Tesla isn’t messing around when it comes to its new prohibition on quickly resale the Cybertruck for profit. Just ask one unfortunate soul who’s now been kicked out of the Tesla family altogether for attempting to resale their fresh Cybertruck.
According to reports from the Cybertruck Owners Club forum, a member going by “malinecentral” claims Tesla’s Loss Prevention team reached out after they listed their newly delivered Cybertruck for sale across multiple platforms. It seems the electric automaker got wind of the attempt at a lucrative resale.
Tesla’s response was about as harsh as it gets. Not only did the company cancel malinecentral’s two remaining Cybertruck reservations, but they also refunded the order fees and declared the member essentially banned from purchasing any future Tesla vehicles ever again.
“Moving forward, any future orders placed by you will be cancelled without a refund,” Tesla bluntly stated in an email shared by the now-blacklisted owner. Jeez, no need to kick ’em while they’re down, Tesla.
So what’s all the fuss about? Well, it stems from a new “no resale” clause Tesla added to the Cybertruck’s purchase agreement, Cybertruck buyers face 1-year no resale restriction. It explicitly prohibits owners from selling or even attempting to resell their street-legal tank within the first year of ownership—unless they get explicit written permission from the mothership, that is.
Defy the decree, and Tesla reserves the right to pursue damages up to $50,000 or the full profit from the sale, whichever is greater. So much for those dreams of flipping your Cybertruck for a tidy short-term profit.
The heavy-handed policy is ostensibly aimed at discouraging pure profiteering on a product Tesla expects to be in extremely high demand. As Cybertruck lead engineer Wes articulated: “We build vehicles for people who love and enjoy them. Not to flip for profit without adding any value.”
On the flip side, some see it as an overreach by Tesla to dictate what owners can do with vehicles they’ve purchased outright. Regardless of where you stand, one thing is clear: If you manage to score a Cybertruck, you’d better have no intentions of parting ways with it—at least for the first year.