I sold my car on Craigslist

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baconavocado
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I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by baconavocado »

This summer I sold my car on Craigslist. The experience was quite different than I expected so I thought I would share it with this forum in case others are considering doing the same.

In the past when I’ve bought a new car, I’ve always sold my older car privately, but the value has never been more than $5k and the sale was relatively quick and efficient. In this case, the value was around $15k and it hadn’t occurred to me that as the value goes up, the pool of prospective buyers goes down, so the amount of time and effort to sell the car goes up. There are simply fewer buyers in the market for a $15k car than a $5k car. In this case it took about six weeks to sell the car.

Here are my tips:

1) Clean the car thoroughly inside and out. No one wants someone else’s dirt. Rub out minor scratches, use touch-up paint if needed. Wax and polish the car. Get your docs in order: registration, title, maintenance records, smog certificate (if needed).

2) Post many photos (I ended up with more than 10) and be 100% upfront about the history and condition of the car. Original owner? Accident history? Maintenance history? Smoker? Pets transported in car? Clear title? These were the things that buyers asked about.

3) Find out the blue book value and start by offering the car at the high end of the range. You can always adjust down, it’s harder to adjust up. Look at other CL ads for similar cars.

4) The first potential buyers who respond, often within minutes of posting, will be private dealers, aka middle men. They don’t make money, like commercial dealers, by reconditioning cars and reselling them with financing and warranties, they make money by badgering you to sell low, then convincing a buyer to pay a higher price. By badgering, I mean electronic badgering. They aren’t going to drive out and look at your car unless they’re reasonably sure they can buy it below market value. This is a business with very low overhead: a cell phone and an email account. They will ask for your phone number and pummel you for more information and try to bargain the price down via text/email: “I’m on my way, by the way, what’s the lowest price you’ll accept?” etc. Don’t give them your phone number, be polite, but keep track of their email addresses so you can block them. I used the CL email relay system for all communications and didn’t give my phone number to any buyers except the 3-4 I thought were serious.

5) You will get offers from commercial dealers. These are the offers I got: Carmax, $13k; Carvana: $8.7k; local dealer: $12.5k; another local dealer: $11.5k. Of course, all of these could have been modified (lowered) once they saw the car.

6) Real buyers may take days or a week to respond because they aren’t sitting on CL all day looking for new posts. Try to get them to come and look at the car – if they won’t, they probably aren’t serious buyers.

7) If you don’t get much interest, delete the ad, wait a week, lower the price, and repost. I got probably 30 unique responses to my ads and a total of one interested buyer who came to look at the car, the one who bought it.

8) Re: the actual sale transaction, I followed the CL advice to go with the buyer to their bank, wait while they get a cashier’s check, and complete the transaction in the lobby of their bank. This means the sale must take place while banks are open.
Last edited by baconavocado on Mon Jan 09, 2023 2:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
sleepy06
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by sleepy06 »

Thanks.

Did you do a mobile deposit of the cashier's check or how did you get the funds in your account at another bank?
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by baconavocado »

sleepy06 wrote: Mon Jan 09, 2023 11:45 am Thanks.

Did you do a mobile deposit of the cashier's check or how did you get the funds in your account at another bank?
I'm not sure I can do a mobile deposit for a large check. In this case, I went to my bank and deposited the check in the ATM.
Carguy85
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by Carguy85 »

I might add that real buyers are much more likely to pick up the phone and call you….although not necessarily the case on low dollar items. Against my better judgement I let a potential buyer waste lots of my time by texting back and forth over several weeks on a $25k vehicle. Never again. I shoulda known better but I wanted to believe the vehicle was finally sold. I prefer to text in general over a matter of convenience but would never proceed to buy a car without first feeling out the seller over the phone as part of the consideration whether or not to look at it. Especially if it was more than right down the street….Way too many nuances that a text simply can’t capture.
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by pjtallman »

Hi, thanks for kind post.

Would you share how much you sold for vs what you asked? I am curious, as for me, if I were selling (and I am about to) my vehicle for $15K and one of the big commercial company's offered within $500 of what I was asking, I would take it. I realize many people want to get closer to what they are asking but for me the reduced hassle and security of getting paid by a known entity is worth about $500.

Regards,
Pat
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by baconavocado »

The problem is that middlemen want your phone number too - that's the first thing they ask for. I didn't give my number out until I had a few email exchanges and I was reasonably sure they were a legitimate buyer. I might have missed one or two non-dealers with that strategy but I doubt it. My guess is that 75% of the buyers who contacted me were private or commercial dealers.
Last edited by baconavocado on Mon Jan 09, 2023 1:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
ShaftoesSpreadsheet
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by ShaftoesSpreadsheet »

pjtallman wrote: Mon Jan 09, 2023 12:33 pm Hi, thanks for kind post.

Would you share how much you sold for vs what you asked? I am curious, as for me, if I were selling (and I am about to) my vehicle for $15K and one of the big commercial company's offered within $500 of what I was asking, I would take it. I realize many people want to get closer to what they are asking but for me the reduced hassle and security of getting paid by a known entity is worth about $500.

Regards,
Pat
My experience with Shift was good, but they will deduct $$$ for dings and scratches. The price they quote online is the maximum they will give assuming the car is in mint condition. Once they come out and inspect they start documenting all the problems in detail. I ended up accepting about $800 worth of deductions, pretty much every panel had some kind of ding or scratch from shopping carts, etc.
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by baconavocado »

pjtallman wrote: Mon Jan 09, 2023 12:33 pm Hi, thanks for kind post.

Would you share how much you sold for vs what you asked? I am curious, as for me, if I were selling (and I am about to) my vehicle for $15K and one of the big commercial company's offered within $500 of what I was asking, I would take it. I realize many people want to get closer to what they are asking but for me the reduced hassle and security of getting paid by a known entity is worth about $500.

Regards,
Pat
I ultimately asked $15k and got $15k. But before that I started advertising at a significantly higher price. When I didn't get much interest, except for people trying to buy at a lower price, I deleted the ad, waited, and reposted at a lower price.
urban
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by urban »

baconavocado wrote: Mon Jan 09, 2023 12:37 pm The problem is that middlemen want your phone number too - that's the first thing they ask for. I didn't give my number out until I had a few email exchanges and I was reasonably sure they were a legitimate buyer. I might have missed one or two buyers with that strategy but I doubt it. My guess is that 75% of the buyers who contacted me were private or commercial dealers.
You could provide a Google Voice number with redirect to your real phone number.
YeahBuddy
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by YeahBuddy »

I've bought and sold cars on craigslist going back some 15 years and my experience was similar to yours. Easily sold a $5k car. Couldn't find much attention for a more expensive car. One of my most reliable vehicles I purchased for $9,500 and seller indicated there was only 1 or 2 other responses before I arrived. Anytime I try to sell something on CL (or FB marketplace) I also receive a LOT of scam responses.
In a few years I plan to test the waters with my wife's van but won't hesitate to trade in if it means an easy transaction with many hours saved. Sometimes it's just not worth it to spend a lot of time and the headaches to sell a vehicle for max value.
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enad
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by enad »

What if a buyer wanted to have his mechanic check the vehicle out?
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by baconavocado »

urban wrote: Mon Jan 09, 2023 12:48 pm
baconavocado wrote: Mon Jan 09, 2023 12:37 pm The problem is that middlemen want your phone number too - that's the first thing they ask for. I didn't give my number out until I had a few email exchanges and I was reasonably sure they were a legitimate buyer. I might have missed one or two buyers with that strategy but I doubt it. My guess is that 75% of the buyers who contacted me were private or commercial dealers.
You could provide a Google Voice number with redirect to your real phone number.
Good idea.
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by baconavocado »

RobLyons wrote: Mon Jan 09, 2023 1:09 pm I've bought and sold cars on craigslist going back some 15 years and my experience was similar to yours. Easily sold a $5k car. Couldn't find much attention for a more expensive car. One of my most reliable vehicles I purchased for $9,500 and seller indicated there was only 1 or 2 other responses before I arrived. Anytime I try to sell something on CL (or FB marketplace) I also receive a LOT of scam responses.
In a few years I plan to test the waters with my wife's van but won't hesitate to trade in if it means an easy transaction with many hours saved. Sometimes it's just not worth it to spend a lot of time and the headaches to sell a vehicle for max value.
True, but I'm a retired dude with lots of free time.
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by baconavocado »

enad wrote: Mon Jan 09, 2023 1:10 pm What if a buyer wanted to have his mechanic check the vehicle out?
A couple buyers mentioned they wanted to do that and I told them it was a-ok if it was a local mechanic and I could go along. No one actually did that.
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enad
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by enad »

baconavocado wrote: Mon Jan 09, 2023 1:15 pm
enad wrote: Mon Jan 09, 2023 1:10 pm What if a buyer wanted to have his mechanic check the vehicle out?
A couple buyers mentioned they wanted to do that and I told them it was a-ok if it was a local mechanic and I could go along. No one actually did that.
I did the same years ago and the seller agreed but wanted to drive the car to the mechanic. After several hours the mechanic came back with a list of issues and the seller did not want to make the repairs or offer a discount. He opted not to sell the car. A few weeks later he relisted it and sold it for the same original asking price to someone else.
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by bloom2708 »

Good summary.

I've sold many cars with a similar strategy on Craigslist. It only takes 1 good buyer for each car.

I clean up the cars inside and out. Take good photos and give an honest assessment of the vehicle. Price it mid-Private Party range.

I provide the vehicle history and put the radio on a local Christian station for the test drive. Never failed me. Some cars take longer, which is fine. Usually never in a hurry.
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by Globetrttr »

I've sold several vehicles on CL, last one about 9-10 years ago, all about $10k or less. Back then you mostly dealt with real people, even if they had ulterior motives (I sniffed those out and avoided them).

Upon doing so, I usually agreed on a price and would have the buyer meet at MY local bank branch with a known bank cashier's check to deposit it immediately into my account before moving forward. You want to be sure the check is legit and funds clear before signing the title over. I would accept no other form of payment.
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by Parkinglotracer »

We sold a car for 13K on FB marketplace in two days in Oct. It was priced fairly, it was clean, 56K mile 2008 Lexes es350. Cash transaction. worked great. no shenanigans and we have seen some of that. one buddy years ago sold a motorhome to someone who paid with a fake cashiers check. that was a bad experience for him.

we got a carmax / caravan offer for around 8K.
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by punkinhead »

My last vehicle sale was a motorcycle. I got zero non-scam responses from Craigslist but several serious buyers (and several scammy fishing expeditions) on FB Marketplace. It eventually sold on FB. Next time I doubt I'll bother with Craigslist. I absolutely detest FB, but it worked.
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by lthenderson »

baconavocado wrote: Mon Jan 09, 2023 11:34 am 3) Find out the blue book value and start by offering the car at the high end of the range. You can always adjust down, it’s harder to adjust up. Look at other CL ads for similar cars.
I've sold a number of cars over the internet and I've found that things sell better when you price it right at market or even a little less. People scroll through those ads and when they see a particular car priced high, they skip over it and I think when they see it again, they do the same thing without looking at the price to see that it is lowered. In essence by pricing it high at the start, you cut an already slim market into a smaller fraction. When I price it at market or even slightly less than market, I typically end up with several individual parties interested and I use them to play off each other which results in a final price higher than I initially asked. The last car I sold, I had a three way bidding war right in my driveway and the price almost doubled what I was asking initially. But don't read a lot into that because I was only asking for $500 on that one and sold if for $900. FWIW, I've never had to repost an ad to get what I wanted for the vehicle as they have all sold within a day or two of posting.
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by baconavocado »

lthenderson wrote: Mon Jan 09, 2023 3:57 pm
baconavocado wrote: Mon Jan 09, 2023 11:34 am 3) Find out the blue book value and start by offering the car at the high end of the range. You can always adjust down, it’s harder to adjust up. Look at other CL ads for similar cars.
I've sold a number of cars over the internet and I've found that things sell better when you price it right at market or even a little less. People scroll through those ads and when they see a particular car priced high, they skip over it and I think when they see it again, they do the same thing without looking at the price to see that it is lowered. In essence by pricing it high at the start, you cut an already slim market into a smaller fraction. When I price it at market or even slightly less than market, I typically end up with several individual parties interested and I use them to play off each other which results in a final price higher than I initially asked. The last car I sold, I had a three way bidding war right in my driveway and the price almost doubled what I was asking initially. But don't read a lot into that because I was only asking for $500 on that one and sold if for $900. FWIW, I've never had to repost an ad to get what I wanted for the vehicle as they have all sold within a day or two of posting.
The problem with pricing it right at market or a little less is that it's hard to know what the market value is. I think you have to be in the market awhile to know what it is. Blue book value can give you a starting point but there are many factors that affect the market value (I listed some above). Last summer the market for used cars was changing rapidly so values were changing even as I was trying to discover the value.

I suspect a lot of sellers under price their cars, either because they want a fast sale or they're unsure about the value. That's why there are so many private dealers.
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by Jack FFR1846 »

I've sold at least a dozen cars on Craigslist, several trailers and a boat among thousands of car parts, guitars and random things. I always include these 2 lines at the end of every ad:

*Please leave a phone number*
*Yes, I still have it. I will delete this ad when it's gone*

This way, people who are real with a local phone number are easy to spot in responses. And those "Do you still have it" spammers looking for your email address to sell can be deleted.

Small stuff (as much as $8000) have been envelopes of cash. Cars, I go to the bank. They get a cashiers check and I cash it in that I sign it to the bank and ask for a bank check to me. When they tell me there's a charge, I say "ok, I'll take it in cash". When they are faced with giving me $15k in cash, they drop the charge. I bring that to my bank.

One example, a Nissan 350Z. Craigslist 4 appointments made out of 10 responses. First guy bought it. On failbook marketplace, well over 100 responses. 25 appointments made. Not a single one showed up.
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

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Jack FFR1846 wrote: Mon Jan 09, 2023 5:46 pm I've sold at least a dozen cars on Craigslist, several trailers and a boat among thousands of car parts, guitars and random things. I always include these 2 lines at the end of every ad:

*Please leave a phone number*
*Yes, I still have it. I will delete this ad when it's gone*

This way, people who are real with a local phone number are easy to spot in responses. And those "Do you still have it" spammers looking for your email address to sell can be deleted.

Small stuff (as much as $8000) have been envelopes of cash. Cars, I go to the bank. They get a cashiers check and I cash it in that I sign it to the bank and ask for a bank check to me. When they tell me there's a charge, I say "ok, I'll take it in cash". When they are faced with giving me $15k in cash, they drop the charge. I bring that to my bank.

One example, a Nissan 350Z. Craigslist 4 appointments made out of 10 responses. First guy bought it. On failbook marketplace, well over 100 responses. 25 appointments made. Not a single one showed up.
I don't know if this is new but the email relay on Craigslist disguises your actual email address so no one can see it. You don't have to worry about spammers.

As far as phone numbers, I live in a large metro area with many area codes so it's really impossible to tell from a phone number whether someone is legit. And private dealers, the ones I tried to avoid, are actual real people who live here, they just aren't the kind of buyer I wanted to deal with. I was looking for a buyer who wanted the car for their own use, not to resell.
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by valleyrock »

I've bought and sold lots of cars on Craigslist. I always use the NADA price (now at Nadaguides.com but it used to be a monthly on reserve at the public library). That's the price car dealers and bank loan officers use. So, there's no haggle or hassle, no buyer's or seller's remorse. Just look it up and print it out.

(Of course, there are other things. Such as when buying I'll pay for a mechanic's check after being sure I want the car and assuring the owner I plan to buy it at the NADA price if it checks out as OK.)
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

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valleyrock wrote: Mon Jan 09, 2023 7:05 pm I've bought and sold lots of cars on Craigslist. I always use the NADA price (now at Nadaguides.com but it used to be a monthly on reserve at the public library). That's the price car dealers and bank loan officers use. So, there's no haggle or hassle, no buyer's or seller's remorse. Just look it up and print it out.

(Of course, there are other things. Such as when buying I'll pay for a mechanic's check after being sure I want the car and assuring the owner I plan to buy it at the NADA price if it checks out as OK.)
Those NADA prices look the same as the prices I found on kbb.com. There's always a range of values based on condition. For example, a 4-year old car that's been in an accident and then repaired is not going to have the same value as an identical car that's never been in an accident.
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by StevieG72 »

I was disappointed to learn Craigslist now charges $5 for each 30 day listing. I posted on FB Marketplace with plans to clean up vehicle an then list on Craigslist. To my surprise vehicle sold in three days.
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

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baconavocado wrote: Mon Jan 09, 2023 11:34 am
This summer I sold my car on Craigslist.
I sold my $300,000 house on Craigslist 1.5 years ago.

I sold 1 company car several years ago on CL, before FB became a big seller platform.

I also helped a coworker sell a RV Camper on Craigslist several years ago also for more money than they thought they could get. They didn't even tip me $5. Pretty lame to not at least offer. If they offered, I probably would have turned it down. But at least make the offer! 👎

If you understand marketing... you can probably sell anything on CL.

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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by baconavocado »

StevieG72 wrote: Mon Jan 09, 2023 8:30 pm I was disappointed to learn Craigslist now charges $5 for each 30 day listing. I posted on FB Marketplace with plans to clean up vehicle an then list on Craigslist. To my surprise vehicle sold in three days.
The $5 listing charge is peanuts compared to the value of most cars. I ended up paying $15 to sell a $15k car.
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by StevieG72 »

baconavocado wrote: Mon Jan 09, 2023 8:58 pm
StevieG72 wrote: Mon Jan 09, 2023 8:30 pm I was disappointed to learn Craigslist now charges $5 for each 30 day listing. I posted on FB Marketplace with plans to clean up vehicle an then list on Craigslist. To my surprise vehicle sold in three days.
The $5 listing charge is peanuts compared to the value of most cars. I ended up paying $15 to sell a $15k car.
I am allergic to fees.
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by valleyrock »

baconavocado wrote: Mon Jan 09, 2023 7:53 pm
valleyrock wrote: Mon Jan 09, 2023 7:05 pm I've bought and sold lots of cars on Craigslist. I always use the NADA price (now at Nadaguides.com but it used to be a monthly on reserve at the public library). That's the price car dealers and bank loan officers use. So, there's no haggle or hassle, no buyer's or seller's remorse. Just look it up and print it out.

(Of course, there are other things. Such as when buying I'll pay for a mechanic's check after being sure I want the car and assuring the owner I plan to buy it at the NADA price if it checks out as OK.)
Those NADA prices look the same as the prices I found on kbb.com. There's always a range of values based on condition. For example, a 4-year old car that's been in an accident and then repaired is not going to have the same value as an identical car that's never been in an accident.
I find NADA prices to be much more useful than kbb. Among people who are familiar with NADA pricing, there's just no haggling. Prices are for the region and mileage factors into the calculation, and I don't believe there's a range. The retail price is what it is. When I buy I bring a copy of the NADA web page, and when selling I put a copy in the car. If you were to buy a used car at a dealership, they'll use the NADA price if you bring it up.

Of course, things need modifying for a car that was in an accident or has scratches, etc. I always buy the Carfax report, which can have maintenance information and insurance claims. But not everyone files an insurance claim for an accident. So that's where a good mechanic's check comes in.
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by Outer Marker »

I've sold three cars on Craigslist and bought one. All positive experiences. My cars were clean, well maintained, with records. With NADA and KBB, it's easy to come up with a fair price. I priced them realistically, did not "pad" the price, and sold within 48 hours within a few hundred of the asking price. Likewise, when shopping for a car on Craigslist, I only looked at private sellers who were realistic in their pricing expectations.
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by Parkinglotracer »

Outer Marker wrote: Tue Jan 10, 2023 10:36 am I've sold three cars on Craigslist and bought one. All positive experiences. My cars were clean, well maintained, with records. With NADA and KBB, it's easy to come up with a fair price. I priced them realistically, did not "pad" the price, and sold within 48 hours within a few hundred of the asking price. Likewise, when shopping for a car on Craigslist, I only looked at private sellers who were realistic in their pricing expectations.
Same experience here - Facebook marketplace received many more responses recently when I sold a car than my Craigslist ad - both are great places to buy and sell if one is realistic and not gullible.
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by thedaybeforetoday »

baconavocado wrote: Mon Jan 09, 2023 6:31 pm
Jack FFR1846 wrote: Mon Jan 09, 2023 5:46 pm I've sold at least a dozen cars on Craigslist, several trailers and a boat among thousands of car parts, guitars and random things. I always include these 2 lines at the end of every ad:

*Please leave a phone number*
*Yes, I still have it. I will delete this ad when it's gone*

This way, people who are real with a local phone number are easy to spot in responses. And those "Do you still have it" spammers looking for your email address to sell can be deleted.

Small stuff (as much as $8000) have been envelopes of cash. Cars, I go to the bank. They get a cashiers check and I cash it in that I sign it to the bank and ask for a bank check to me. When they tell me there's a charge, I say "ok, I'll take it in cash". When they are faced with giving me $15k in cash, they drop the charge. I bring that to my bank.

One example, a Nissan 350Z. Craigslist 4 appointments made out of 10 responses. First guy bought it. On failbook marketplace, well over 100 responses. 25 appointments made. Not a single one showed up.
I don't know if this is new but the email relay on Craigslist disguises your actual email address so no one can see it. You don't have to worry about spammers.

I was looking for a buyer who wanted the car for their own use, not to resell.
Interesting sales criteria.
Curious, did you state that in the listing and how did you verify?
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by RickBoglehead »

I've sold multiple vehicles on Craigslist. Since 2018, I found that there were better avenues, because of vehicle values. Sold a 2018 vehicle to Carvana, back in the day when they paid too much for vehicles. Sold a 2021 to a dealer out of state, who beat all car listing services by thousands of dollars. I found him by listing on Autotrader.com.

There are more than 1/2 dozen car buying sites, you should explore them all. What worked in July may not be top of list in January.

Yes, Craigslist allows the anonymous capability until you're ready to transfer title. I've sold hundreds of things on CL and only a handful of people have any idea of more than my first name.

I have sold a handful of items on FB. It lacks the anonymity, and is full of spammers / ripoff artists. I list very little of value there, I did list a car but it got nothing in terms of valid inquiries.

Many people don't have the street smarts to do more than simply trade a vehicle in, and that's fine - for them.
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baconavocado
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by baconavocado »

thedaybeforetoday wrote: Tue Jan 10, 2023 10:58 am
baconavocado wrote: Mon Jan 09, 2023 6:31 pm
Jack FFR1846 wrote: Mon Jan 09, 2023 5:46 pm I've sold at least a dozen cars on Craigslist, several trailers and a boat among thousands of car parts, guitars and random things. I always include these 2 lines at the end of every ad:

*Please leave a phone number*
*Yes, I still have it. I will delete this ad when it's gone*

This way, people who are real with a local phone number are easy to spot in responses. And those "Do you still have it" spammers looking for your email address to sell can be deleted.

Small stuff (as much as $8000) have been envelopes of cash. Cars, I go to the bank. They get a cashiers check and I cash it in that I sign it to the bank and ask for a bank check to me. When they tell me there's a charge, I say "ok, I'll take it in cash". When they are faced with giving me $15k in cash, they drop the charge. I bring that to my bank.

One example, a Nissan 350Z. Craigslist 4 appointments made out of 10 responses. First guy bought it. On failbook marketplace, well over 100 responses. 25 appointments made. Not a single one showed up.
I don't know if this is new but the email relay on Craigslist disguises your actual email address so no one can see it. You don't have to worry about spammers.

I was looking for a buyer who wanted the car for their own use, not to resell.
Interesting sales criteria.
Curious, did you state that in the listing and how did you verify?
I didn't state it in the ad but I sort of used it as a criteria to weed out dealers. Logically, someone who wants to resell the car is going to need to bargain the price down to allow room for profit. I could tell by how the buyers approached me whether they were the type I wanted to deal with.

However, I would have sold to anyone who met my price, regardless.
LiterallyIronic
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by LiterallyIronic »

baconavocado wrote: Mon Jan 09, 2023 1:15 pm
enad wrote: Mon Jan 09, 2023 1:10 pm What if a buyer wanted to have his mechanic check the vehicle out?
A couple buyers mentioned they wanted to do that and I told them it was a-ok if it was a local mechanic and I could go along. No one actually did that.
Huh, that's unexpected. I've bought a number of cars over the years and I always, always drive it to a mechanic in the area and have it looked over.
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imbogled
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by imbogled »

Any concerns about something going wrong with the vehicle shortly/not so shortly after selling the vehicle and how to deal with an upset buyer?
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by baconavocado »

imbogled wrote: Tue Jan 10, 2023 12:12 pm Any concerns about something going wrong with the vehicle shortly/not so shortly after selling the vehicle and how to deal with an upset buyer?
No, since I was 100% honest about the condition and history of the car. My sales contract (a standard one-page doc that anyone can download from the net) stated that it was sold in "as-is" condition. It would have been very usual for something to go wrong since this was a reliable brand/model that was relatively not that old.
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by urban »

imbogled wrote: Tue Jan 10, 2023 12:12 pm Any concerns about something going wrong with the vehicle shortly/not so shortly after selling the vehicle and how to deal with an upset buyer?
This is where you wish it was sold to a reseller.
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by urban »

baconavocado wrote: Tue Jan 10, 2023 12:25 pm My sales contract (a standard one-page doc that anyone can download from the net) stated that it was sold in "as-is" condition.
Sometimes it could be some overriding laws in a particular state. For example, even if a used cars lot sells cars as-is, it could be a state law that they are liable for 30-day warranty, and what is included in such warranty.
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by michaelingp »

LiterallyIronic wrote: Tue Jan 10, 2023 11:53 am
baconavocado wrote: Mon Jan 09, 2023 1:15 pm
enad wrote: Mon Jan 09, 2023 1:10 pm What if a buyer wanted to have his mechanic check the vehicle out?
A couple buyers mentioned they wanted to do that and I told them it was a-ok if it was a local mechanic and I could go along. No one actually did that.
Huh, that's unexpected. I've bought a number of cars over the years and I always, always drive it to a mechanic in the area and have it looked over.
My daughter sold her car on Craigslist a while back. The buyer asked for a mechanical inspection. She said, fine, what mechanic? She drove the car to the mechanic, the buyer paid for the inspection and got the results, my daughter drove the car both ways. The funny part (to me, anyway) was the buyer specified a Honda dealer. The dealer couldn't find anything to mention other than "non-OEM brake pads". I think a car has to be in pretty good shape for a dealer not to find anything that they say needs fixing!
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by Starfish »

RobLyons wrote: Mon Jan 09, 2023 1:09 pm I've bought and sold cars on craigslist going back some 15 years and my experience was similar to yours. Easily sold a $5k car. Couldn't find much attention for a more expensive car. One of my most reliable vehicles I purchased for $9,500 and seller indicated there was only 1 or 2 other responses before I arrived. Anytime I try to sell something on CL (or FB marketplace) I also receive a LOT of scam responses.
In a few years I plan to test the waters with my wife's van but won't hesitate to trade in if it means an easy transaction with many hours saved. Sometimes it's just not worth it to spend a lot of time and the headaches to sell a vehicle for max value.

How many hours makes it worth it?
I count like this (examples):
1. I make X $.
2. I pay 40% taxes.
3. From 60% left I pay half on rent/mortgage/food/other important stuff.
4. I am left with 30% disposable income.


The difference between trade in and private party is, say 2-3k$ of straight disposable income. If all together it takes a full day of work (which I doubt), it's equivalent to making, 6-9k$ a day, I don't know, 2MM$/year income? I don't make two million unfortunately. And I would not count it as work, it's much easier than work worth couple of millions.
The funny thing is that a lot of people going for trade ins are not bogleheads but people who make average income. Probably among the worst financial mistakes for them.
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by TXJeff »

Since it hasn't been mentioned yet: the two times I sold cars via Craigslist, a main concern was that the car got properly registered to the new owner, so I wasn't potentially responsible for their tickets, toll violations or even crimes.

As a result, my process has been: agree on sale price, seller has/gets cash, we go to the vehicle registration office and finalize the transaction in front of one of their reps. That way, the buyer knows the title is OK, we ensure that the sales receipt has all the info the govt requires, and I know for sure that I'm off the title.
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by urban »

TXJeff wrote: Wed Jan 11, 2023 11:22 am Since it hasn't been mentioned yet: the two times I sold cars via Craigslist, a main concern was that the car got properly registered to the new owner, so I wasn't potentially responsible for their tickets, toll violations or even crimes.

As a result, my process has been: agree on sale price, seller has/gets cash, we go to the vehicle registration office and finalize the transaction in front of one of their reps. That way, the buyer knows the title is OK, we ensure that the sales receipt has all the info the govt requires, and I know for sure that I'm off the title.
You can skip going to the vehicle registration office by signing your title in the bank, in front of a notary public, and taking a copy of it (or a picture). Though it may be specific to your state.
https://carbrain.com/car-title-transfer/ohio
TXJeff
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by TXJeff »

urban wrote: Wed Jan 11, 2023 11:31 am You can skip going to the vehicle registration office by signing your title in the bank, in front of a notary public, and taking a copy of it (or a picture). Though it may be specific to your state.
https://carbrain.com/car-title-transfer/ohio
Very useful if available!
In my two transactions it wasn't available. Signing at the vehicle registration office was the only real way to make sure, right from the time of sale, that the buyer properly registered the car.
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by baconavocado »

TXJeff wrote: Wed Jan 11, 2023 12:36 pm
urban wrote: Wed Jan 11, 2023 11:31 am You can skip going to the vehicle registration office by signing your title in the bank, in front of a notary public, and taking a copy of it (or a picture). Though it may be specific to your state.
https://carbrain.com/car-title-transfer/ohio
Very useful if available!
In my two transactions it wasn't available. Signing at the vehicle registration office was the only real way to make sure, right from the time of sale, that the buyer properly registered the car.
Not needed in my state. There's a separate form, Release of Liability, attached to the title that you're supposed to fill out and mail to the state motor vehicles dept. after the sale. You can also do the same online.
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by idc »

In my state (WA), there is a high sales tax (10%), no income tax and a rule that deducts the value of the trade-in from the sales tax of the new purchase. That means, if you're replacing a vehicle with a new one via a dealer, then you have an instant break of 10% of the trade-in value towards the price of the new vehicle, provided both are handled by the same dealer, with the same transaction.

This means that you would have to sell private party by more than 10% from the trade-in value to break even. In most cases I don't bother. You obviously have to be careful to negotiate a decent trade in price.

My typical MO is that I get a CarMax offer before I go to the dealer and negotiate the purchase price of the new car independently. Most dealers want to negotiate everything as a single transaction and frame things as monthly payments negotiation. I always negotiate things piece meal, purchase price, financing and trade in value separately and in that order. If they insist on negotiating monthly payments I threaten to walk and they always relent. I always tell dealers I want to finance the car, even when I know that I will buy cash, since I want to give them the impression they might make money off the financing out of me. I always tell them I want to trade in but negotiate separately. Once I have the purchase price and financing locked in, they usually low ball me on the trade in and if so I produce the CarMax and tell them to take it or leave it. I only walk from the trade in and sell private if they won't budge, but that rarely happens. The sales person is very happy to use the CarMax offer as justification to close the deal.
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by tennisplyr »

RickBoglehead wrote: Tue Jan 10, 2023 11:03 am I've sold multiple vehicles on Craigslist. Since 2018, I found that there were better avenues, because of vehicle values. Sold a 2018 vehicle to Carvana, back in the day when they paid too much for vehicles. Sold a 2021 to a dealer out of state, who beat all car listing services by thousands of dollars. I found him by listing on Autotrader.com.

There are more than 1/2 dozen car buying sites, you should explore them all. What worked in July may not be top of list in January.

Yes, Craigslist allows the anonymous capability until you're ready to transfer title. I've sold hundreds of things on CL and only a handful of people have any idea of more than my first name.

I have sold a handful of items on FB. It lacks the anonymity, and is full of spammers / ripoff artists. I list very little of value there, I did list a car but it got nothing in terms of valid inquiries.

Many people don't have the street smarts to do more than simply trade a vehicle in, and that's fine - for them.
Would you say that Autotrader is one of the better commercial ways to go...I have a 2020 Honda.
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by YeahBuddy »

Starfish wrote: Wed Jan 11, 2023 12:10 am
RobLyons wrote: Mon Jan 09, 2023 1:09 pm I've bought and sold cars on craigslist going back some 15 years and my experience was similar to yours. Easily sold a $5k car. Couldn't find much attention for a more expensive car. One of my most reliable vehicles I purchased for $9,500 and seller indicated there was only 1 or 2 other responses before I arrived. Anytime I try to sell something on CL (or FB marketplace) I also receive a LOT of scam responses.
In a few years I plan to test the waters with my wife's van but won't hesitate to trade in if it means an easy transaction with many hours saved. Sometimes it's just not worth it to spend a lot of time and the headaches to sell a vehicle for max value.

How many hours makes it worth it?
I count like this (examples):
1. I make X $.
2. I pay 40% taxes.
3. From 60% left I pay half on rent/mortgage/food/other important stuff.
4. I am left with 30% disposable income.


The difference between trade in and private party is, say 2-3k$ of straight disposable income. If all together it takes a full day of work (which I doubt), it's equivalent to making, 6-9k$ a day, I don't know, 2MM$/year income? I don't make two million unfortunately. And I would not count it as work, it's much easier than work worth couple of millions.
The funny thing is that a lot of people going for trade ins are not bogleheads but people who make average income. Probably among the worst financial mistakes for them.

I like this response.

To play devil's advocate, I suppose it depends on the vehicle being sold and the ease of sale. Sometimes it could take months to sell a vehicle. So taking photos, writing a detailed description, responding to dozens of emails, taking additional photos or videos if requested. And you have to stay on top of your email and texts constantly. Stale listings require price drops, revisions, etc.

Than the intangibles of meeting up with strangers. Inherent dangers involved and potential for getting ripped off. Arranging a location if you don't want them coming to your house. Test drive time. They may want to take the vehicle to their mechanic before sale so you may need to arrange that.

So just in my experience, it takes about 2 full days of work if not 3 to sell a vehicle.

In 3 days of overtime I could easily make $3,000+.

So I guess my answer is: It depends.
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Re: I sold my car on Craigslist

Post by 02nz »

Starfish wrote: Wed Jan 11, 2023 12:10 am
RobLyons wrote: Mon Jan 09, 2023 1:09 pm I've bought and sold cars on craigslist going back some 15 years and my experience was similar to yours. Easily sold a $5k car. Couldn't find much attention for a more expensive car. One of my most reliable vehicles I purchased for $9,500 and seller indicated there was only 1 or 2 other responses before I arrived. Anytime I try to sell something on CL (or FB marketplace) I also receive a LOT of scam responses.
In a few years I plan to test the waters with my wife's van but won't hesitate to trade in if it means an easy transaction with many hours saved. Sometimes it's just not worth it to spend a lot of time and the headaches to sell a vehicle for max value.

How many hours makes it worth it?
I count like this (examples):
1. I make X $.
2. I pay 40% taxes.
3. From 60% left I pay half on rent/mortgage/food/other important stuff.
4. I am left with 30% disposable income.


The difference between trade in and private party is, say 2-3k$ of straight disposable income. If all together it takes a full day of work (which I doubt), it's equivalent to making, 6-9k$ a day, I don't know, 2MM$/year income? I don't make two million unfortunately. And I would not count it as work, it's much easier than work worth couple of millions.
The funny thing is that a lot of people going for trade ins are not bogleheads but people who make average income. Probably among the worst financial mistakes for them.
In most states, you save sales tax on the trade-in value. In many cases that can be enough to make up the much of the difference. And there's another alternative, selling to an online dealer like Carvana or Vroom. I've sold to both, and got prices very close to what private party would have brought, for a lot less hassle. Particularly for higher-priced cars (above maybe $25K), the market is much smaller (as Starfish noted) and you get a lot of tire-kickers that just waste time.
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