proposes a trade to another
2. Accepted — The other user accepts the offer
3. Lock In — Both parties confirm commitment (5-day shipping countdown starts)
4. Address Exchange — Both users submit shipping addresses privately
5. Shipping — Both users ship their cars and enter tracking info
6. Completed — Both confirm receipt, cars swap in catalogs, reviews left

Both parties must complete each step before moving to the next. Addresses are only revealed after both submit. Tracking info is only revealed after both have shipped.

Step 1: Making or Receiving an Offer

1. Find a car you want in the Community Garage
2. Click on it and select "Propose Trade"
3. Choose which of your cars you're offering (you can offer multiple)
4. The trade analyzer will compare estimated values for you
5. Add a message and submit your offer

The other user will be notified and can Accept, Decline, or Counter.

Step 2: Offer Accepted — Lock In

1. Go to Trade Center to see your active trade
2. Review the trade details carefully
3. When ready, click "Lock In Trade"
4. This starts a 5-day shipping deadline

After locking, the trade cannot be cancelled.

Step 3: Address Exchange

1. Enter your complete shipping address
2. Click "Submit My Address"
3. Wait for your partner to submit theirs

Addresses are revealed only when both have submitted. You can save a default address in Settings to auto-fill.

Step 4: Ship Your Car

1. Package your car securely (bubble wrap recommended)
2. Ship with tracking — always use tracking
3. Click "Mark as Shipped" in the trade
4. Enter your carrier and tracking number

Tracking info is revealed only when both have shipped.

Step 5: Confirm Receipt

1. Inspect the car to make sure it matches the description
2. Click "Confirm Received"
3. Once both confirm, the trade is complete

Step 6: Rate Your Partner

Rate 1–5 stars based on your experience, optionally add a comment. Your ratings build your trading reputation.

1. Go to your catalog and find the car
2. Click Edit
3. Look for the "Availability" dropdown
4. Choose from: For Trade, For Sale, or Both
5. If selling, enter your asking price
6. If trading, describe what you're looking for
7. Save your changes

Your car will now appear in the Community Garage with a badge showing it's available.

If your trade partner doesn't ship, the 5-day shipping deadline will pass, the system will flag the trade as overdue, and you can report the user through our contact form. We may suspend or ban users who repeatedly fail to ship.

However: We cannot force anyone to ship, recover your item, mediate disputes, or provide refunds. We are a platform only — not a party to the transaction.

We recommend starting with smaller trades to build trust, checking user ratings before trading, shipping on the same day, and always using tracked and insured shipping.

Tips to Protect Yourself:

• Start small — Build trust with lower-value trades first
• Check reputation — Look at their trade count, rating, and reviews
• Request current photos — Ask for timestamped photos before agreeing
• Use tracking — Always ship with tracking numbers
• Insure valuable items — Purchase shipping insurance for rare cars
• Screenshot everything — Save all conversations and agreements
• Trust your gut — If something feels off, walk away

If You Experience Fraud:

1. Document everything (screenshots, tracking info, photos)
2. Report it to us so we can ban the user
3. If payment was involved, contact your payment provider
4. Consider filing a police report for significant losses

• Before Lock In: Yes, either party can cancel freely
• After Lock In but before addresses exchanged: May be cancelled with mutual agreement
• After addresses exchanged: Cannot be cancelled — you've committed
• After shipping: Cannot be cancelled

The lock-in system prevents "trade and bail" behavior. Once you lock in, you're committing to complete the trade. This protects both parties.

This is a safety feature. It ensures both parties actually ship before getting tracking info, prevents one person from waiting to see if the other ships first, and creates accountability. Once both parties mark their shipment as sent and enter tracking, the information is revealed to both simultaneously.

When proposing a trade, the analyzer compares both sides to help you make informed decisions. It shows value comparison, a difference calculator, a trade verdict (Fair Trade, Good Deal, etc.), and can generate a friendly trade message for you.

Values are estimates only. Sometimes a car is worth more to you personally than its market value — and that's perfectly fine.

Packaging:

Wrap each car individually in bubble wrap. Use a sturdy rigid box, not a padded envelope. Fill empty space with packing paper. For rare items, double box (wrapped car box inside a larger box). Seal with packing tape and include a thank-you note.

Shipping:

Always use tracking — no exceptions. Consider insurance for valuable items. Photograph the item before packing and the sealed package. Ship promptly — you have 5 days from lock-in.

1. Find a car listed "For Sale" in the Community Garage
2. Click "Buy Now" to see the sale page
3. Review the price, shipping cost, and total
4. Enter your shipping address
5. Click the PayPal button to pay
6. Complete payment through PayPal's secure checkout
7. The seller is notified and ships your item
8. Confirm delivery when you receive it

Payment goes directly from your PayPal to the seller's PayPal. We never touch the money.

Yes. Payments are processed through PayPal's secure platform. PayPal uses bank-level encryption. We never see or store your credit card numbers, bank account details, or PayPal password. Payment information goes directly to PayPal.

We only store a transaction reference number so both buyer and seller can track the sale status.

Since payments go through PayPal, you can use PayPal balance, credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover), debit cards, or a bank account linked to PayPal. You can create a PayPal account during checkout if you don't have one.

When you pay using PayPal Goods & Services, you may be eligible for Item Not Received protection (if your item never arrives) or Significantly Not as Described protection (if the item is materially different).

To file a claim: log into PayPal, go to "Activity," find the transaction, and click "Report a problem." Review PayPal's Buyer Protection policy for full details.

Step 1: Set Up PayPal

Go to Settings, find the PayPal Email field, enter your PayPal email address, and save.

Step 2: List Your Car

Go to your catalog, find the car, click Edit, set Availability to "For Sale" or "Both," enter your sale price and shipping price, and save. Your car will now show a "For Sale" badge.

Payment is sent directly to your PayPal account. You'll receive an email from PayPal confirming payment, and an email from us with the buyer's shipping address. Ship the item, enter tracking info, and once the buyer confirms delivery, the sale is complete.

PayPal charges a fee for receiving payments (typically 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction for US sellers). This is deducted before it reaches your account. We do not charge any additional fees.

The sale moves through four stages: Pending Payment (checkout started), Paid (payment received, seller ships soon), Shipped (on the way, tracking visible), and Completed (delivery confirmed, car transfers to your catalog). You'll receive email notifications at each stage.

Contact the seller first through our messaging system. If you can't resolve it, file a PayPal dispute within their timeframe (usually 180 days). You can also report the user to us so we can ban problematic sellers.

This is why we recommend PayPal — it offers buyer protection that we cannot provide.

No. Pixar Cars Garage is completely free — free to list, free to buy, no commission on sales, no subscription fees, no hidden charges. PayPal does charge sellers a fee (typically 2.9% + $0.30). Those are PayPal's fees, not ours.

Yes. Click "Make Offer" to propose a different price — the seller can accept, decline, or counter. You can also message the seller directly to discuss pricing, bundling, or other arrangements. Always use PayPal Goods & Services for protection.

The Wishlist lets you track cars you're looking for and get notified when they become available. Add the cars you want, and when another user lists a matching car for trade or sale, you'll be notified so you can make an offer before someone else does.

Click Wishlist in the menu, then Add to Wishlist. Search for a car from our Masterlist or fill in details manually. Set your preferences — maximum price and whether to notify for trades, sales, or both — and save.

When someone lists a car matching your wishlist criteria, you'll see a notification badge. The notification tells you which car matched and who listed it, and you can click through to make an offer directly. Matching prioritizes exact Mattel number, then partial name, then movie + year + rarity combinations.

Our Price Calculator is built on over 2,114 real eBay sold prices spanning 2006 to 2026. It uses a 6-tier cascading lookup — not AI, not category averages, and not guesswork:

1. Tier 1: Exact eBay match — If we have a real sold price for your exact car (by Mattel number and year), that price is used directly
2. Tier 2: Same Mattel number, different year — Price adjusted for movie-cycle timing
3. Tier 3: Same character + packaging — Variant tier derived from real character pricing curves
4. Tier 4: Same series + packaging — Position from series price profiles
5. Tier 5: Packaging × year grid — Envelope estimate from real data ranges
6. Tier 6: Multiplier chain fallback — Last resort, using known price multipliers

Every price traces back to a real eBay transaction. The higher the tier that matches, the more precise the estimate.

Our estimates are based on real market data, but they're still estimates. They're useful for getting a solid sense of what your collection is worth, comparing relative value between cars, evaluating trade fairness, and spotting which cars are the most valuable.

They should not be used for insurance claims, official appraisals, tax purposes, or legal matters. Market values fluctuate constantly. The actual value of any car depends on what a buyer is willing to pay on any given day. Always do your own research before major transactions.

A Mattel number is the short alphanumeric code Mattel prints on every diecast package and car base — usually two or three letters followed by two or three digits (for example FLL72, DKG44, GKB85). It uniquely identifies the exact release, including its year and assortment.

You can find it on the back of the card (blister card packaging), on the base/belly of the car itself, or by searching our Checklists by character name.

Series is the number-one price driver, not character name. The same character in different series can have wildly different values:

• Mater: Radiator Springs Classic ~$10 vs. Monster Truck Mater ~$60 (6x difference)
• Luigi: 95 Pit Crew ~$12 vs. Route 66 ~$153 (12x difference)
• McQueen: NASCAR ~$13 vs. Neon Racers ~$60 (4.6x difference)

Our calculator handles this correctly — each Mattel number gets its own lookup, not a generic "McQueen = $X" average.

Go to Settings, select the Profile tab, scroll to Change Password, enter your current password, enter and confirm your new password, and click Update Password.

Go to Settings, select the Trading tab, scroll to Shipping Address, fill in your details, and click Save Trading Settings. This address can auto-fill during trades.

Go to Settings, select the Account tab, and click Download Data. An Excel file will download containing your account information, complete car collection, wishlist, posts, comments, and offers. It opens in Excel, Google Sheets, or any spreadsheet app.

You have full control over your data. You can access it (download anytime from Settings), correct inaccurate information, delete your account and all associated data permanently, and export your data in a standard format. These rights apply to all users, including those in the European Union under GDPR.

See our Privacy Policy or contact us for details.

Go to Settings, select Account, click Delete Account, type "DELETE" to confirm, enter your password, and click Delete Forever. This permanently removes your catalog, messages, trade history, and all other data.

Go to the login page, click "Forgot Password?", enter your email address, and check your inbox for a reset link. Click the link and create a new password. If you don't receive the email, check your spam folder or contact us.

Pixar Cars Garage works best on modern browsers: Google Chrome (recommended), Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Safari (Mac/iOS), and Samsung Internet. Keep your browser updated to the latest version for the best experience.

Check the following: images should be under 10MB; use JPG, PNG, or GIF format; our AI blocks images containing human faces for safety; make sure you have a stable internet connection; and try clearing your browser cache. If problems persist, try a smaller image or contact us.

Currently, Pixar Cars Garage is a web-based platform optimized for both desktop and mobile browsers. There is no dedicated iOS or Android app at this time.

You can add our website to your phone's home screen for an app-like experience. On iPhone: open in Safari, tap the Share button, and select "Add to Home Screen." On Android: open in Chrome, tap the menu, and select "Add to Home Screen."

Go to our Contact page, select "Bug Report" as the subject, describe what happened and what you expected, include screenshots if possible, and tell us your browser and device type. We appreciate bug reports — they help us improve the platform for everyone.