Sell Your Trade Privately

By L James Johnson

L James Johnson

Contributing Writer BIO

L. James Johnson joined the automotive industry after winning recognition as a radio & TV journalist and running three thriving, fast-growing small... More

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481 views Sep 21, 2010

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Anyone buying a new car is faced with the decision to trade their old car in or sell it privately. Selling a car yourself is a lot of work versus car dealers making the process easy. However, even car dealers will tell you that you’ll get more money by selling your car, truck, or SUV on your own.

More websites specializing in selling your vehicle online are sprouting up each day. Many are free. Some charge a fee. If you need to sell your vehicle quickly, where do you begin?

As an ex-Internet Manager for a major car dealer, I learned that unless you’re in a hurry or don't have to worry about a budget, you can list your vehicle on free websites before posting it to a premium site that charges a fee. However, if it’s critical to sell your car quickly, post it on every website immediately.

Begin with Free Websites
For most people, it’s best to begin with free classified sites to see if their vehicle will sell quickly and easily. Some of the more popular free sites include Craigslist.org, Backpage.com, Kijiji.com, and Oodle.com, to name a few.

Two premium websites that I’ve used effectively are AutoTrader.com and Cars.com. Each offers different packages for sellers with different budgets. As a rule, purchase the most expensive package you can afford.

The popularity of many classified sites changes quickly. Ask your friends, co-workers, and family which are the best sites, including if there are other local sites that you should use.

Do a Search
I recently published a book on how to sell your car online (see below). In it, I recommend that you do a Google search using the following search terms in order to find the best local classified websites:

state, or region> free vehicle classified ads

For example, in Houston type:

Houston free vehicle classified ads.

Try and find the busiest websites from your search results. Make a list of three or four. Then do a search for the vehicle you are selling on the sites from your short list. Post to the ones with the most traffic and the most specific listings of your car.

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The author is not only a major contributor to this website, but has written the only comprehensive book on selling your car online: “HELP! I Gotta Sell My Car NOW! New Rules for Selling Your Vehicle Online.” It’s available on Amazon.com.