Frequently asked questions

Underbook reviews privately purchased vehicles in British Columbia to determine whether an appraisal may support a lower taxable value for PST purposes. For a private sale, PST may be calculated using Canadian Black Book’s Average Wholesale Value rather than only what you paid — a benchmark that can be higher than your purchase price, and that cannot see the condition of the specific vehicle you bought. Where the evidence supports it, an appraisal may reduce the PST owed at transfer.

Underbook supports BC private-sale vehicle PST appraisals — before registration, or as refund support after you’ve already paid. See Service scope and appraisal boundaries for the complete fit boundary.

Every appraisal is reviewed and completed by Underbook before your documents are prepared and sent to you. Underbook Appraisals Ltd. provides independent private vehicle appraisals throughout British Columbia for PST purposes. Our appraisal process is designed around BC requirements for private-sale vehicle appraisals, including FIN 320 and, where applicable, FIN 355 documentation.

No. Underbook is designed so you can check whether an appraisal appears worthwhile before paying for one. Underbook reviews your submission first. If the appraisal is likely to save you more than it costs, a payment request is sent. If not, you are told before you pay anything. See How the Underbook review works for the complete journey.

No. You can start with your VIN and purchase price — no account is required.

Yes. The whole process is online, using the details and photos you provide, so it works the same anywhere in the province. Customers can use Underbook from Vancouver, Surrey, Victoria, Nanaimo, Kelowna, Prince George, or a smaller BC community.

Most reviews are completed within 30 minutes during review hours. If we can help you save money on PST, we’ll send you a payment request after review. Your documents are prepared after payment.

No. Underbook reviews every submission. If an appraisal does not appear likely to provide a useful benefit, you will be told and Underbook will not request payment. See Is a FIN 320 appraisal worth it?.

Yes — this is the simpler of the two paths. See Appraisal before registration for the exact sequence.

A completed appraisal may still support a refund. See Vehicle PST refund after purchase for the journey, and The appraisal-based refund deadline for the exact timing.

The BC government’s Motor Vehicle Appraisal form — a single document, not your whole appraisal package. See FIN 320 and your Autoplan broker for the complete explanation.

No. Your broker processes registration but does not perform the appraisal, decide the appraised value, or decide the tax result. See FIN 320 and your Autoplan broker for the complete responsibility map.

The standard appraisal fee ceiling is $80, including GST; lower fair-pricing fees can apply. You are never charged upfront — a payment request is only sent after Underbook reviews your submission, and only if the appraisal appears likely to be worthwhile. See Pricing and when payment is requested for the complete rule.

Your first completed appraisal uses the standard price of $80, including GST, unless the fair-pricing rule sets a lower fee. After that, future eligible appraisals are $71, including GST — the returning-customer price. There is no membership and no subscription. Each new vehicle still needs its own review, evidence and photos, and its own final appraisal decision.

If a future appraisal has only modest PST savings, the fair-pricing rule can still reduce the fee below the returning-customer rate. You will never pay more because you are a returning customer.

No paid appraisal is offered, and no payment is requested. Underbook tells you plainly instead.

Your vehicle’s actual condition can differ from the general benchmark Canadian Black Book publishes. See How vehicle condition affects an appraisal for what evidence helps.

No. Any internal reference values used during review are not shown publicly. Customers see only a preliminary savings range or a final confirmed estimate after review.

Canadian Black Book data is used as an input in preparing your appraisal, but the underlying wholesale values are proprietary licensed data and are not displayed or provided to consumers. Your Underbook appraisal provides the appraised value relevant to your vehicle and transaction.

No. Classic and collector-vehicle appraisals are outside Underbook’s service scope, and Underbook does not provide collector-market, insurance, agreed-value, estate or restoration valuations. Age alone doesn’t make a vehicle a collector vehicle: an older, ordinary used vehicle bought privately in BC is reviewed like any other. See Service scope and appraisal boundaries for the complete boundary.

Under the applicable listing rules, the wholesale-value comparison does not apply, and PST is generally based on your purchase price. See Why Canadian Black Book may affect PST for the listing boundary.

No. A preliminary estimate is not a guarantee. Final acceptance and tax treatment depend on the information provided, the completed appraisal, and the transfer process. Underbook reviews every submission and tells you plainly when proceeding wouldn’t genuinely help — but no appraisal, tax or refund outcome is ever guaranteed.

A small clerical detail, such as a misspelled name, a VIN typo or an incorrect date, is corrected at no charge. A change to the underlying facts or the appraised value is different: Underbook reviews it and may correct the package, but that isn’t treated as a simple clerical fix.