How and Where To Sell Your Car Online

Since the internet was launched in August 1991 there has been several advances, one of them is the ability to sell and buy cars online.

The first and most popular car selling site online to this day is AutoTrader, which was launched in 1996 and allows its users to track down and sell vehicles. Since the launch of AutoTrader there has been several other similar websites launched which we will talk about in this article.

Selling your car using the power of the internet

There are different ways to sell a vehicle over the internet, the first way is to list it on a site where users can view it and then decide whether to view / buy it.

Another way is to go to a comparison website, where you enter the vehicles registration and get a valuation and offers from several different used car buyers and dealers. This is possibly the easier option if you want to sell your car fast.

Option 1 – Selling your vehicle via a public listing

Tip: If you are feeling adventurous you could list your vehicle on several of these sites until it’s sold, just watch out for any fee’s!

AutoTrader

AutoTrader is probably the most obvious place for private sellers and dealers to sell a vehicle online, if you are interested in listing your vehicle, they offer a free basic advert as well.

eBay

Selling a car on eBay is just like selling any other item, the only downside is there are fee’s when the car sells.

Gumtree

Gumtree is a classified listings website where you can sell your used vehicle for free.

Option 2 – Selling through a comparison website

Comparison sites go to different car buyers and dealers, they then display a list of offers for your vehicle. This is a quick and easy method for anyone wanting to get rid of a vehicle fast. But it’s probably worth going to a few different comparison sites and getting several car valuations before you decide.

Motorway

Motorway goes to several different buyers and displays the results instantly online. It’s a very quick and easy way to sell your car online.

Wizzle

Wizzle allows you to compare multiple offers from over 3000 car buyers and dealers. Just enter the vehicles registration and answer a few questions.

Confused

Confused offer to get you a good deal when selling your used car online. They also get you valuations from numerous car buyers.

Jamjar

Jamjar is the original car buying comparison website and boasts no name, email or phone number is required in order to sell your car thought them.

WeWantAnyCar

We Want Any Car are a car buying service which offer you an instant and free valuation online. If you are happy with the valuation, they offer to collect and buy your vehicle.

Selling Advice

  • Be Transparent – If you are selling your vehicle online, then first and foremost don’t lie if there’s anything that the buyer should know then you should tell them, be entirely transparent about what you are selling, or you may face trouble further down the line.
  • Check The History – If you never checked the vehicles history before you bought it, get a full vehicle history check either from us or another vehicle history checking company. If anything flags up on the vehicle be sure to disclose it when listing / selling the vehicle.
  • Find The Right Price – Before deciding on a listing price or a price that you would be happy selling for, do your research to make sure you get a fair price. Find the same vehicle, with similar mileage, colour, make, model, age, condition, etc. If your selling the vehicle private, make sure you look at the pricing of other private sellers in your area. – Also consider getting a paid and unbiased valuation, for example our deluxe check offers valuation data for cars less than 12 years old (this excludes vans and motorbikes) for only £8.99.

Some Online Safety Advice

When selling your car on the internet you should proceed with caution, there is an increasing number of online scams that can leave you out of pocket, plus scammers are getting more savvy with the way they scam people.

Buyers who don’t want to see the car – Be careful if the buyer wants to buy the car but doesn’t want to see it first. This can quite easily backfire when the buyer does see the car and isn’t happy with it or has found an issue. It’s a good idea to advertise the car as “Sold as seen” or make the buyer sign a document that highlights the car is “sold as seen”.

Always meet in person! – Don’t settle for less, if the buyer wants the car that badly they will meet you in person, this tip alone will help you avoid many scammers and scams.

Taking Payment

Don’t take cheque – This is a terrible idea; a cheque isn’t guaranteed and takes time to clear so it could bounce and leave you with no money for the vehicle. – If the buyer is adamant, they want to pay via cheque, tell them you need to wait for it to clear before they take the vehicle away.

Don’t take online payments – You should proceed with caution because there is a lot of online payment scams. For example, some fraudsters will even send a fake payment receipt even though they haven’t sent any money in the first place.

Bank transfer advice – Verify the payment has cleared – If you took a bank transfer, call the bank and ask them to verify the funds have fully cleared and the exact amount has been paid into your account. Make sure they verify the funds are fully available for spending and withdrawal.

Cash advice – If you took a cash payment check the cash is real. – and finally, DO NOT part with the vehicle you are selling until you know the payment has been fully made.

Other Scams to Watch Out For

Overpayment for the vehicle – If the buyer claims they overpaid you and want you to refund the difference, don’t do it! This is more than likely a scam where they paid you via a cheque that will bounce.

Not worth the price – If the buyer comes to see the vehicle with an “expert” then be cautious, some scams involve 2 people coming out to see a vehicle and then they try to convince the seller the vehicle isn’t worth the money! so they lower the price. – This is why doing your homework on the vehicles true value first is very important.

If you think someone is trying to scam you – If you think you found a scammer, you should try Googling their phone number or email to see if it reveals anything. You may be surprised to discover that you are in fact dealing with an online scammer, if you don’t find anything that doesn’t mean there not a scammer, you should trust your gut instinct if in doubt.

Have you been scammed?

If you have been scammed or want to let people know about a scam they should be looking out for you can leave a comment below or email us at: enquiries@rapidcarcheck.co.uk

Share this article.

READ NEXT