WKDA GmbH

WKDA GmbH operates the website wirkaufendeinauto.de, a German car-selling platform that advertises the ability to receive a final/guaranteed price for used vehicles online and implies an effortless process with minimal required input. The company runs video advertisements on YouTube targeting users in Germany. These ads suggest that users can receive a seemingly instant valuation directly on their device, simply by entering a few vehicle details.

WKDA GmbH

[[File:{{{Logo}}}|200px]]

Basic information
Founded	2012
Type	GmbH
Industry	Used Car Sales
Official website	https://www.wirkaufendeinauto.de/

As of April 2025, the company does not have a dedicated English Wikipedia article, but it is included under the Auto1 Group page: Auto1 Group on german Wikipedia.

Consumer-impact summary

Concerns raised regarding WKDA's service flow include:

• User expectations vs. actual process – YouTube advertisements create the impression that a user will receive a final sale price quickly after basic input, or at least a first automated estimate. In practice, the process requires multiple additional steps including personal data entry and email confirmation on the user's side, as well as probable manual review on WKDA's side since less prominent video publications suggest it takes up to a business day to receive the valuation.
• Data transparency – Users must provide detailed vehicle information over multiple steps and some personal information before any valuation is disclosed, including email address, ZIP code, phone number (optional), and asking price. The online form expands progressively, beginning with brand, model, and registration year. As users continue, more fields appear and the "view valuation" button moves further down. Eventually, users must submit their email under the heading "Dein Angebot wartet! Gib deine E-Mail an und greif jederzeit darauf zu." (Your offer awaits! Provide your email and access it any time.) — along with mandatory consent to receive marketing communications.
• Email consent bundling – To proceed, users must agree to receive marketing emails alongside the valuation. This requirement is not mentioned in the advertisements.
• Difficult unsubscription – The first confirmation email lacks an unsubscribe link, despite the FAQ claiming that every email includes such an option. Options to unsubscribe via the user portal could not be found, while using the link from the sign-in verification code email lead to an 403 permission error. Unsubscribing only seems to work after receiving an actual marketing email, at which time users may already refrain from attempting again.
• No option to delete - After using the unsubscribe link from the marketing email, login credentials and entered car information persist with no apparent way to delete the account or remove/modify the stored email address or remove the stored car or its information.
• Disproportionate liability – Under WKDA’s Terms and Conditions (AGB, Art. C.3 and I.1), users are fully liable for any discrepancies in the vehicle information they provide, even if such features are not obvious or known to non-experts. At the same time, WKDA limits its own liability to cases of intent or gross negligence and excludes responsibility for damages caused by minor negligence unless these concern essential contractual obligations (AGB, Art. I.2–3, I.5). This creates an imbalance, shifting risk to the consumer while insulating the platform from most consequences of its own conduct.

Incidents

Mismatch between advertisement claims and actual user experience (April 2025)

Screenshot from the landing page as of April 2025-04-16. Translation: "Sell your car quickly • Without stress and at a great price - Receive your final selling price immediately and book your drop-off appointment online" featuring the initial form inputs before expansion

Screenshot compilation of what leads up to the "request final price" button, as of April 2025-04-16, excluding intermediate steps like email confirmation.

WKDA’s advertising campaign promotes a highly simplified online process:

• In Ad #1 an alleged user claims: "Ich bekam bequem online und super schnell einen garantierten Preis" (“I received a guaranteed price online, conveniently and super quickly”) — the screen shows a final price directly revealed after entering very little, basic information.
• In Ad #2 the narrator states: "Gib online deine Autodetails ein und schon erhältst du den finalen Verkaufspreis" (“Enter your car details online and you'll immediately receive the final sale price.”) — the screen shows a final price directly revealed after entering very little, basic information.
• In Ad #3 the interface shows fields for brand, model, and first registration only. After clicking "Kostenlos bewerten" (“Evaluate for free”), the input form animates and flips to instantly reveal "Deine Bewertung – 12.500 €", followed by a form for booking an appointment. No mention of needing an email address or further steps is shown.
• In Ad #4 the very first, basic inputs are shown on a smartphone screen and a simple tap on the "Weiter" (“Next”) button instantly reveals the valuation price.
• In Ad #5 the very first, basic inputs are shown on a smartphone screen and a simple tap on the "Weiter" (“Next”) button instantly reveals the valuation price.
• In the Video "Auto von Zuhause verkaufen" the instructions say: "Ergänze nach der Online-Bewertung noch fehlende Fahrzeugdetails" (“Complete missing vehicle details after the online valuation”), with a smartphone screen showing "Online-Bewertung für deinen BMW 320i Touring – 13.650 €" (“Online valuation for your BMW 320i Touring - €13.650”) right after filling out the first input form, indicating that the established terminology of "Online-Bewertung" means the user receives an instant (maybe automatic) valuation/price and that this happens before further details need to be provided (like some additional specifications, condition and finally photos). However, the video goes on to explain a more elaborate process and thereby contradicts the impression conveyed by the advertisement videos. While the video "Auto von Zuhause verkaufen" states the process in more detail, it does not appear to be used as a YouTube ad and was only discovered during research for this article. Further this video clarifies that the vehicle must be physically brought to a branch location for verification, where employees assess whether the submitted information accurately reflects the car's actual condition, potentially affecting the quoted price. The presentation of a "final price" and "guaranteed price" in the ads creates the impression of a binding offer, when in fact the price still seems to be subject to verification and possible adjustment. While there is nothing wrong with this process, this deepens the impression of misleading advertisement.

Final step and the button "Bewertung ansehen" (“View valuation”)

Dialog that pops up after clicking "Bewertung ansehen" (“View valuation”). Translation of the heading: "Confirm email and receive final selling price"

Despite the implication of immediacy, users report the actual process as follows:

• After an initial basic form, which expands progressively, users are prompted for an email address and marketing consent before proceeding.
• Clicking "Bewertung ansehen" (“View valuation”) does not show a valuation but redirects to email confirmation.
• After confirming, users do not receive any valuation but must provide additional information (including, but not limited to, ZIP code, VIN, and asking price).
• Only then can they click "Endgültigen Verkaufspreis anfragen" (“Request final sale price”) — indicating that no valuation has been shown yet and instead “will be requested”.
• As the reporter lost trust and patience at this point it remains unclear at which point they might have actually received a valuation for their car. The video "Auto von Zuhause verkaufen" suggests that further inputs will be required after this point - like adding photos (step 3 in the video).

These steps are presented differently or in a different order or not reflected at all in the ads, where prices are shown before any registration, verification or further details are requested, creating a mismatch between expectation and reality. Ads suggest an automated and instant estimate, while in reality users are guided through an elaborate "request a quote" process where they need to provide extensive detail and agree to receive marketing emails.

Unsubscribe process issues (April 2025)

Attempts to unsubscribe have revealed usability problems:

Link to unsubscribe from login confirmation mail yields a "403 Forbidden" error

• Initial confirmation emails contain no visible unsubscribe link, despite FAQ claims that every message includes a “hier abmelden” (“unsubscribe here”) option. The FAQ page (https://www.wirkaufendeinauto.de/faq/e-mail-abmelden/) describes an unsubscribe process involving footer links, but these are absent in the first email received.
• Attempting to log in requires email verification again and the received email containing a 6-digit verification code also contains the expected unsubscribe link, but this leads to a "403 Forbidden" error page.
• Only after receiving a marketing email — not part of the signup process — does a working unsubscribe link appear in the footer of that marketing email.

Obligations and Liability

According to WKDA's General Terms and Conditions (AGB, as of October 2022), users are explicitly responsible for the accuracy of the information they provide about their vehicle.

Section C, Paragraph 3 states that users must ensure the correctness of all provided vehicle data:

Der Nutzer garantiert, dass das Fahrzeug dem von ihm beschriebenen Zustand entspricht und keine wertmindernde Beschaffenheit aufweist, auf die der Nutzer nicht hingewiesen hat. Auf Abschnitt I.1. wird ausdrücklich verwiesen.

Translation:

The user guarantees that the vehicle corresponds to the condition described by the user and does not exhibit any value-reducing properties not pointed out by the user. Express reference is made to Section I.1.

Section I, Paragraph 1 clarifies that the user shall compensate WKDA for any resulting damage due to false information:

Der Nutzer garantiert gegenüber wkda und im Falle eines Verkaufs auch gegenüber dem Käufer, die Richtigkeit seiner gegenüber wkda und/oder dem Käufer gemachten, - und insbesondere der im Kaufvertrag enthaltenen - Angaben. Aufwendungen und Schäden, die wkda und/oder dem Käufer aufgrund fehlerhafter Angaben des Nutzers entstehen, hat der Nutzer diesen in voller Höhe zu ersetzen.

Translation:

The user guarantees to wkda, and in the event of a sale, also to the buyer, the accuracy of the information provided to wkda and/or the buyer – and in particular the information contained in the purchase agreement. The user is responsible for fully compensating wkda and/or the buyer for any expenses and damages incurred by wkda and/or the buyer due to incorrect information provided by the user.

This creates a potentially broad and disproportionate liability — even for minor errors or omissions — which may raise concerns under German civil law (§307 BGB), which requires standard contract terms not to unduly disadvantage consumers. The language implies that users are liable for any overlooked or undisclosed 'value-reducing properties', including those they could not reasonably be expected to recognize/detect.

Given that users of the platform are typically laypersons, not automotive professionals, this level of responsibility appears misaligned with the likely knowledge and capabilities of the average consumer. It would be more reasonable and legally balanced for such liability to shift to WKDA or its staff at the point of in-person verification, where trained professionals can assess the vehicle’s condition objectively and accurately.

Consent Withdrawal and Data Control

Under Article 7(3) GDPR, users must be able to withdraw consent "as easily as it was given." However, WKDA’s process raises compliance concerns:

• Users cannot access a valuation without first consenting to marketing communications, which effectively bundles consent and makes withdrawal irrelevant until after data has already been submitted.
• Unsubscribing is only possible after receiving a marketing email, which can take time and is not equivalent in ease to the initial sign-up.
• There is no apparent option for users to delete their automatically created account, change their email address, or remove vehicle data after submission.

These limitations suggest that the withdrawal of consent and user control over personal data are not facilitated with the ease required by GDPR.

Products

• wirkaufendeinauto.de – WKDA’s platform for online car evaluation and buy offers. Despite advertising a near-instant valuation, the process involves numerous steps, mandatory agreement to marketing communication and partly broken ways to unsubscribe.

See also

• Bundled consent
• Dark patterns (roach motel, default-settings exploitation, obstruction)
• False advertising
• Liability shifting