How to Sell Your Vehicle on Craigslist

How to Sell Your Vehicle on Craigslist
How to Sell Your Vehicle on Craigslist

Selling anything on Craigslist can be intimidating, especially if you’ve never done it before. For many people, it makes more sense to sell their vehicle at car dealerships, but it’s possible to make a little more money selling on the private market if you’re willing to do the legwork. below in this article, we will cover the How to Sell Your Vehicle on Craigslist.

From a buyer’s point of view, one thing to look out for are fake listings. You can tell if a listing is fake if it is an offer that is too good to be true. Some other giveaways include when the listing has a price or the item that is just ridiculously far off. For example, a listing may have a 2010 Dodge truck and be listed for $200. These listings you want to stay away from. Instead, you may want to consider a Buy Here Pay Here no down payment dealership where you can get a car with a limited warranty. 

Clear, Bright, Photos of Your Vehicle

When you’re selling a vehicle on Craigslist, the best place to start is to take photos from each side of the vehicle – front, rear, sides, and one or two good interior photos. These give potential buyers an accurate idea of what they will be buying. 

If there is a significant issue such as rust or dents, it makes sense to be up-front about them now and show them clearly in photos. You’ll save a lot of time from people who will be turned off if you’ve appeared to try and conceal the issue, and you’ll be able to make it clear to would-be hagglers that the asking price you posted on Craigslist already includes a discount to cover the repairs.

Your Wording

Things that should be in your listing include the year the vehicle was made, the model, the trim level, and whether any optional extras were installed upon purchase. 

Once you have covered the basics, you can start adding more specific information including the number of miles on the vehicle, number of owners, as well as any information such as horsepower, torque, and any other impressive features that could entice buyers. Keep sales-y language to a minimum.

Do you Have Aftermarket Additions? 

If you have anything custom on your vehicle such as rims, high-quality stereo, or even screens in the headrests, you will want to be sure to note this in your listing. They may increase the value of the vehicle for some buyers. 

Imagine you are the buyer. What questions would you have? This is a good way to picture what it would be like to come across your vehicle and what would make you hesitate from buying it. Head these questions off at the pass by including their answers in your Craigslist listing.

Avoiding Scams 

There are many Craigslist scams that can be a problem for Craigslist users, especially new buyers and sellers. 

A common scam is for the buyer is to make a payment using PayPal then perform a chargeback after the vehicle is in their possession. Similarly, they may use stolen PayPal or credit card details to make the payment and this can leave you in the lurch.

A scammer may ask you to give them your bank information in order for them to send you the money for the car. Be wary. This could be an attempt to steal your money or personal information. 

Some general rules to follow when selling your vehicle on Craigslist include never giving your personal home address, any other personal information, and especially any payment information online. 

Always meet in a public place and exchange the vehicle and money at the same time. You must wait for any payment to clear before handing over the vehicle. 

Never accept an arrangement where the other person will make payments or pay in some other fashion besides cash. These schemes will usually end in you getting ripped off. 

Your Final Listing 

Always make sure that you have not included any personal information or identifying information in your listing before you post it. Now that you have the photos of your vehicle, important details such as mileage and documentation of any repairs, and you’ve checked that you haven’t uploaded any identifying information, do a final pass. 

Read through the listing as if you were a person browsing Craigslist for a new vehicle. Does the listing make the vehicle appear attractive? Does the listing answer any obvious questions you might have?  

If it does, it is time to submit the listing. You will have to make a Craigslist account, verify your email, and then confirm the submission. Craigslist gives you a chance to make any last-second edits before you post the listing and you can also go back to make an edit if you need to after it is posted. 

One last tip is to be sure to take down your listing as soon as your vehicle is sold so that you will not be contacted needlessly.