How to Sell Your Car on Craigslist

Autos & Trucks

  • Author Preston Miller
  • Published March 4, 2015
  • Word count 753

How to Sell Your Car on Craigslist

In the recent past, Craigslist has become one of the largest online marketplaces. It provides all its users with efficient, safe and convenient platform to go about the whole process of buying and selling cars. With proper strategies, you can be able to sell your car within a week. One good thing about Craigslist is that buyers can easily search through adverts to get the items they want to buy. You can reach out to a larger audience with their free ad posts. Selling a car through Craigslist is far much cheaper than posting the ads on the local newspaper which will charge you exorbitant prices for about 20 words you use to describe your car. Furthermore, the 20 words may not be enough to explain in totally every aspect of the car.

To create an effective advert which will guarantee success; it is important that you follow the following key steps:

Create a Craigslist account; you need to sign up for a Craigslist account. It is such a simple process that will require at most 20 minutes. Creating an account is free. You can create an account in easy steps: visit craigslist.org; click "my account" link; "sign up" link; type your email address and the words in the CARTCHA; click "create account button" and finally verify your account through your email address.

Creating a Craigslist user account is much like creating any other online account, only requires that you provide an email address, CAPTCHA confirmation and email verification before you can sell on Craigslist.

Ensure you have the title; this is an important document and nobody will buy a car without a title. In case you don’t have the title because you have a car loan, you need to contact your bank in advance even before you list the vehicle. This is an important process because you will familiarize yourself with the process involved. It is important to note that some banks or lenders may not allow for such transactions until such a time that you shall have repaid the loan in full. In case you have lost the title, you will have to go through the process of obtaining a new title.

Clean the car; the first impression you give the buyers is very essential. Even if the car is brand new and you intend to sell it at the cheapest price possible; as long as the car is dirty, there is no one who will be interested in reading the other details about the car.

Vacuum clean the car and if possible, you can take it for a full-service car wash. A clean car will entice customers even if it is an old model. Every section of the car should be clean; both the exterior and the interior sections of the car. Ensure the engine section is thoroughly cleaned.

Take pictures; pictures attract buyers more than the car description. In fact, it is through pictures that your buyers will be interested in reading the description about the car. The pictures should be clear to an extent that they can see even the intricate details of the car. You should have as many photos as possible. Assuming very crucial parts will make the buyer to think that there are serious problems with the sections whose photos have not been posted online.

The pictures should give a clear description of the car. If possible, the buyer should be able to make decisions based on the photos which you shall have posted. Some of the most crucial parts you should feature in the advert include: all the exterior sections of the car; the engine section; the driver’s seat area; the stereo systems; the dashboard more so when the car is on; backseat; wheels and any other sections which you feel are important.

In other words, you should put yourself in the buyers’ shoes. Assuming you are buying the car, which sections of the car would you like to see to make an informed decision?

Price; you should be realistic as you set the price. Factors which should determine the price may include the age of the car and all the problems which you have learned to live with. You can also review other listings just to have a rough idea of the price. Do not be over ambitious when it comes to the amount of returns you expect. You need to decide on the mode of payment you will accept suppose you get a willing buyer.

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