Selling a car can be a long, drawn out process. When two people are negotiating on a price while haggling about details, things can get messy. Honesty and reliability are the two most important factors to keep in mind when selling your car. If you need to sell your car quickly and don’t want to spend countless hours in a car market, check out these five tips to get some cash for your wheels.
01. Commit to selling
Commitment is the first step to selling your car. If you truly do not want to sell your car, or you’re not willing to put in the work to sell it, it will be much harder to find a willing buyer.
Understanding that selling a car is like entering into a competition. To have the best chance of winning and selling your car at the best price and quickest time you have to present the car in its best possible condition. So for many people that means preparing your car for sale.
Will the car pass a Road Worthy Inspection? Certain repairs may have to be carried out in preparation for sale.
What is the condition of the body, duco and interior of the car? You may have to clean, detail the interior and polish the car or get some third party service provider to do it for you.
You want to make the best impression and stand out of the crowd, in this case, your competition. Cars that are similar to yours that are also selling on the market. You want potential buyers to come see your car first before they consider others.
The more effort you put into selling your car, the better the results will be. If possible, stop using your car as frequently once you have decided to sell it to minimize the kms. Keep it clean and tidy to be ready for a potential buyer to inspect it.
If you’re not comfortable with the idea of finding a buyer alone, or simply don’t have the time to really focus on selling your car, don’t be afraid to ask for professional help. There are professional car selling advice services in Melbourne designed to help you.
02. Research your vehicle and the market
After you have committed to selling your vehicle, you should begin to thoroughly research online how much your specific vehicle is worth, including any scratches, dents, or other damage. Compare your vehicle’s worth with similar vehicles posted for sale in your area.
You can get a good gauge or indicator of the value of your car by referencing industry accumulated data found in Redbook or similar resources that can be found on Carsales or Carsguide on-line sites. Similarly, identify similar age, km driven cars with features and see the prices they are advertising.
Obviously, a cheaper vehicle is going to sell much quicker than one posted at or above market value, so decide if time or money will be more important to you in this endeavor. Keep in mind that buyers will probably try to negotiate a lower price. If your listing price is higher than that of similar vehicles near you, consider including “ best or nearest offer” next to your price. If you dread the thought of all this research, don’t let it mean holding on to an old clunker for even longer. You can reach out to a car selling advocate for expert advice and support.
03. Write a thorough and honest description
A thorough description doesn’t need to be mindless and boring. Include quick blurbs about unique features of your vehicle, and what you love about the car. Feel free to be emotional with your description to give your potential buyer a better understanding of how you’ve used and loved your car. Be honest about any mechanical flaws and broken parts, but highlight the good bits!
When writing an Ad try putting yourself in the potential buyers shoes and tell them the things they need to know. Many poor Ads just use generic automated descriptors. It’s easy to do but does not make your Ad distinctive, personal or make it standout compared to its competition.
04. Post high quality photos
It’s important to give potential buyers a glimpse into your vehicle. Take pictures of interior details and any vehicle flaws. Be sure that your vehicle is completely clean before your photoshoot, and find a nice area to take photos of your vehicle. Focus on appropriate lighting and an attractive background when possible.
Too many photos is better than too few, so snap away! Lifestyle photos also don’t hurt, inspire potential buyers with fun and exciting photos of your vehicle in action!
Make the potential buyer feel like they can see themselves driving in the car. Take photos of all the features , extra and options that make it distinguish itself from others selling on the market.
Nowadays you also have the ability to add a video of your car to sites like Carsales. This gives the potential buyer a realistic walk around view of the exterior and interior of the car. Also with the ability to add commentary that may highlight distinctive features or reasons why you as the seller consider your car stands out from the rest.
05. Actively communicate with potential buyers
Attach the appropriate phone number or email address with your vehicle listing. Be prepared to answer or return calls from unknown phone numbers. Do not waste other people’s time while you try to squeeze the most money out of your vehicle. Conversely, be clear the way you would like to deal with potential buyers. There are a lot of scammers, time wasters and low ballers that you do not want to deal with and filter out. You can put this in your Ad.
Selling a car is all about establishing trust and relationships between buyer and seller. Remember how you feel as a potential buyer when you approach a seller of a car. Having empathy and understanding for the respective parties means the experience does not have to be adversarial. Negotiation does not have to mean disrespecting either party in order to get the best price.
Be reliable and responsive to build trust between buyer and seller. Be clear and honest about vehicle details and meetup times. Keep everyone involved happy by responding quickly to messages and keeping your buyer informed of all your plans or changes.
Communication is the key once you have a party engaged in buying your car and ensures smooth outcome and settlement once a price is agreed upon.
Follow these tips to sell your car efficiently and honestly. Be open to communication and thorough about the current state of your vehicle. Truthbetold, finding the right buyer is not always easy and can be time consuming.
Ultimately, demand and the market dictate the timing and final selling price. However, ensuring you present the best Ad and car maximises your chance of a successful and timely outcome.
If you require assistance selling your vehicle, get in touch with My Next Car Buying Advocacy in Metropolitan. They provide expert advice on car selling and car buying, to help you take the hassle out of rehoming your old vehicle and when you’re ready, can provide support on finding the right new car at the right price!
