Selling car on craigslist, etc: Advice to avoid getting screwed?

[MinisterofDOOM]

I very rarely sell my cars, so I find myself in the situation of selling a car for the first time via local classifieds. I get a sketchy feeling about a lot of the "interested buyers" as they're being particularly picky about payment methods and other things. I could certainly benefit from the group wisdom of NICO.

What are best practices as a seller these days? Which payment methods are safe for both parties and which should be avoided? Paypal feels like a potential disaster for the seller. Cashier's check feels sketchy to ask for for some reason. Cash is obviously ideal, but what other options should I feel okay accepting?

What's best practice for communication? I'm very put off by a bunch of texts asking me to email them at a specific address. You texted me; why can't we handle this via text? Seems fishy, but I'm very paranoid.

Any input would be hugely appreciated!

[centralcoaster33]

I'm a CL user. Both to buy and sell cars and other items. Admittedly, most of my cars are driven into the ground, but I've unloaded a few. Most of my experience is on the buying used cars on CL, but I've been on both sides of the fence. I've bought and sold a lot of items using CL as well.

Make a nice ad. You can look online for examples and make your judgement, but a general discussion of the 3 basic areas is typically enough (int, ext, engine). A full list of 'features' isn't necessary, but drive type and mileage are. Mentioning you have title, it's currently registered, it runs, and all the features work are good selling points. Get some clear photos of the 3 basic areas in there and rub out your license plate numbers. Opinions aren't that helpful "she drives on rails" appeals to some, but not the masses, don't cut your market in half. Listing the brand and value of aftermarket parts is not recommended. You want to appeal to all who have money and need a car. Do openly disclose any big issues, like transmission is failing or sunroof leaks, but don't list all of the maintenance items that are coming up next. It's a car, of course it needs belts, fluids, brakes, etc.

Title the ad with year make model and a highlight like "1988 Oldsmobile Cutlass supreme, reliable". Clean, fun, sporty, luxurious are all positive highlights, pick one.

Financing? Nope. Don't do it. Cash. Always Cash. Only Cash. Now, that is based on the 'scale' of car I buy and sell. If you have a $50K item, maybe a trip to the bank together or a cashier's check is in order. For me, Cash up to $20K seems fine. But no to financing.

Plan to meet and show the car in a public place like the supermarket parking lot. This will make the buyer comfortable. They are potentially walking around with $20K in cash in their pocket. They are nervous and it's understandable.

Pick a price and make it OBO. Be ready to negotiate with reasonable people and be ready to ignore idiots. They will come out of the woodwork. They'll ask for a $500-$1000 discount before even seeing the car. That's not negotiating imho, that's discount shopping. If it's a 240sx, they'll have no money but a promise from mom that they can buy the car. So they want to test drive it and you'll be giving a lesson on how to drive stick and not selling the car because ultimately mom says no! I negotiate price, but I'm there, in person, with cash and I've found 5 things wrong with the car that you didn't mention or know about. That's negotiating a price based upon the item.

For a car sale, I will put my email and phone number out there. They can call, leave a message, leave a text or shoot an email. You have to filter through the responses. You can weed out incoherent BS pretty quick and avoid quacks that think you'll cross three state lines just to show them a car and possibly not buy it. You don't have to put your phone number if you don't want. You can mention in the ad that email you first, then call and talk and arrange to meet if you like.

Be patient, not desperate if you can. That will affect the amount you get.

Do not fill out your pink slip until the cash is counted and in your hands. You don't want to have to get another one from DMV. Do follow up with insurance and cancel your coverage after the sale. Do send your stuff to DMV right away.

GLWS!

[MinisterofDOOM]

Thanks. That helps. I think my ad looks good, and I feel good about my asking price. I mainly wanted some confirmation that PayPal is a terrible way to do this (and very fishy), and cash is pretty much a must. This car is going for very cheap, so I don't think cash is an unreasonable ask.

[Bubba1]

My flatbed just got sold via CL. I think CentralCoaster gave good advice. Cash is important, and do not surrender that title until that cash is in your hand. Since you're offering "OBO", better be prepared for more than one round of negotiations, especially a surprise one at the time the money changes hands. That's very common. The buyer will inevitably see something they didn't know about before hand and then pressure you to knock off a few more pesos as it'll cost them more money to fix. If you've reached your bottom, then stick your guns. The guy that bought my flatbed tried that, and when he was advised he didn't have to buy it because there were a half dozen other people interested that will pay that price, he caved.

Some other thoughts,
1. make sure you empty out any contents of the car she don't want included in the deal beforehand, including stuff like an ezpass transponder, very easy to forget stuff like that, and don't forget to remove the license plates before the car leaves.
2. You might want to make sure the license plate bolts aren't rusted on before the buyer shows up. The less surprises the better during a transaction.
3. make the buyer sign a simple "bill of sale". very easy to make one, can be handwritten. Seller, buyer, date, yr make,model vin #, agreed price, and most importantly, "as is where is". (with signatures) Its a cheap car, so you want it very clear there is no warranty expressed or implied so if anything goes wrong, its their problem.

Good luck.

[centralcoaster33]

Yeah, get the CD out of the player! I got a D12 CD in one of my cars from someone. It was a funny album.

I've never had to pull plates, nor have I had them pulled on me. I'm in CA, so maybe it's a state law thing. I always requested new plates during registration because I didn't want to be associated with the previous owner. I have read if you have a custom plate, then you keep those. I don't have those.

Here's a link to DMV about selling cars:
http://www.dmv.org/buy-sell/selling-your-car/

I've never bothered to look there before.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Good stuff. I was planning on putting together a basic bill-of-sale along those lines.
Good call on the license plate screws. They're pretty rusty looking so I'll make sure they break loose.
Car is cleaned out. Grabbed the CD from the player. I've gained a few CDs and pairs of sunglasses from purchases in the past myself.

I'm offering a pile of spare parts with the car as well, but they include bigger parts (hood, for example) so I'm leaving it up to the buyer to figure out transport for those items if they want them.

In Utah, you're required to hang onto your plates when you sell; they don't go with the car. Buyer gets new plates when they register, starting with a set of 14-day temp plates while the permanent set ships.

Thanks again, guys. I'm feeling better and better about pushing back and insisting on cash. I've had several people tell me they can only deal in Paypal, which feels so obviously scammy I'm surprised they try it. I guess paypal has a solid reputation, so it works on people? I dunno. I'm pretty sure it's an automated SMS bot. They all use different variations on the same questions/excuses/reasons for hurry and ignore suggestions that we talk on the phone to arrange a test drive. They just want to send me money right now. Oh, and none of them have any qualms with the condition of the car, which is not pretty, so that throws up red flags, too.

[Jesda]

Dont get overly detailed with specific records, repairs, etc. Pictures matter far more than words. Keep it pithy and pristine

Handle the physical exchange of cash at your bank.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Yup. Cash or bank check only I'd say. Being that it's cheap enough, and most people don't know WTF a bank check is, you could stipulate just cash.
Every vehicle I've ever sold via CL has been a cash sale.

[RED_DET]

Cash is "KING" and DO NOT negotiate prices with folks that are too lazy to even come look at the vehicle. Those folks get weeded out immediately. If I'm purchasing a car and serious, I want to know when and where I can see the vehicle in person and if they have a clean & clear title. Take pictures that allow folks to basically walk around the car on the intrawebz... as Jesda mentioned less words is more, they aren't going to read it anyways.

[Buzzman]

For a car sale, I will put my email and phone number out there. They can call, leave a message, leave a text or shoot an email.

Any buying or selling I do on line, I never give out my phone number, plus I have a separate e-mail account that I use just for this sort of thing.
I don't give out my daily use personal e-mail.
If I start getting spam or junk e-mails on that account, I don't care.
I also try to use neutral locations (parking lots, donut shops, etc) to meet people, and I rarely if ever go alone.
I also use cash for all my transactions, buy or sell.
I especially don't write cheques, as the cheques have too much banking and personal information on them. Too risky these days.

[ArmedAviator]

Depending on the amount in exchange, I would bring a friend and a gun on each of us.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

less words is more, they aren't going to read it anyways.

So true!!!

[EdBwoy]

Very good advice from all above. I have bought and sold quite a lot online, and here are a few nuggets that I usually try to follow:

1. Don't take it personal. You will get lowballed, and you might get someone nitpicking at your pride and joy. You know that you want to get X Dollars out of the deal. First person that offers X gets the car.

2. Be prepared to walk away. Let the buyer do whatever math they need to, and consult with whoever they want to but there's always another buyer around the corner if your price is fair.
"Not a problem. Thank you for taking time to look at it. Go ahead and think about it and let me know what you decide to do. If I happen to sell it before I hear from you, I'll contact you to let you know so." - Simple, sincere words that always let the buyer know that I have options, without trying to twist anyone's arm.

3. Another option for money is to go to walmart etc if the bank is closed. That way, I don't have to handle some suspicious cash. Request that they buy a money order in your presence and hand it to you as you see the source.

4. I don't mind meeting people at my home. It gives them a sense of comfort, especially with large purchases like vehicles. However, I am pretty paranoid about privacy and safety as well. I usually give people the zip code and address of a big store close by. I clarify that when they're 10 or so minutes away, I'll give them my address.

4b. You will get flakes. Some will be polite enough to let you know, others just won't show up. Continuing with the point above, my reasoning with the address thing is that I am not going to pass my address to a bunch of strangers whose motives are yet unknown.

5. As you've established already, don't email any of those sketchy addresses - scammers are getting more and more sophisticated. I like text and email for record-keeping, but voice verification is pretty solid too.

6. Check your bulk mail folders. I have made some sales from messages that had initially been directed away from the inbox folder.


Good Luck.

[Dattebayo]

Every single car I have bought was from CL, except for my first.

They want email so they can keep a record, it's common. Just don't let anyone rush you to make a decision and you will come out just fine.