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AutoTrader.com has noticed a sharp decline in used-vehicle shopping for the month of January – something the auto transport industry has noticed as well, due to a sharp decline in the number of used cars being shipped. The drop, however, wasn’t for lack of consumer interest, but rather for lack of supply – the inventory numbers for many used cars just aren’t up to snuff for customers. This is in direct contrast with the number of people shopping – AutoTrader.com reported 13 million unique visitors in the month of December, with numbers from January coming soon.

What’s odd is that as new vehicle sales improve, the number of used vehicles on the market should increase as well – the numbers have always been directly proportional, but analysts are saying that the used vehicle inventory has received a major hit in recent months. The credit crisis and the recession have helped in their way too – leases are coming in fewer numbers, which was a major source for inventory. But still, the Ford F-150 was the highest-searched vehicle on AutoTrader.com, and new vehicle searches actually increased over used vehicles in December, which is quite rare.