Let's be honest, selling your used car can be overwhelming, and frankly, a bit of a hassle. Between trying to determine how much your vehicle is worth and detaching yourself from any emotional attachment, you have to know where the best place to sell it is. Truthfully, selling your car online to a private party is where you will most likely get the best value. That said, car dealerships are often giving car owners instant cash offers. We want to help you out cause that's what we are all about, so we've put together a list of the best websites for online car selling to get you fair market value, if not more (shhh, don't tell anyone). First tip: If you don’t want to read the rest of this, you can see what your vehicle is worth through us.
The great news is that many prospective buyers interested in buying a used car are not fans of dealerships. Let us say one thing, and we may say it a few times; always watch out for scammers when selling your car online.
Best Sites For Private Sellers
Autotrader
If you have ever thought about selling your car online or considered buying a car online, you have heard of Autotrader. If you haven't, we'd like to know which rock you live under (just kidding, that's too personal). Autotrader is one of the first online platforms for selling and buying vehicles and certainly one of the most reputable. Why, you ask? It could be because they have over three million car listings, including 40,000 dealers and 250,000 private sellers. Those numbers are far too big for us to make up. Selling your vehicle on Autotrader gives you a lot of extras, such as tips for selling your used car and a vehicle history report. Yes, there is a car listing fee, but knowing how many views your vehicle will get should help to ease the pain of the listing fee. If you don't want to deal with potential buyers grinding you down and beating you into submission on an amount that is far less than your asking price, they have an Instant Cash Offer giving you fair value to sell or trade-in your old car.
Craigslist
Okay, everyone knows Craigslist. It's like the online version of the old-school black and white newspaper classifieds section, which is an amazing site for local listings. It is a great place for car buyers to search for used vehicles. Plus, a bonus to the seller, it's super affordable to list your car, and who doesn't like that? Yes, it is a good option for selling your used car, but (sorry) we feel compelled to make you aware of some things when it comes to Craigslist. Be cautious when it comes to meeting up with potential buyers. We like to think that everyone is friendly and has good intentions, but Craigslist has had some reports of "sketchy" situations regarding the actual sale. Oh, and, remember above when we said we would repeat it? Here it goes; watch out for scams; it's kind of a thing at Craigslist. We don't want to deter you from using Craigslist to sell your car online because it's a great site; just know what you're doing and tread with caution.
Facebook Marketplace
Come on, who doesn't love Facebook Marketplace? There is no denying that Facebook is one of the best sites for selling almost anything, including your old cars and motorcycles. Guess what, it's free! Double bonus, when you list your car on Facebook Marketplace, you get to "creep" (not in a creepy way) your prospective buyers, which, oddly, adds a personal element to the process. But hey, isn't that why social media was created, so we could all connect personally? At least it might give you a sense of who the buyer is, and you can determine if you want to let them take it for a test drive.
It's a relatively simple process. Simply upload photos - we recommend as many as possible and provide as much detail in the description. When listing on Facebook, there is an option to post it in a private group, giving you more control over who can view the ad. Another great feature is they only allow viewers to see vehicles within a certain radius, which keeps the potential of people buying the car higher because they aren't travelling as far. Ultimately these features save you time.
eBay Motors
Since Amazon has risen to the top of the online shopping world, you don't hear much about eBay. But (big but), don't disregard it as a top site for selling your car online. There is something to be said about eBay Motors having 20 years behind them. We all love choices, and you get that with eBay Motors, the option to auction your vehicle or set a fixed price. An obvious reason we've listed this as one of the best sites is, according to credit karma, a car or truck is sold every three minutes on eBay Motors.
Here we go again with the downside. When you sell your car on eBay, it's up to you to figure out payment as there isn't a system built into it. Plus, you are responsible for covering everything related to transferring the vehicle title. Neither of those should be a reason not to list your car on eBay Motors and get your car's value out of it.
CarGurus
We promise, this didn't make our list of best sites to sell a car because of its name, although we do like it. CarGurus was founded in 2006 by the co-founder of TripAdvisor, so it's fair to say they understand the tech world. They offer loads of support from beginning to end, including the transaction process. That's kind of a big deal. In fact, they have CarGurus Pay™, which offers fraud protection up to $75k! CarGurus Pay™ verifies funds, generates a Bill of Sale for both parties, and deposits funds directly to your account. Just so you know, you don't have to use this either and can accept payment in other forms if you choose.
Tips From Us To You
The "mom" in us is coming out. We want to give you some tips (advice) on selling your car online.
- Get it certified- to show your car as the best car, have it certified based on your provincial regulations.
- Have paperwork ready -make the car buying process easy for purchasers by having all service records, vehicle history reports, proof of clear title, and any warranty information.
- Deep clean and detail - Make buyers feel like they've bought it from a car dealer by having it look brand new. If you're looking for top trade-in value, this helps.
By using one of these top sites to sell your car online, you'll feel like you're an expert in car sales. Don't forget to check us out for your new car. Hint, we offer pretty great trade-in value!
