Just as the World Wide Web has revolutionized the way people conduct their businesses, so too it has produced new ways to sell one’s own car or house. It remains as complicated a process as ever, however, and you need to know how to do it correctly. This article will outline the correct way to sell your car online.

Remember: You are Selling a Product

When you sell your car, online or otherwise, what you are doing is marketing a product, and you want to present that product in the best possible light. Describe what you liked best about your vehicle and give a thorough description of all of its amenities, including radio, CD player, TV, Internet connection, air bags and the like.

When people are looking to buy a car, they’re trying to picture themselves in the vehicle. They might see small things that they like. In order for people to notice those things, you need good pictures and you need to be thorough with your description. Maybe these potential buyers are looking at similar cars and if the seller of another car like yours does a better job describing it and taking good pictures, then they will most likely get the sale instead of you.

Your car is a product. Like any other product you get interested in buying, you have to present people with the benefits. What do you really like about the car? Explain it to them. Write about the features they will really like and why. Get creative.

Prepare Your Car to Sell

Before you even put your vehicle up for sale, it is of utmost consequence that you make sure it is in top condition. Whenever people buy a car, if they are smart, they will examine it thoroughly for any defects it may contain, and may even have it inspected by a professional. No one wants to buy a new car, only to be saddled with the burden of cleaning it and taking care of any dents, scratches or other unsightly marks. That’s a turn off for sure. Try to minimize that as much as possible.

The first step in the cleaning process is to remove any unnecessary clutter so that potential buyers can easily see what the car has. Then, vacuum it to remove the dust. If there are any spills, try to get them out with stain remover; if they will not come out, then conceal them beneath the mats. Wipe the plastic surfaces clean with spray and wipes designed expressly for that material.

Use products like Wipe New to get your car looking really good / in showroom condition. Check over our tips on detailing your vehicle to easily add hundreds of dollars of value with just a little bit of elbow grease.

Having done the interior of the car, proceed to clean the exterior. First, hose down the car. Then wipe the metal parts to remove any dirt or bird droppings, and clean the windows and mirrors so that there are no spots on them (you can buy liquids used to treat windshields so that rainwater does not leave any residue on them; it can save you a great deal of work). Finally, have a professional repair any dents or scratches in the vehicle.

Do Your Research

Once you have gotten the task of preparation out of the way, you now have some research to do. Using the Internet, local car dealers and newspaper auto classifieds, find out how much a vehicle of your model is worth. This is an important step for sure. You want to price the car right to attract buyers.

Take Photos

Take photographs of your freshly-cleaned car and post them online. They should be taken from different angles so as to form as complete a picture of the vehicle as possible. They should also be clear and of high quality so make sure the lighting is adequate. If necessary, enhance the pictures on your computer but not to the point where you’re essentially lying – just fix things like lighting and shadows.

Take a lot of photos of the interior and exterior of the car in a nice location. If the background, behind the car is too cluttered or distracting, that won’t help. Make sure you show all four tires as well as under the hood and in the trunk.

Another, good idea is to create a video of the car. You can do it with a good camera phone even. Just show the interior and go around the entire exterior. It doesn’t have to be Hollywood quality but just an honest and thorough view of the car so that people can see more of it. You should even have it running so that they can hear how the engine runs.

The Online Selling Process

Once again, you must do your homework so you will encounter few surprises. Specifically, you want to know on which site to do your selling. Pick several sites and find out how reputable each one is by reading customer ratings and also seeing what the Better Business Bureau has to say. Posting fees must be considered too. Ask others who have successfully sold their vehicles online what sites they used and why. Avoid those that ask for your personal information; they are certainly not legitimate businesses.

We have a good article here you might enjoy that goes over the process of creating a good ad for your car:

Six Steps to Create and Effective Used Car Ad

Once you find sites on which to sell (you should use more than one to get the maximum number of buyers), follow all their instructions for posting ads. Fill in all the pertinent information about your car (its make and model, the year it was made, its mileage, technical specifications, options, the price for which you are aiming and your contact information). You may be asked for other things as well. If a fee is charged for posting ads, give your credit card details.

What I like to do is have a separate phone number and email account just for selling a particular car. That way, I can turn both of them off and I don’t have to worry about accepting calls or emails about the vehicle ever again. You can use Google Voice for a free phone number and then just up a separate email account with a free service like GMail.

Handle all Communication Promptly

When you do start getting interest in your vehicle in the form of phone calls and emails, make sure you get back to those potential buyers promptly. You’re a salesman/saleswoman now, so get in that mode. Be cheerful when talking with them and sound excited.

In the past, I’ve called people about cars I’ve seen in the paper and I’ve been really surprised at how they talk to me. Some sound like I’m bothering them or they maybe don’t give good answers and I have to keep asking them the same question over and over. Maybe they’ve never had customer service jobs but that’s not an excuse – we’ve all been on the other end of the sales game and have been sold to, so we know how we want a salesperson to act.

Conclusion

This isn’t the end. I want to give you some more, great articles that are here on this website. The more you know, the better – so check out these great articles on how to sell a car:

• What to Do When a Buyer Shows Up
• How to Protect Yourself When Selling a Car
• Bill of Sale Document for Selling a Car

Again, selling your car online is key. That is where your audience is. People can view your car listing while sitting in their living room or on their smart phone when they are riding a bus. They no longer have to come out and first look at it. This is great for you because the calls and interest you get will be genuine interest. Don’t forget to treat those people well and answer all their questions. Be honest and be glad they’ve contacted you… you do want their money after all, right?

If you have any comments or questions, please post them below. And don’t forget to like this website and share it with your friends!

When a vehicle costs more to maintain than it is worth, it is time to consider getting it out of your garage. Even though the book value may be minimal, the scrap metal price often makes it worth selling. There are multiple options to consider when you are ready to part with your junk. A phone call or two is all it should take to get an eyesore out of your yard and some cash in your hand.

Scrap Metal Recyclers

These businesses pay by the pound for all metal including cars and trucks. If you are able to bring it to them they will weigh the car and pay you the current metal price. The price can vary greatly day to day so if you are looking for the best price, you can call ahead to see what they are currently paying.

If you have no way to get the vehicle to them, most can come out and tow the vehicle away for you. When you choose this option, they will often quote you a price for the vehicle and pay when they arrive to retrieve it. You may make less than if you took it directly to the yard yourself, however you save on the time and cost of towing.

Garages

Most car service garages have a need for quality used parts at a reasonable price. Purchasing scrap vehicles is a method for them to attain parts. If you have a vehicle with some useable parts, you may find a garage willing to pay you for the car. Usually these are smaller, owner operated facilities, rather than dealer garages. They usually will pay only a minimal amount but most garages that are interested will tow away the vehicle themselves.

The downside is that you might spend a lot of time calling around to see who might be interested in taking your car. You might think the more rare your car, the better but that might not be true. If a car is rare, they might not use the parts quickly, which means they will hang around a while. If selling to a garage, the more common the car, the better.

Salvage Yards/Used Parts Dealers

Businesses who deal in used tires and parts are always on the lookout for reasonable sources for more parts. The price they offer will depend on the vehicle itself as well as how many parts are reusable. You may also need to have the vehicle towed to them.

Individual Scrappers

Many people today make a living from gathering scrap metal. You will only receive part of the value of the vehicle from them because they will still need to be able to also make a profit from the sale as well. This is a great option if you are not near a scrap yard and would have to pay to tow it somewhere. Finding these people might take some time or you could be lucky and have one fairly close to you. Ask around.

Classifieds or Auction

Even if your car has no value to you, there may well be someone out there trying to find parts for their own vehicle like yours. If your car is the same make and model as theirs, they will happily purchase yours for spare parts on their own car. It saves them money from buying retail or from a used parts dealer and they can scrap whatever is left when they are finished.

Post your junk car in an online classifieds website under the appropriate category. Craig’s List works well. Be sure to clearly state that what you’re selling is a car for parts or salvage. State that it does not run. This way, it’s clear and you won’t get the wrong kinds of people interested in your car. Someone might think they’re getting a really good deal on a running car when it doesn’t run.

Another good option is eBay. I’ve bought parts off of eBay for my MR2, which is a rare car. If your car is rare, then you can make some good cash just selling parts online – at auctions. You will have to remove the part and take good, clear pictures of it. People will want to know if the part works or not. If it doesn’t, then what are you doing selling it?

Fire/Rescue Departments

Fire departments are often looking for vehicles to use as training for accident recoveries. Some will have a budget that enables them to pay a small amount for the vehicle, others will give you a donation form for you to use it as a tax deduction. Either way you will be free of your junk and you will know it is going to a good cause.

Conclusion

The most profitable way to sell is typically through a scrap metal recycler. However, if your car is lightweight, yet has many parts that are still good for reuse, parting it out may earn you a higher profit. It’ll just take more time and you will have to do more work.

It is sensible to check several options and go with the one which offers you the best deal. If you are mechanically proficient, you may find a combination sale works best. You can remove the viable parts and resell them to a parts dealer and then sell the vehicle for scrap once it is stripped. You could make some good money doing this, actually.

Keep in mind you will need to have a title or proof of ownership to dispose of any vehicle and most states will require notification when a vehicle has been scrapped.

Find Out What’s Wrong First

In order to know what needs to be fixed, you have to find out what’s wrong. You might think you know of a few things but have you had the car checked by a mechanic? You need to be aware of all the issues of the car you’re selling.

Stop in at a Local Mechanic

Take the car to a local mechanic and tell them that you’re going to be selling the car and want it checked over. Ask for a complete diagnostic of the vehicle. Some places do this for free because your car is already there and you can have them do the work. They will do an inspection and give you a list of things that either need to be fixed or should be fixed. You might decide right then to get a few things fixed or you may pass on some things.

When you do this, you’re doing what a buyer might do. They might request to have the car inspected by someone. When you do it yourself, you’re one step ahead of them.

You can either opt to take care of some items so that the list isn’t so long or you can simply tell them that you’ve had it done and show them the list. Doing this, you’re showing your hand and not giving them a chance to even be dealt any cards. You’re showing that you’re basing the price you’re asking for knowing about these issues. They then can’t ask for much money off the price to get some things fixed.

This is a really valuable thing you can do. Even if you don’t decide to get anything fixed by a mechanic, you at least know what needs to be fixed. You might have someone come by to look at it that knows more about cars than you do and if they spot 3-4 things right away that you didn’t know about, you don’t look too knowledgeable about what you’re selling and it’ll be a tougher sale.

Go ahead and make some copies of the report that you get and hand it to the people coming to see the car. This is also a great tip because by doing this, they probably won’t want to have it checked out again by someone else. Your sale will go much quicker as you won’t have to wait for them to have it inspected or coordinate that with you and their schedules (huge headache avoided). Make sure the date on the report is recent to show that you just had it checked.

Phone a Friend!

Besides going to a mechanic, it’s good to put yourself in the buyer’s shoes. Ask a friend to come over and look over the car. Ask them what they think of it and what they might find as being wrong with it. You know most of the quirks of your car but you might also be blind to some things. They should look for things like dings, scratches and things not working. Ask them to pretend they’re buying the car.

When you do this, it’s kind of like a dress rehearsal for when you actually put it up for sale. By doing this practice session, you’re better able to come up with reactions to what people say because you’ve done it once before.

Go for Some Cheap Fixes

Personally, I’d rather get things fixed right than put on bandages that might hold until the car drives off with a new buyer in it. Even so, this doesn’t mean that you have to put on the best tires if the car needs tires. Go for the cheaper version of the fix if you can.

Using “Bandages”

Again, this isn’t my style but, for example, if you have a leaky radiator, you might try some fluid to help stop the leak or something like that. There is basically a whole aisle at your local auto parts store devoted to fluids and things to fix things cheaply. A trained mechanic will most likely see right through what you’ve done. They might see that something was leaking and now it’s not and know what you did.

OEM Parts

The acronym OEM stands for “Original Equipment Manufacturer.” This means get replacement parts made by the original manufacturer of the car. You’d be amazed at how cheap some of these parts are when you buy them online instead of at a dealer.

I had a broken hook on the privacy shade of my RSX and found that part online for like $2. I then went through the car and found 3-4 other small parts like that which were broken or missing from use over the years. I think the whole bill with shipping was less than $20. By doing this, the car looked more “put together” and cared for. I believe I got more than $20 worth by investing that money.

Car Parts at Amazon

You can also find some good car parts over at Amazon.com. They have a huge selection of whatever you would need for your car. You can either buy replacement parts or car maintenance parts as well.

Get Some Things Fixed

Depending on the price, probably the best things to get fixes are the obvious ones. If something creaks or makes a noise or makes the car ride bumpy, you are probably best off fixing those things. They’re distracting. You could have a nice car except for kind of loud muffler or squeaky bearings and it’ll ruin the whole experience when someone takes a test drive in it.

Get the safety things fixed for sure. This means the brakes and tires. People won’t want to buy a car that doesn’t seem safe.

You should have no dashboard warning lights on. There should be no “Check Engine” light, maintenance light or any other kind of warning. That’s a huge turnoff and it’ll make it really hard to sell your car.

Alignments are super cheap but they help. I hate driving a car that’s out of line – where you basically have to hold the steering wheel in order to make it drive straight. That’s pretty annoying. Why make a test drive annoying for someone? Pay the $80 and get it fixed so that they’re not bothered by that. They might see that and ask for $200 off the selling price where you could have fixed it for $80 and made an extra $120.

Body Work

Where I live, there’s a local car detailing and body work company that advertises how they take care of small dings and scratches on cars for a pretty decent price. I think this is a good idea because people are holding on to their cars longer now and getting some small dents and scratches fixed can help the car seem more like new.

Try to find a place like this in your area. Go in and they should be able to give you a free estimate on what it would take to fix those things. Maybe you don’t get them all done to save a few bucks but why not get them all done? If it’s $200, then add $400 onto the price of the car so that you profit from it.

Do Regular Maintenance Now

Go ahead and do regular auto maintenance things like getting the oil changed and fluids checked. You’ll be able to show the buyer that this work was recently done. It’ll show you care for the car and it’s something they won’t have to do.

Show The Car’s Maintenance Records

Hopefully you’ve kept a file folder or shoe box full of receipts that has anything to do with the car you’re selling. Most people do this. This is something good to show to buyers. They’ll feel going know that they have some records of history with the vehicle and can see when certain work was done. I do this and even keep oil change receipts in it… why not?

More Tips to Get Your Vehicle Ready

1. Of course, clean the car and get it detailed.
2. Take everything out of it – all your junk.
3. Remove window and bumper stickers.
4. Remove any accessories you’ve added.

It’s best to get your vehicle as close to stock condition as possible. Clean it good. Put in new car mats and add a nice air freshener – stuff like that. Make sure it doesn’t stink and make sure it’s nice and clean.

Conclusion

Again, putting some money into the car takes care of a few things. First, it’s something people can’t bring up when they’re looking the car over – I like to say “less things in the equation” meaning less obstacles and things in the way to get to your goal. Second, think of it as increasing the value of the car. Pay $200 in repairs and raise your asking price by $400 so that you’re making more money. Look at it that way instead of losing money by spending it on repairs because that’s not how it is.

Make sure you sell people a safe car and one they can see themselves driving and your sales job will be much easier.

How did I do? Did I cover everything? Do you have more ideas? If so, please leave those comments below. Also be sure to share this article!

If you are looking to sell your car, you may face some challenges. There are many factors which determine the price of a used car. If you are planning to sell a used car yourself, you need to consider all these factors and take action where needed.

When you plan to sell your car, take some time to review the following tips. These tips will help you make the most out of your deal. You will be able to extract more value on your car. Some of these tips require a bit of money, while others require a bit of time. However, if you use these tips while selling your car, you will be assured of a great deal. You will be able to significantly increase the car’s selling price.

Mechanical Issues

If there are any mechanical issues with your car, buyers may be scared away. You need to fix all the mechanical issues if you can. Even if you don’t want to fix mechanical issues, at least talk to a mechanic so that you can tell the buyer about an estimated cost when selling your car.

Tune Up and Inspection

Before selling your car, take it to a garage for a thorough inspection. This will let you know about the condition of lights, tires and brakes. Everything should be working and in good condition if you want a high price. Ask the mechanic to change the oil and inflate tires properly.

Vehicle History Report

Usually, buyers tend to get a report from CARFAX or other similar services If your buyer gets a report and you don’t have one, any issue listed on the report may come as a surprise to you. Even if your car is in good condition, there still may be some issues that may scare away buyers. Get a report, read it and ask the reporting company to fix any errors if there are any.

Detailing the Car

Almost every buyer loves a clean interior. In fact, one of the things that a buyer hates most in a car is smelly or dirty interior. Thus, detailing your car should top your priority list.

A full detail including cleaning cup holders, they engine bay, doing stain removal, wax, tire shine and carpet cleaning is extremely important. You should ask the car detailer to remove window and bumper stickers. Also ask him to remove any sticky residue. Seat conditioning is also very important as it makes your seats look brand new.

Don’t forget to have the carpets steam cleaned and put in a light air freshener. Smelling is a strong sense and you don’t want it smelling bad. If the car smells too strong of perfumes, that might turn people off, wondering what you’re hiding.

Cleaning

In case you park the car outside, it is important to rinse it off every week before each scheduled showing. If you are still using your car, it is important to keep the interior clean. Cleaning your car regularly gives the impression it was kept in good condition.

Mention Everything

Always mention everything about the car / be honest. While posting an ad, you should mention the make, year, model, condition, features, mileage and any kind of history that a buyer may want to know. For instance, if your car was involved in an accident, you should disclose some details about the accident and repairs that were made. You should also tell the buyer about any long-term effects. Usually, mechanical issues, accidents or cosmetic issues don’t kill a deal. However, misleading facts and dishonesty may.

Extensive Listing

List your car extensively on online forums and websites. There are even some specific websites which help buyers find used cars. Extensive listings will ensure maximum exposure and you will be able to get many options to choose from.

Prompt Response

Whenever a potential buyer calls or emails, you should respond promptly. It is important to respond within minutes or within the hour if at all possible. Buyers tend to look at numerous options at the same time. Usually, the first to return a call is able to make a sale.

Take Lots of Good Photographs

You should take multiple photographs of the car. Take shots from all angles and sides. You should photograph everything including the wheels, exterior and interior. This will help you for marketing purposes. You should also photograph all the features like the sunroof, navigation screen, satellite radio and DVD player. Take pictures of each tire as well as the engine.

Go to a place near by that looks good. If you can get the car on some nice grass or else an expensive looking place, then the car will look better. Of course, be careful and ask permission if necessary. Sometimes a local park will work or by a river, lake or ocean might be nice, too.

Make sure the lighting is good and that you don’t have a glare in the lens. Partly cloudy days work good for car photographs because if you catch the sun the right way, you can have blue skies in the background and no glare from the sun on the car.

Look through all the pictures you’ve taken and then decide on the best ones to put in your advertisements.

Pricing Your Car

Again, do your research and know what the car should sell for. See what other cars of your make, model, year and mileage have sold for. Have a price in mind of how low you will go and then stick to it. Go up about $500 or so from your bottom price so that you have some room to negotiate with buyers.

Conclusion

All the tips mentioned in this article don’t require too much money or time. However, they will significantly increase the value of your car. Always use these tips to make the most out of your car sale and get the most cash for your car.

If you have more great car selling tips, please leave them in the comments. Feel free to share this article with your friends.