Ford is trying to fight the F-150 Lightning scalper by banning resale

It’s Ford flooded with F-150 Lightning orders, and takes special steps to ensure that the electric pickup truck reaches honest customers. Roadshow reports Ford is now giving agents have the option to prohibit customers from reselling Lightning for up to one year after purchase. As (since withdrawn) a document on the F-150 Gen 14 forums revealed, a trader could “seek a ban” to block the transfer of ownership or even demand payment of “all the value” gained from the sale.

The carmaker is also dealing with a “limited number” of dealers who have allegedly violated terms of sale and services by forcing customers to make additional payments beyond those required by Ford. It is not clear what these payments were, although this suggests that they were more than the brands you often see when cars are rare or in high demand.

This resale ban clause is not new in the automotive world. Ford used it to ensure that its GT supercar reached its real owners. However, it is still rare for EVs – especially for relatively mainstream vehicles like the F-150 Lighting. This reflects the popularity of the Lightning, of course, but it could also be vital to Ford. Scalping has hurt access to many other technological products, such as will play consoles and video cards “Ford probably doesn’t want these opportunists to ruin the launch of such an important vehicle, especially with it.” Chevy, Rivian and Tesla chasing after many of the same customers.