This Forum Friday is dedicated to the fine art of selling a vehicle. The standard for years and years was to go to a hardware store, buy a ‘For Sale’ sign, slap it on your car, leave it in a grocery store parking lot and wait for a phone call. In the day and age we live in now, leaving a car parked in front of Kroger simply won’t cut it so in order to properly sell a vehicle, the internet must be consulted. It’s usually a simple task, but there are a few ‘tricks of the trade’ that can make selling a vehicle on the internet hassle free.
Properly selling a vehicle requires a few key components. First thing is finding a prefered outlet. Websites such as Cars.com and autotrader allow you to post confidently but require a cost and putting money down to advertise has its positive and negative outcomes. Positively, buyers are more likely to take an ad seriously if they know that the seller put forth effort to sell their vehicle. Unfortunately, the money you have to put down to place an ad on these sites is an extra and costly step.
Ebaymotors is similar to autotrader and cars.com in that money needs to be placed to sell a vehicle, but it differs from those two in its operation. Vehicles are sold as if done at a live auction. Sellers can either place a reserve price on their items or offer a ‘buy-it-now’ price. The auctioning aspect means that if the vehicle is rare or collectible, the final selling price could be more than expected. Ebaymotors has its legitimacy like cars.com and autotrader, but the widely used website still requires a keen eye that should always be on the lookout for scams.
Craigslist is a selling site that requires a stern outlook and heavy scam detector. Because posting onto craigslist is free, it is the most cost-effective way to sell a vehicle on the internet. This is its biggest negative though as buyers are much more apprehensive to believe an advertisement. Due to this, a seller MUST include a few key components in the post itself so that it doesn’t get ‘flagged’ for removal.
No matter what site you pick to sell your vehicle, a clear picture is usually always a must. Buyers are always more willing to answer an advertisement if there is a picture of the car. Take more than one as the exterior, interior and any problem areas should be shown in an advertisement. Do not lie in photos as certain websites like craigslist allow the public to reveal an advertisement’s falsity.
Once photos are taken, an accurate description of the vehicle needs to be placed. Write out everything about the car’s mechanicals such as its engine (displacement or variant), transmission and drive type. If you are selling a 1978 Ford F-150 with a 390 V8, four speed manual transmission and four wheel drive, say so. This allows buyers to be informed and reduces the number of phone calls asking about a vehicle’s mechanical condition. If the car or truck has problem areas, mention them. Try to be as detailed as possible but be honest and flattering. Mention that the car’s rear windows won’t roll down followed by a statement about the transmission shifting smoothly. A negative should always be followed by a positive.
Dont’ forget to place your ad in the proper location for where you vehicle is located. Cars.com, autotrader and ebaymotors all allow for the exact location to be shown in the ad. Craigslist has regions, so make sure you are posting the ad properly. Lastly, offer some sort of contact information. Email address or phone number are best as they allow for fast contact. Don’t rely solely on the email address on craigslist’s seller page as it can often times be unreliable. Stating your first name will also show confidence in your ad and easy buyers into breaking the ice upon the initial phone call.
Do you have some advice to offer on the subject of selling a vehicle? Make sure to join our forum and share your thoughts on the art of buying and selling a mechanical gem on the internet.
