How to Sell Your Car Online in 6 Simple Steps
Yes, we know - selling is so much less fun than buying. But almost all automotive love affairs end, and selling that car online takes some effort. Look at it this way: The extra hour you spend taking good pictures and writing a thorough description for a sales site may net you another $1,000 or more. Not bad for an hour's work.
STEP 1: Pick the right sales venue.
All online classified sites have their weaknesses: eBay's relentless countdown clock seems to make idiots out of some bidders, who ultimately back out; Cars.com and AutoTrader.com charge and mix you in with dealer ads; and Craigslist's free ads mean you're lost in a tsunami of daily listings. In general, if you're a gambler who abhors personal contact, eBay is for you. If you're really good at ignoring creepers (and you have a large friend on-hand to accompany you to meet-ups), then Craigslist is a perfect, no-cost outlet. The other sites fall somewhere in between.
STEP 2: Take at least 30 pictures.
Professional photogs take thousands of photos to get one great shot for a magazine cover. What makes you think you can get away with four lazy first-tries? Clean the car first - nobody wants to buy a car covered in cat prints and surrounded by gardening crap from a dark garage - and make sure you get all four sides and the roof, plus the engine, the interior, the odometer, and the undercarriage. The money shot? Capture it in the "sweet light" of a clear early evening.
STEP 3: Write a description.
"Runs" won't cut it. Say how long you've had the car, what work you've done, what's good about it, and also what's bad. Be honest: The more flaws you include, the more the buyer will trust that you're not completely clueless or hiding a disaster.
STEP 4: Set a price.
On a fixed-price site like Craigslist, research what other people are asking for similar cars. eBay's own research shows that low reserves (minimum bids) produce higher sale prices, because once the reserve is met, the bidding takes off. So be brave and don't use a reserve, or set the reserve at the lowest rock-bottom sum you'll accept.
STEP 5: Sell!
Sign up for a Google voice number and include a phone number in the ad (voilà - creepers don't have your real digits). If you're selling on Craigslist, post the ad on Thursday so it's not lost in a billion other ads when the weekend arrives. If you're selling through eBay, end the auction on Sunday evening, when people are sitting around with nothing better to do than look at cars online. Be available to answer your phone, and when the sale is done, be kind to other buyers and pull down the ad immediately.
STEP 6: Get paid.
Not everybody is willing to carry thousands of dollars into a stranger's house, so reasonable sellers accept checks, though not personal checks. Demand a certified or cashier's check. Also be sure to document the transaction. A bill of sale doesn't need to be complicated, but it should be dated and signed by both parties. Include the sales price and VIN (the Vehicle Identification Number assigned to the car), and keep this with a copy of the check. If you're signing over a title, fill it out completely and make a copy, or accompany the purchaser to the DMV. This paperwork will be useful if the buyer turns out to be a parking scofflaw, drug dealer, or some other loser who "forgot" to register the vehicle before it turns up in a police investigation. Yes, you should be this paranoid. Before handing over the keys, at the very least make sure you have the buyer's full name, address, and a phone number, and make a copy of his or her driver's license.
Original post by Car and Driver editors.
