Getting Started
Go-Live Checklist
Five steps to go from zero to taking live online offers. Do them in order — each builds on the last. Your Dashboard shows a live progress tracker until all five are complete.
1
Fill in your company info
Go to Settings → General. Enter your company name, your notification email (where lead alerts go), and your business phone number (shown to customers on the offer page). Also add your logo URL if you have one, and your Google review link so it appears in the post-completion thank-you email.
Go to Settings →
2
Set up your pricing
Go to Pricing and click + Add Rule. Choose a year range like 2000–2015, leave make and model blank to match any vehicle, set type to Flat $, and enter your offer amount. That rule now handles every car in that year range. Add more rules for different ranges at different amounts. The rule with the lowest priority number always runs first.
Go to Pricing →
3
Review your offer email
Go to Messaging → Email Templates and click Offer Sent. This is the most important email — customers receive it when their offer is ready. Update the subject and body to sound like your business. At minimum make sure your company name, phone number, and the {portal_url} tag are in the body. That link is how customers accept.
Go to Email Templates →
4
Add the form to your website
Go to Settings → Embed. Copy the code snippet and paste it into your website's HTML wherever you want the form to appear — your 'Sell Your Car' page or homepage works well. The form is an iframe that resizes automatically. Use Preview Form in the sidebar to see exactly what customers will see.
Get Embed Code →
5
Submit a test lead
Use Preview Form in the sidebar to open your form. Submit it with your own contact info and a real vehicle. Check that the offer calculated correctly, that you received a notification email, and that the lead shows up in your Leads page. If the price is wrong, adjust your pricing rules and test again.
View Leads →

Page Guide
Dashboard
Your home base. Performance metrics for any time period, your lead pipeline at a glance, and a go-live checklist when you first set up.
app.thejunkcarsystem.com/dashboard
Dashboard
Last 30 days
1
Day
Week
Month
Year
2
Stat Cards
Total Leads
0
Revenue
$0
Avg Offer
Offer Rate
0%
Close Rate
0%
Avg Accept
3
Lead Volume Click a bar to view that day's leads
0 this month
Thu, Feb 19Fri, Mar 6Today
4
Recent Leads
All Leads →
No leads yet. Share your embed form to start getting submissions.
5
Pipeline Health
0% close rate
0 won · 0 lost/expired
Avg accept: —
New 0
Offered 0
Accepted 0
6
Top Vehicles
No data yet
1
Period Picker — Switch between Day, Week, Month, and Year. All stats, the lead volume chart, and pipeline health update to show only activity within that window.
2
Stat Cards — Six key numbers: Total Leads submitted, Revenue from completed deals, Avg Offer (average dollar amount offered), Offer Rate (% of leads that got an offer), Close Rate (% of offered leads that completed), and Avg Accept Time (how long from offer sent to customer accepting).
3
Lead Volume — A bar chart showing how many leads came in each day over the selected period. Click any bar to jump to the Leads page filtered to that specific day.
4
Recent Leads — Your most recent leads regardless of time period. Click any row to open that lead. Click "All Leads →" to go to the full Leads page.
5
Pipeline Health — Shows your close rate as a visual, plus how many leads are currently sitting at New, Offered, and Accepted stages. A large Offered number means customers are waiting — consider setting up follow-up sequences.
6
Top Vehicles — The most commonly submitted vehicle makes and models for the selected period. Useful for knowing which vehicles are most popular in your area so you can price them competitively.
Go-Live Checklist: When your account is new, a checklist card appears above the stats walking through the 5 setup steps. It tracks your progress in real time and disappears once everything is complete.

Page Guide
Leads
Every quote submission lives here. Filter, search, and click any row to open the full lead detail.
app.thejunkcarsystem.com/leads
Leads
1
2
3
Ref
CustomerVehicleOffer
4
Status
Date
#000124
James Torres
(555) 201-4488
2009 Ford F-150$375● OfferedMar 20
#000123
Maria Gonzalez
(555) 388-1122
2013 Honda Accord$450● AcceptedMar 19
#000122
Dave Kowalski
(555) 907-3344
2006 Chevy Impala● NewMar 19
#000121
Sarah Chen
(555) 144-8800
2011 Toyota Camry$400● NegotiatingMar 18
#000120
Tom Barnes
(555) 512-9900
2007 Dodge Ram$3205● ExpiredMar 15
1
Status Filter — Dropdown that shows only leads at a specific stage. Every status is listed: New, Offered, Negotiating, Accepted, Scheduled, Completed, Lost, No Offer, Expired. Select "All statuses" to see everything.
2
Search — Finds leads by customer name, phone number, or vehicle make/model. Partial matches work — searching "ford" finds all Fords.
3
Lead Row — Click anywhere on a row to open the full lead detail. Ref is your sequential internal ID. Customer shows name and phone. The offer column shows the final offer amount, or the calculated offer if no final has been manually set.
4
Status Badge — Color coded: Blue = New (needs attention or manual offer), Amber = Offered (waiting on customer), Green = Accepted/Completed, Purple = Negotiating (customer countered), Gray = Lost/Expired.
5
Expired Lead — When an offer passes its expiry date without the customer responding, the lead automatically moves to Expired. You can still open the lead and make a fresh offer if you want to try again.

Page Guide
Lead Detail
The full picture of a single lead — customer info, vehicle, form answers, offer tools, pickup scheduling, photos, and the complete activity history.
Top Section — Overview & Offer Management
app.thejunkcarsystem.com/leads/124
1
← Leads #000124 — James Torres ● Offered
2
3
Pipeline
Submitted
Offered
Accepted
Scheduled
Completed
4
Customer
Name
James Torres
Phone
(555) 201-4488
Email
j.torres@email.com
ZIP
14450
5
Vehicle
Year
2009
Make
Ford
Model
F-150
Mileage
142,000
Has Title
Yes
Weight
4,069 lbs
6
Customer Answers
Does the vehicle start?No (-$50)
Does it have keys?Yes ($0)
ConditionFair (-$25)
7
Offer
$375
Calc: $450 · Rule: 2005–2015 Flat · -$75 adjustments
8
Change Status
9
Admin Notes
1
Lead Header — Reference number, customer name, and current status badge. All in one line so you always know exactly which lead you're looking at.
2
Send Portal Link — Resends the offer email with a fresh link to the customer's portal page. A "Send SMS" checkbox lets you text it at the same time. The portal link itself never expires unless the offer does.
3
Pipeline Bar — Visual progress through the 5 stages. Completed stages are green with a check, the active stage pulses with its status color, future stages are faded. Special statuses like Negotiating and Match-or-Beat appear as extra nodes between Offered and Accepted.
4
Customer Info — Name, phone, email, and ZIP. All fields are editable inline — click any value to update it if a customer gives you a correction over the phone.
5
Vehicle Details — Year, make, model, mileage, title status, and curb weight. Weight is looked up automatically from your vehicle database and used by $/lb and $/ton pricing rules.
6
Customer Answers — Every question the customer answered, with the price adjustment shown in parentheses next to each answer. Red = deduction, green = addition. This is your audit trail for exactly why the offer came out as it did.
7
Offer Panel — Shows the final offer, the calculated amount from the pricing engine, and which rule matched. Click "Edit Offer Amount" to type a new number — saving it automatically sends the Offer Updated email to the customer.
8
Status Dropdown — Change the lead status manually. Setting to "Offered" sends the offer email. Setting to "Completed" fires the thank-you and review request emails. Most transitions trigger automatic actions.
9
Admin Notes — Internal only — customers never see this. Auto-saves when you click away. Use it to log phone calls, note anything unusual about the vehicle, or leave reminders for yourself.
Lower Section — Photos, Conditional Cards & Pickup
Lead Detail — lower portion
1
Customer Counter-Offer
Negotiating Mar 20 · 2:14 PM
They want
$450
Your offer: $375 (+$75 difference)
Their reason
I just replaced the tires 6 months ago and they're basically brand new. Was hoping that would be worth a bit more.
2
Competing Offer
Match or Beat
Their Offer
$420
Buyer
Peddle
Review the competitor offer and update your offer amount above if you want to match or beat it. Saving a new amount sends the Offer Updated email automatically.
3
Customer Photos
Vehicle
front
Vehicle
rear
Title
front
VIN
plate
4 of 4 requested documents uploaded. Click any photo to view full size or download.
4
Pickup Details
The customer's preferred pickup date is shown here. Confirm it's correct before dispatching a driver.
Pickup Date
Time Slot — no slots for this day
Pickup Notes
5
Driver & Schedule
Optionally assign a driver, then click Schedule and Text Driver or Schedule Only to confirm the booking. You can assign a driver later if needed.
Assign Driver (optional)
No driver selected — both buttons will mark as scheduled with no driver assigned. You can assign one later.
6
Activity Log
Mar 20 2:14 PM  Customer submitted counter-offer of $450
Mar 20 9:00 AM  Offer email sent to customer ($375)
Mar 20 8:47 AM  Lead created via online form
1
Counter-Offer Card — Appears when a customer submits a counter via their portal. Shows their requested amount, the difference from your offer, and their written reason. Three quick actions: Accept Counter (updates final offer and sends offer email), Make a New Offer (opens the offer field pre-filled with their number), or Mark as Lost.
2
Competing Offer Card — Appears when a customer uses the "Match or Beat" form to submit a competitor quote. Shows the competitor's amount, buyer name, and a screenshot of the quote image they uploaded. Update your offer amount to match or beat it — this sends the Offer Updated email automatically.
3
Customer Photos — Shows all documents the customer uploaded: vehicle photos, title front and back, VIN plate photo, and any additional documents. Click any thumbnail to view full size. The number uploaded vs. requested is shown below, along with "Awaiting" badges for uploads still pending.
4
Pickup Details — Set or confirm the customer's pickup date, time slot, and any special notes (gate code, parking instructions, etc.). If a time slot shows "no slots for this day" it means all your slots for that date are at capacity — choose a different date or add more capacity in Dispatch → Pickup Slots.
5
Driver & Schedule — Optionally select a driver from your list. Schedule (Text Later) marks the lead as Scheduled and sends the customer their pickup confirmation email — you can assign a driver separately afterward. Schedule Only confirms the booking without sending anything to the driver yet. If you select a driver first, "Schedule (Text Later)" becomes "Schedule and Text Driver" and sends the driver their job details by SMS at the same time.
6
Activity Log — A timestamped record of everything that has happened: when the lead was created, when emails sent, when the customer took action, when the status changed. Full audit trail for every lead.
Offer Breakdown & Messages Sent
Lead Detail — right column, below offer panel
1
Offer Breakdown
Base Rule: Any Vehicle 2005–2015 (Flat $)$450
Does not start−$50
Fair condition−$25
ZIP Adjustment (Zone 2 — 15–30 miles)−$0
Final Offer (rounded to nearest $25)$375
2
Messages Sent
Offer Sent
Mar 20 · 9:00 AM · Email
Delivered
24-Hour Reminder (follow-up)
Mar 21 · 9:00 AM · Email
Delivered
72-Hour Bump Offer (follow-up)
Scheduled Mar 23 · 9:00 AM
Queued
1
Offer Breakdown — Shows exactly how the final offer was calculated. Starts with the base rule that matched (name and type), then lists every question adjustment that applied and whether it added or subtracted, then any ZIP adjustment, then the final rounded total. This is your audit trail — if a customer asks why their offer is a certain amount, this tells you exactly why.
2
Messages Sent — Every email and SMS sent to this customer, with timestamp, type (triggered email vs follow-up sequence), and delivery status. Queued follow-ups show here too — you can see what's scheduled to go out and when. If you want to stop a queued follow-up from firing, change the lead status (accepting, declining, or marking lost cancels all queued messages automatically).

Page Guide
Quick Quote
Quote a customer over the phone using the same pricing engine as the online form. Enter the vehicle info, see the calculated offer instantly, and optionally send them an email — all without the customer touching anything.
app.thejunkcarsystem.com/quick-quote
Quick Quote
1
Customer Info
Full Name
Phone
Email
ZIP Code
Vehicle
Year
Make
Model
Mileage (optional)
Has Title?
2
Result
Calculated Offer
$375
Rule: 2005–2015 Any Vehicle · Flat $450
−$50 (no start) −$25 (fair condition)
3
Override Final Offer (optional)
5
1
Customer Info — Name, phone, email, and ZIP. All required except email. ZIP is used for ZIP-based pricing adjustments. Phone is used to check for duplicate submissions based on your duplicate settings.
2
Result Panel — Updates in real time as you enter vehicle info. Shows the calculated offer, which pricing rule matched, and a breakdown of every adjustment applied. If no rule matches it shows "No Offer" before you create the lead.
3
Override Final Offer — Type a different amount to override what the pricing engine calculated. Both numbers are saved on the lead — "calculated offer" (what the engine said) and "final offer" (what you actually quote). Leave blank to use the calculated amount.
4
Notify Customer — When checked, the offer email goes out immediately after the lead is created. Uncheck this if you're still on the phone with them and want to discuss first — you can send the offer email anytime from the lead detail page.
5
Create Lead — Creates the lead record and optionally emails the customer. You're taken directly to the lead detail page so you can see the full record and take next steps immediately.

Page Guide
Dispatch
Manage pickups, assign drivers, and set up your available time slots. All accepted and scheduled leads live here in one view.
Adding Drivers & Setting Up Pickup Slots
Dispatch → Drivers tab
Your Drivers
1
2
Name
PhoneStatusPickups (30d)
Mike Reyes(555) 801-4400Active12
Carlos Vega(555) 302-7788Active8
3
Add New Driver
Driver Name
Cell Phone Number
1
+ Add Driver — Opens the form. All you need is a name and a cell phone number. Drivers don't need an account or an app — they receive all job details by SMS only. Once added, they appear in the assignment dropdown immediately.
2
Driver List — All your drivers with their pickup count for the month. Set a driver Inactive to remove them from the dropdown without deleting their record.
3
Add Driver Form — Name and phone. That's it. No passwords, no setup on their end. After saving, go to the Queue tab and the driver will be selectable in the dropdown for any accepted lead.
Pickup Slots: Go to the Pickup Slots tab to set your available days and time windows. Customers see these when they accept their offer and can choose a time. Set max bookings per slot to prevent overbooking. Pickup slots are optional — without them, customers accept normally and you coordinate timing by phone.

Page Guide
Pricing Rules
Pricing rules tell the system what to offer for each vehicle. Rules are checked in priority order — lowest number first. The first matching rule wins and sets the base offer. If no rule matches, the Pricing Matrix is checked next.
Priority matters. Put your most specific rules first (e.g. Honda Civic 2010–2016 at priority 1) and your catch-all rules last (e.g. Any Vehicle 2000–2020 at priority 5). The first matching rule always wins — specific rules must come before general ones.
The Rule Editor — Every Field Explained
Pricing Rules → New Pricing Rule
1
Scrap Price Per Ton
Used by all scrap % rules · Current metal price: $20.00/ton
$20.00/ton
2
VEHICLE FILTER — leave blank to match any
Year
Make
Model
OFFER AMOUNT
3
Pricing Type
Flat $
$/lb
$/ton
% of scrap
Pay a fixed dollar amount for every vehicle that matches this rule. Simple and predictable — great for "any car 2000–2010, pay $300."
4
Amount
$
5
Weight Range (lbs) — leave blank to match any weight
lbs
6
ZIP Code Filter — comma-separated · leave blank for any ZIP
7
No-Title Handling — what happens when a customer says they don't have a title
No restriction
Title status doesn't affect this rule at all
Title required
Skip this rule if no title — fall through to the next rule
Deduct an amount
Apply this rule but subtract a dollar amount for no title
No offer without title
Block the offer completely if there's no title
8
QUESTION CONDITIONS — ALL conditions must match
Example: only pay this rate for vehicles that drive AND have a title. Leave empty to match any vehicle regardless of answers.
9
10
Lock this as the exact offer — no price adjustments
Any question conditions above still determine whether this rule applies. But once it does, the amount you entered is the final offer — your form questions won't add to or subtract from it. Use this when you want a fixed, guaranteed price with no exceptions.
11
Rule Name — auto-generated from selections above · edit to override
12
1
Scrap Price Per Ton — Set your current scrap metal price here. Used as the base value for all % of scrap rules. Update it whenever scrap prices change so your offers stay accurate.
2
Vehicle Filter — Set year range using the dropdowns, then type make and model. Leave any field blank to match anything. Year "Any–Any" + blank make + blank model = catches every vehicle. Year 2005–2015 + Honda + blank model = any Honda from those years.
3
Pricing TypeFlat $: fixed dollar amount every time — most yards start here. $/lb: multiply curb weight in pounds by your rate. $/ton: multiply curb weight in tons by your rate. % of scrap: calculate as a percentage of scrap metal value based on your scrap price per ton above.
4
Amount — For Flat $: the dollar amount offered. For $/lb or $/ton: your rate per unit (e.g. $0.12/lb). For % of scrap: the percentage (e.g. 45 means 45% of scrap value).
5
Weight Range — Only apply this rule to vehicles within a specific weight range. Leave both blank to match any weight. Curb weight is looked up automatically from your vehicle database based on year, make, model.
6
ZIP Code Filter — Restrict this rule to only apply when the customer's ZIP code is in this list. Enter ZIPs comma-separated. Leave blank for any ZIP. Different from ZIP Adjustments — this makes the rule not match at all for excluded ZIPs rather than just adjusting the price.
7
No-Title HandlingNo restriction: apply normally regardless of title. Title required: skip this rule entirely if no title, fall through to the next rule. Deduct an amount: apply the rule but subtract a set dollar amount for no title. No offer without title: block the offer completely for no-title vehicles matching this rule.
8
Question Conditions — Optional requirements that must be true for this rule to apply. Pick a question and required answer. ALL conditions must match. Example: add "Does the vehicle start? = No" to create a rule that only applies to non-running vehicles. A rule with no conditions applies to any vehicle that matches the vehicle filter.
9
+ Add Condition — Click to add another condition to the rule. All conditions must be satisfied together — it's AND logic, not OR. If you need OR logic (this rule applies if the car doesn't start OR has no keys), create two separate rules.
10
Lock this as the exact offer — When checked, the rule amount is the final price with no exceptions. Question adjustments (like −$50 for no keys, −$25 for fair condition) are completely skipped. The question conditions above still control whether this rule fires — but once it does, the amount is locked. Use this when you want a firm guaranteed price for a specific vehicle type and don't want any form answers changing it.
11
Rule Name — A label for identifying this rule in the list. It's auto-generated from your selections above — for example "Honda · Civic · 2010–2016 · Flat $" — but you can edit it to anything you want. Click the field and type over it. Customers never see this name.
12
Save & Activate / Save as Draft — Save & Activate makes the rule live immediately — it will start matching incoming quotes right away. Save as Draft saves the rule without activating it. The rule appears in the list at reduced opacity in draft state. Deactivate from the list to temporarily pause a rule without deleting it.
Pricing Matrix — Fallback Pricing by Body Style & Year
Pricing → Pricing Matrix tab
1
⚡ Pricing Matrix
— fallback pricing by body style & year
Active
2
Pricing rules always take priority. If no rule matches, the matrix kicks in. Leave a cell blank to skip that combination — the customer gets a review offer instead.
all
3
Body Style
ALL YEARS
5
↓ Fill column
2000 – 2009 ×
6
↓ Fill column
+
4
NO ADJ.
Compact Car
$
$
no
Midsize Car
$
$
no
Fullsize Car
$
$
no
Sports Car
$
$
no
1
Active Toggle — Turn the entire matrix on or off. When off, only your pricing rules are used. When on, the matrix acts as a fallback for vehicles that don't match any rule.
2
Priority: Rules beat matrix. Pricing rules always run first. Only when no rule matches does the system check the matrix. Use rules for your most important pricing (specific makes, year ranges, conditions) and the matrix as a safety net for everything else.
3
Body Style rows — Each row is a vehicle body type (Compact Car, Midsize Car, Fullsize Car, Sports Car, SUV, Truck, Van, etc.). The checkbox on the left activates or deactivates that row entirely. Uncheck a body style to exclude it from matrix pricing.
4
NO ADJ. checkbox — When checked for a row, question adjustments (like −$50 for no start) are skipped for that body style. The cell amount is the exact final offer with no deductions. Use this for firm prices on specific body types.
5
↓ Fill column (All Years) — Click this green button under "ALL YEARS" to set one price that fills every body style row in that column at once. Type a dollar amount and press Enter — it copies down instantly. You can still override individual cells afterward.
6
↓ Fill column (Year Range) — Same as above but for a specific year range column. Click the button, type your price, press Enter — every body style in that year range gets that amount. The year range label (e.g. "2000 – 2009") is clickable to edit the years. Click × to remove that column entirely. Use the + button to add new year range columns.
ZIP Adjustments — Add or Subtract by Customer Location
Pricing → ZIP Adjustments tab
1
HOW IT WORKS
When a customer submits a quote, their ZIP code is matched against your groups below. The adjustment is added to (or subtracted from) the offer after all pricing rules and question adjustments have run — it appears as its own line in the offer breakdown. The first matching group wins, so put more specific groups above general ones. If no group matches, no ZIP adjustment is applied.
Typical setup: a "Local" group with $0 for nearby ZIPs, a "Mid-range" group with −$50 for ZIPs 15–30 miles out, and a "Far" group with −$100 for anything farther.
1
2
3
Adjustment $
+$0
4
ZIP CODES — 3 valid ZIPs
2
Adjustment $ −$75
ZIP CODES — 2 valid ZIPs
1
How It Works — ZIP adjustments fire after all other pricing has been calculated. The final offer = base rule amount + question adjustments + ZIP adjustment. The ZIP adjustment appears as its own labeled line in the offer breakdown the customer sees.
2
Group Name — A label for your own reference (e.g. "Local", "Mid-range", "Far"). Customers don't see this name.
3
Adjustment Amount — Enter a positive number to add to the offer, a negative number to subtract. −75 means subtract $75 from the final offer for customers in those ZIPs. The first group whose ZIPs contain the customer's ZIP wins.
4
ZIP Codes — Paste or type ZIP codes, one per line or comma-separated. The system validates them and shows how many valid ZIPs are in each group. Put more specific/higher-priority groups at the top since the first match wins.

Page Guide
Vehicle Pricing Adjustments
The questions customers answer on the quote form. Every answer adjusts the base offer up or down. Questions live in sections — each section is one step of the multi-step form. Drag to reorder, toggle to hide without deleting.
The Title Question — Always Present on Every Form
Questions page — top of list
3
What type of vehicle title do you have?
SYSTEM · shown on all forms
This question always appears on the customer form before the contact step. Set a price adjustment per answer below — leave blank for no adjustment.
I have a clean title in my name
$
I have a salvage or rebuilt title
$(no adj.)
I do not have the title
$
Negative = deduct from offer · Positive = add to offer · Use pricing rules for vehicle-specific title overrides (e.g. no title = no offer for a specific make/model)
1
System Question — The title question is built into every form and can't be removed. It always appears before the customer enters their contact info. You can't change the wording, but you can set the price adjustment for each answer.
2
Title Adjustments — Set a dollar adjustment for each title type. Enter a negative number like -100 to subtract $100 for salvage titles. Enter 0 for no adjustment. Enter a positive number to add to the offer.
3
Rule-level title handling vs. global — These adjustments apply globally across all pricing rules. For more specific control (e.g. no offer at all for no-title vehicles matching a specific rule), use the No-Title Handling section inside each individual pricing rule. Rule-level settings override these global amounts.
Creating or Editing a Question — Setup Tab
Questions → New question → Setup tab
① Setup
② Logic & Auto-sets
1
Question Label *
2
Answer Type
3
Form Section
4
Helper Text (optional)
5
Answer Options Set each option's label and its price impact.
1
6
$
2
$
1
Question Label — What the customer sees on the form. Keep it short and plain. This is exactly what shows up as the question text on the customer-facing form.
2
Answer TypeSingle choice: pick exactly one from a list (radio buttons). Most common. Multi-select: pick one or more from a list (checkboxes). Use for "which of these apply?" questions. Number: numeric input — you set min and max allowed values. ZIP Code: a ZIP code input field — validates US ZIP format. Text: open free-text answer. Doesn't affect pricing, just collects information.
3
Form Section — Which step of the multi-step form this question appears on. Vehicle Details, Under the Hood, and Condition are the defaults. Each section is its own page. You can rename and reorder sections using the Sections button at the top of the Questions page.
4
Helper Text — Optional sub-text shown below the question label on the form. Use it for clarification — "Check all that apply" for multi-select, or "Mileage shown on odometer" for a mileage question.
5
Answer Options — Each option gets a label (what the customer sees) and a price impact. Enter a negative number to subtract from the offer, a positive number to add. Flat $ amount: fixed dollar change. % of base price: percentage of the base rule amount. No Offer: if selected, the entire lead becomes No Offer — the customer gets your no-offer message and no price is shown.
6
Adjustment Amount — The dollar amount added or subtracted when this answer is selected. Use negative numbers to deduct (-50 subtracts $50). Use 0 for no change. This stacks with other question answers — all selected adjustments are added together on top of the base rule amount.
7
Block form if selected — When checked, selecting this answer immediately stops the form and prevents submission. A message is shown instead. Use this for hard disqualifiers: "I don't own this vehicle," "Vehicle is not in my possession," etc. Different from No Offer — Block prevents submission entirely; No Offer lets them submit but creates a no-offer lead.
8
Save & Activate / Save as Draft — Activate makes the question live on the form immediately. Draft saves it without showing it to customers. Deactivate hides it without deleting it — you can reactivate anytime.
Logic & Auto-sets Tab — Conditional Visibility & Chaining
Questions → Edit question → Logic & Auto-sets tab
① Setup
② Logic & Auto-sets
1
Conditional Visibility
Hide this question unless the customer picks a specific answer on another question first.
2
Show when this question is answered:
3
And the selected answer is:
4
Chain to Another Question
When a customer picks a specific answer here, automatically lock the answer to another question. Classic use: "No keys → forces 'Does not start'."
If customer picks: "No keys"
5
If customer picks: "Has keys but won't start"
1
Conditional Visibility — Makes this question only appear when certain conditions are met. Without this, the question shows to every customer. With it enabled, the question is hidden until the parent question is answered with the specified response. Example: "Which tires are flat?" only shows if the customer first answered "No, one or more are flat" to the tire condition question. This keeps the form clean — customers only see relevant follow-ups.
2
Parent question & trigger answer — Select the question that must be answered first (the parent), then click the specific answer that triggers this question to appear. Only one answer can be the trigger. If you need multiple triggers, create multiple conditional questions. A warning appears if you forget to pick an answer — the question would never show without one.
3
Selected answer highlight — The answer button turns dark/highlighted when selected as the trigger. In this example, "No, one or more are flat" is selected — this question will only show when the customer picks that specific answer on the parent question.
4
Chain to Another Question — Automatically locks a different question's answer when a customer picks a specific option here. When the chain fires, the target question is answered automatically and the customer doesn't see it. Classic example: if a customer says "No keys," automatically set "Does not start" on the start question — because a car with no keys can't be proven to start. This prevents contradictory answers and keeps your offer calculation accurate.
5
+ Add chain rule — Click this next to any answer option to set up what gets auto-answered when that option is selected. Pick the target question and the answer to lock in. One answer here can trigger one auto-set on another question. You can add multiple chain rules for different answer options on the same question.

Page Guide
Email Templates
Every automated email and SMS that fires in response to lead events. Click any template to open the editor, customize the subject and body, and toggle SMS on or off alongside each email.
Template List
Messaging → Email Templates tab
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Email Templates
Follow-up Sequences
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Customer Emails Goes to the customer
Offer Sent
+ SMS
Sent when an offer is made (instant or manual)
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Quote Received
Inactive
Sent when a customer submits in review mode
Offer Accepted
Sent to customer when they accept via portal
Transaction Complete
Sent when status is marked Completed
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Admin Notifications Goes to your inbox
New Lead — Needs Review
Alerts you when a review-mode lead comes in
Customer Accepted
Alerts you the moment a customer accepts
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Tab bar — Switch between Email Templates (event-triggered) and Follow-up Sequences (time-triggered). Both live on the Messaging page.
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Customer Emails with SMS badge — A green "+ SMS" badge means that template is also configured to send an SMS alongside the email. You can enable or disable SMS per template inside the editor. SMS requires the SMS feature on your plan — go to Settings → Offer Settings to enable it once it's available on your plan.
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Inactive templates — Gray dot means the template is turned off and won't send. Quote Received for example is only useful in review mode — in instant mode the offer email follows immediately so a separate receipt email would be confusing.
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Admin Notifications — These go to your Lead Notification Email set in Settings → General. Keep "New Lead Needs Review" active if you use review mode. "Customer Accepted" fires the instant a customer accepts — useful as a real-time alert.
The Template Editor — Email + SMS
Email Templates → Quote Received (open to edit)
Quote Received
Sent when a customer submits the form in review mode
trigger: quote_received
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Email Subject
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Email Body
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INSERT MERGE TAG AT CURSOR
{customer_name} {vehicle_year} {final_offer} {portal_url} {expires_at} {company_name} {company_phone} {review_link} {answers_summary} {photos_section} {offer_section}
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SMS Body (keep under 160 chars)
0 / 160 chars · Merge tags work here too · SMS is sent from the platform SMS number
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Active toggle — When checked, this email fires automatically whenever the trigger event happens. Uncheck to disable entirely. Disabling the Offer Sent email means customers won't get notified — only do this if you're notifying them another way.
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Also send SMS — When checked, an SMS is also sent alongside the email. Checking this reveals the SMS Body field. SMS goes to the customer's phone number. To enable SMS on your account: go to Settings → Offer Settings → scroll to the SMS checkbox. SMS is available on qualifying plans.
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Subject & Body — Plain text. Line breaks become paragraph breaks. The most important tag in the Offer Sent email is {portal_url} — that's the link customers click to accept. Without it, customers can't accept their offer online.
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Merge Tags — Click any tag to insert it at your cursor in the subject or body. Key ones: {customer_name} personalizes it, {final_offer} shows the dollar amount, {portal_url} is the accept link, {answers_summary} lists all their form answers, {offer_section} inserts a formatted offer amount block, {photos_section} shows any uploaded photos.
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SMS Body — Appears when "Also send SMS" is checked. Keep it under 160 characters to send as a single SMS. All the same merge tags work here. Example: "Hi {customer_name}, your cash offer for your {vehicle_year} {vehicle_make} is {final_offer}. Accept here: {portal_url}"
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Save Template — Changes apply immediately. The next time this template's trigger fires, the new version goes out. Changes are per-yard only — other yards on the platform are not affected.

Page Guide
Follow-up Sequences
Automated messages that fire on a timer after a lead reaches a certain status. Set them up once and they run on their own. All queued messages cancel automatically when a customer accepts, declines, or counter-offers.
The Follow-up Editor — Every Field
Messaging → Follow-up Sequences → Edit Follow-up
Edit Follow-up
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Name
Trigger Status
Action Type
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TIMING
Delay (hours) — e.g. 0.5 = 30 min, 24 = 1 day
= 2 days
Email Subject
INSERT MERGE TAG:
{customer_name} {final_offer} {portal_url} {vehicle_year} {vehicle_make} {expires_at} {company_name} {company_phone}
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{beat_offer_url}
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Email Body
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Name — Internal label. Customers never see this. Name it something descriptive like "48-Hour Reminder" or "Match or Beat" so you can identify it in the list.
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Trigger Status — The lead status that starts the clock. Offered: most common — starts counting when an offer is sent. New: starts when a review-mode lead comes in. Accepted: fires after acceptance (e.g. pickup reminders). Expired: re-engage leads whose offer expired. If chain mode is on, this is ignored — the step times from the previous follow-up instead.
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Action TypeEmail: sends the email you write below. SMS only: sends a text message only. Email + SMS: sends both. Bump Offer + Email: first increases the customer's offer by your set amount, then immediately sends the email with the new higher price in it (see below for full details).
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Delay — Hours after the trigger (or previous step) before this fires. Decimals work: 0.5 = 30 min, 0.25 = 15 min. For days: 24 = 1 day, 48 = 2 days, 72 = 3 days. The human-readable translation shows below the field.
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Chain Mode (Delay after previous follow-up) — When checked, this step counts from when the previous follow-up fired, not from when the lead status was set. This creates a real sequence: Step 1 fires Day 1 after "offered." Step 2 (chained) fires 2 days after Step 1 = Day 3. Step 3 (chained) fires 2 days after Step 2 = Day 5. Without chain mode, all steps count from the same starting point and could overlap.
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{beat_offer_url} — A special merge tag that generates a unique link for this customer to upload a screenshot of a competitor's quote. When clicked, the customer lands on a simple upload page. Once they upload, the lead moves to "Match or Beat" status in your dashboard and you can see their competitor quote photo on the lead detail page. Include this tag in follow-up emails to encourage customers to show you competing offers so you can beat them.
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Email Body — Write your message here. All merge tags work. For Match or Beat campaigns, always include {beat_offer_url} as the main call to action. For bump offer campaigns, always include {final_offer} so the customer sees their new increased price, and {portal_url} so they can accept directly.
Bump Offer — How It Works
Follow-up editor — Bump Offer + Email action type
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Bump Offer Settings
How this works: When this step fires, the system first increases the customer's final offer, then immediately sends the email with the new number. The {final_offer} tag in your email will contain the bumped amount — not the original offer.
Bump Type
Bump Amount ($)
e.g. $300 offer → email sends $350
Max Total Bump ($) — optional
Cap how far above original this can go
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What Bump Offer does — When this step fires, two things happen in immediate sequence: (1) the system increases the customer's final_offer field by the bump amount, then (2) sends the email. The email arrives with the new higher offer already applied. The customer sees a higher number than before. If you chain multiple bump steps, each one adds on top of the previous bump — the offer keeps increasing each time.
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Bump TypeFlat $ amount: add a fixed dollar amount every time this fires (e.g. always +$50). Percentage: add a percentage of the current offer (e.g. +10% of whatever the offer is at the time of firing). Flat is simpler and more predictable.
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Bump Amount — How much to increase the offer when this step fires. For Flat $: enter a dollar amount like 50. For %: enter a number like 10 for 10%. The preview below the field shows what a sample offer would become after the bump.
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Max Total Bump — Optional cap on how far above the original offer the total can go across all bump steps. Without a cap, chained bumps keep stacking indefinitely. With a cap of $100, the offer won't go more than $100 above the original regardless of how many bump steps fire. Leave blank for no limit.

Settings
Offer Settings
Controls how offers are generated, sent, and managed — from instant vs review mode to offer expiry, rounding, and duplicate handling.
Settings → Offer Settings
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How do you want to send offers?
Send price instantly
Customer sees offer the moment they submit.
I'll review before sending
You set every offer manually.
Instant up to a limit
Auto below threshold, review above.
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Offer expires after (days)
7 days is typical
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Round offers to nearest ($)
e.g. $412 → $400. Use 1 to disable.
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Duplicate submissions
Flag
Accept but mark as possible duplicate.
Allow
Accept everything, no checks.
Block
Reject the duplicate outright.
Detection window (hours)
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Offer ModeSend instantly: offer fires the moment the customer submits. Review first: every lead comes in as New, you set the price. Instant up to a limit: offers below your dollar threshold go out automatically; anything above pauses for review.
2
Offer Expiry — Days until an unanswered offer expires and the lead moves to Expired. The customer gets a notification when it expires. 7 days is the default — shorter windows create urgency, longer ones reduce pressure.
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Rounding — Rounds the calculated offer to the nearest dollar amount. With rounding at 25, $412 becomes $400. Set to 1 to disable. Round numbers feel more professional and are easier for customers to evaluate quickly.
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Other checkboxesRequire VIN on acceptance: customer must type their VIN before the acceptance goes through. Useful for documentation. Phone optional: customers can submit without a phone number (field still shows but isn't required). Increases form completion rate.
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Enable SMS — Turn on SMS notifications for your yard. When checked, the system sends automated text messages alongside emails for offers, acceptances, and follow-up sequences that have SMS enabled. SMS is available on qualifying plans — this checkbox only appears when SMS is available on your account.
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Duplicate Submissions — What happens when the same phone number submits for the same vehicle within the detection window. Flag (default): accepts and marks the lead as a possible duplicate for you to check. Block: rejects with an error message. Allow: accepts everything with no checks. Detection window controls how far back to look — 72 hours is 3 days.

Settings
General Settings
Your company identity and contact details — what shows in every customer email, on the offer portal, and where your notifications go. Getting these right from the start is important.
Settings → General
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Company Name
Appears in every customer email and on the offer portal.
Your Name
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Lead Notification Email
New lead alerts and admin notifications go here.
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Business Phone
Shown to customers on the offer page.
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Website
Used in email footers and the {form_url} tag.
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Logo URL
Shown at the top of the customer offer portal. Link directly to an image file on your website.
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Google Review Link
How to get your review link: Go to your Google Business Profile → Click Reviews → Get more reviews → Click Copy. The link looks like https://g.page/r/.... Paste it above. This link is included in the Transaction Complete email via the {review_link} tag — it goes out right after pickup when customers are most satisfied and most likely to leave a review.
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Company Name — Appears in the from-name of every email sent to customers ("City Auto Recyclers"), in the {company_name} merge tag throughout all templates, and at the top of the customer offer portal. Use the name your customers know you by.
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Lead Notification Email — This is where the system sends you alerts: new leads that need review, instant offer notifications, and customer acceptances. If this email is wrong or missing, you won't hear about new leads. Check it first if you're not receiving alerts. Also used as the "Reply-To" address on customer emails so replies come to you directly.
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Business Phone — Displayed on the customer offer portal so they can call you. Also fills the {company_phone} tag in emails and SMS. Important for customers who want to ask questions before accepting. Make sure it's a number you actually answer.
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Website — Used in email footers as a clickable link and fills the {form_url} merge tag (link back to your quote form). Optional but adds professionalism and makes it easy for customers to refer friends.
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Logo URL — A direct URL to your logo image file. Shows at the top of the customer portal page. Works best as a PNG with transparent background, roughly 200×60px. Find your logo on your website, right-click → Copy image address, paste it here.
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Google Review Link — Included in the Transaction Complete email via the {review_link} merge tag. This email fires right after a pickup is marked complete — when the customer just got paid and is most likely to leave a positive review. Even a handful of new Google reviews significantly improves your local search visibility.

Settings
Post-Acceptance
Configure what customers see and can do after they accept their offer. Document uploads let you collect the title and photos before the driver arrives. The pickup checklist gives customers clear instructions to prepare for pickup day.
Settings → Post-Acceptance
Document Uploads
Pickup Prep Checklist
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Intro Text
Shown above the checklist on the customer portal.
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Checklist Items — customers check these off before pickup
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Title photos — When enabled, customers see an upload zone for front and back of their title on the portal after accepting. All uploads appear on the lead detail page. Highly recommended — lets you verify title before the driver arrives instead of discovering problems at the vehicle.
2
Vehicle photos — Customer uploads photos of the actual car. Good for spotting discrepancies between what they described and what actually exists. If the car looks much worse in photos than described, you can contact them before dispatch rather than after.
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VIN plate photo — Photo of the 17-digit VIN number on the vehicle. Located on the dashboard near the windshield (visible through the glass) or on a sticker inside the driver door jamb. Useful for running a title check or verifying there are no open liens before your driver shows up.
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Additional documents — A catch-all upload slot for anything unusual — salvage certificate, lien release, notarized transfer, etc. Leave this off unless you routinely need extra documentation that doesn't fit the other categories. When enabled, a labeled "Other Documents" upload zone appears on the portal.
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Intro Text — The paragraph shown above the checklist on the customer portal. Use it to set a positive tone and let customers know what to expect. Customize this to match your voice.
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Checklist Items — Each item shows as a checkbox the customer can tick on their portal. They're reminders, not hard requirements — customers can still proceed without checking them all. Common items: title or proof of ownership, all keys, remove personal items, cancel insurance. Add or remove items to match your own process. Click + Add Item to add more.

Settings
Form Design
Customize every visual and content element of the customer-facing quote form and offer portal. A live preview on the right updates in real time as you make changes — what you see there is exactly what customers see.
Form Template, Colors & Style
Settings → Form Design
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Form Template — choose the layout of your quote form
Multi-Step
One question group per page — current default
SOON
One Page
All questions on a single scrolling page
SOON
Accordion
Collapsible sections, all on one page
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Colors
Primary / Buttons
Button Hover
Form Background
Text Color
Border Color
Style
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Border Radius: 8px
Roundness of buttons and input borders. Higher = more pill-shaped.
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Font Family
Form Options
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Submit Button Text
Text on the form's main submit button
Form Preview
Portal Preview
Vehicle Information Step 1 of 5
Year *
Make *
Live preview — changes update in real-time
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Form Template — Currently Multi-Step is the only available layout: each section (Vehicle Details, Under the Hood, Condition) appears as its own separate page with a Next button. One Page and Accordion layouts are coming soon. Branding settings apply to whichever template is active.
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Colors — Five independent color settings. Primary / Buttons: main brand color used for all buttons and highlighted elements — make this match your website. Button Hover: color when the cursor hovers over a button. Form Background: the background of the form cards. Text Color: main text color for labels and questions. Border Color: color of input field borders and dividers. Click any color swatch to open a color picker.
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Border Radius — Drag the slider to control roundness of buttons, input fields, and cards. All the way left = square corners. All the way right = fully pill-shaped. 8px (the default) is a subtle rounded corner that looks modern without being too circular.
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Font Family — The font used throughout the form. System Default uses the customer's operating system font (typically San Francisco on Mac/iOS, Segoe UI on Windows). The other options load from Google Fonts. Keep it simple — your form font doesn't need to match your website font exactly.
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Submit Button Text — The text on the main call-to-action button at the bottom of the form. Default is "Get My Cash Offer →". Other options that work well: "See What My Car Is Worth," "Get a Free Quote," "Get My Instant Offer." Match the language on your website for consistency.
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Show offer breakdown on portal — When checked, the customer's offer page shows a breakdown of how their price was calculated (base rule + adjustments + ZIP). Some yards prefer to show this for transparency; others prefer to show just the final number. Your call.
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Live Preview — Updates in real time as you change any setting. Toggle between Form Preview and Portal Preview to see both customer-facing views. The preview uses your actual settings — color changes appear immediately. Use "Preview Form" in the sidebar to open the actual live form in a new tab.
Trust Badges & Portal Options
Form Design → Trust badges and portal options
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📹 Portal Video
Embed a YouTube or Vimeo video on the offer page. Great for explaining your process. Leave blank to hide.
Video URL
Headline Above Video
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Price Guarantee Box
Title
Text
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Beat Competitors Box
Title
Text
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Local Buyer Box
Title
Text
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Custom Trust Box
Add your own trust or selling point. Leave title blank to hide.
Title
Text
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Decline Option
When enabled, a quiet "No thanks, I'll decline" link appears below the Accept button on the customer's offer page. Clicking it lets them decline the offer or submit a counter-offer with their reasoning.
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Portal Video — Embed a YouTube or Vimeo video that plays on the offer page below the trust badges. The headline appears above the video. A 60–90 second video explaining your process, showing your yard, or featuring a customer testimonial significantly increases acceptance rates by building trust. Leave the URL blank to hide this section entirely.
2
Price Guarantee Box — A badge shown on the offer page that reassures the customer the price won't change at pickup. Customize the title and text to match your wording. "No last-minute deductions, no hidden fees" is a strong message — it directly addresses the #1 fear customers have about junk car buyers.
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Beat Competitors Box — A badge that tells customers you'll match or beat offers from other junk car buyers (Peddle, Wheelzy, CarBrain, etc.). When enabled alongside a follow-up sequence with the {beat_offer_url} tag, customers can upload a competitor's quote for you to beat. Customize the title and text to match how you prefer to say it.
4
Local Buyer Box — A badge emphasizing that you're a local business, not a national middleman who hires contractors. Customers often prefer local buyers for faster pickup and better service. Customize the wording — mention your city or region to make it even more specific.
5
Custom Trust Box — A fully customizable badge for anything that sets you apart. Family-owned since [year], free towing, same-day pickup, cash at pickup, BBB accredited, etc. Write whatever your best selling point is. Leave the title blank to disable this box while keeping your settings saved.
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Decline Option — When enabled, a low-key "No thanks, I'll decline" link appears below the Accept button. Customers who aren't happy with the price can click it and either decline outright (removes them from follow-ups) or submit a counter-offer with their desired amount and a reason. Counter-offers appear in your dashboard as Negotiating leads, showing the customer's number and their reasoning — giving you a chance to respond and save the deal.

Settings
Embed Code
Your quote form is an iframe that can be placed on any webpage. Copy the snippet and paste it into your website's HTML. The form loads from our servers — no updates needed on your end when you change settings, questions, or pricing.
Settings → Embed
<!-- Junk Car System Quote Form -->
<iframe
  src="https://form.thejunkcarsystem.com/embed/your-slug"
  width="100%" height="700"
  frameborder="0" scrolling="no"
  style="border:none;width:100%;min-height:700px"
></iframe>
<script src="https://form.thejunkcarsystem.com/resize.js"></script>
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2
Installation Steps
1
Click Copy to copy the embed code above to your clipboard.
2
Go to your website editor and navigate to your Sell Your Car page (or wherever you want the form to appear).
3
Switch to the HTML / Code editor view (not the visual editor). In WordPress this is the "Custom HTML" block. In Squarespace, a Code block. In Wix, an HTML Embed element.
4
Paste the code and save/publish the page.
5
Visit the page and submit a test lead to confirm pricing and emails work end to end.
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Embed Code — The complete HTML to paste on your website. Contains two parts: an <iframe> tag that loads your form, and a <script> tag that handles automatic height resizing as customers move through the steps. Both are needed. Click Copy — it copies both tags together.
2
One-time setup — Once the code is on your website, you never need to update it. Changes to your questions, pricing, colors, or settings in the dashboard apply immediately to the embedded form without touching your website. The form always loads the latest version from our servers.
Direct URL: Your form is also accessible as a standalone page at https://form.thejunkcarsystem.com/embed/your-slug. Share this link directly in text messages, emails, social media, or Google Ads. Customers get the same experience as the embedded form.
Still have questions?
Email us at support@thejunkcarsystem.com and we'll get back to you fast.