Your guide to selling a car on Craigslist | The Car Connection (2024)

Craigslist has gained a reputation for its colorful variety of ads, from hot plates to hot dates. The free-to-browse, instant format makes it a popular choice for quick buying or selling, not the least of which are cars. Check these guidelines to selling your car on Craigslist for better odds of selling your car fast on the popular online marketplace.

Step-by-step guide to selling your car on Craigslist

Here’s how to sell on Craigslist in the popular Craigslist automobiles section.

Estimate your car’s fair market value

Research similar cars online, and use a variety of online car value tools with your car’s information to come to an average.

Gather your car’s paperwork

Make sure you have everything together, including the title, registration, and whatever maintenance records you may have. If you have a loan on your car, consider paying it off to have the title in hand.

Publish a clear and detailed Craigslist ad for your car

Be honest and accurate in describing the car and its condition. Include keywords that buyers might search for.

Be ready to meet potential buyers

Know up front that it might take a few meetings to find the right buyer. Try to meet in a public place away from your home, and bring a friend along.

Be prepared for price negotiations

Most potential buyers will try to negotiate. Don’t get insulted; it’s just how it works.

Close the deal and create a bill of sale

Have a bill of sale ready when you meet the right buyer. Ask the buyer to go together to a bank so you can witness the funds being prepared.

Inform your insurance and DMV

Make sure you’re no longer responsible for the car as soon as the new buyer takes ownership.

Your guide to selling a car on Craigslist | The Car Connection (1)

2019 Nissan Rogue

Tips on using Craigslist to sell cars

Here’s how to get the best results from your Craigslist ad and using social media for car selling.

Include photos

Include photos. Would-be buyers can and often do skip ads without photos altogether. Throw in a few with the ad and be ready to offer more to interested parties.

Include the year, make, model, and mileage

Include the car’s key details right in the headline. Craigslist is a sea of links, and putting that critical information not only makes your ad look more complete, it's more readily searchable for buyers.

Describe the car

Include the year, make and model in the text, too. Run down the primary details like odometer reading, engine size, major options and transmission. In the latter case, some buyers specifically want a manual or automatic gearbox and will ignore you unless this is indicated. Finally, spell everything correctly. If you advertise an “Infinity,” you will never get the attention of someone who types “Infiniti” in the search box.

Skip the life story

A person sells a car for a reason. It doesn’t mean full disclosure of drama is necessary. That kind of rambling keeps buyers from contacting sellers. Use your words instead to summarize recent maintenance or repairs. If the car needs or will need attention, say so. It’s the right thing to do, plus Craigslist buyers tend to accept that most private party used cars are less than showroom pristine.

Include multiple contacts

At minimum, you always have the built-in feature for anonymously receiving email responses to your ad. That will be a moot point as soon as you reply to an email, anyway. Include multiple ways for buyers to contact you, by email, text and phone. Sign up for a cloaking Google Voice number if you need. Check your spam folder often for legitimate parties’ messages that get misrouted. Answer inquiries as they come, or at least reply as soon as possible. Remember that buyers check out multiple ads. Don’t let their dollars go elsewhere.

Include keywords

When your car has a specific named feature, don’t skip it or give it a generic name. Instead of just mentioning it’s an all-wheel-drive Mercedes, include “4MATIC.” If that thing’s got a HEMI, say so. These are the kinds of keywords that get your post noticed, especially when folks search those terms.

Be reasonable

You’ve probably seen the Craigslist posts that resist negotiation or otherwise discourage contact before you even finish reading them. Having a firm price and establishing guidelines for contact might mean you lose a few potential buyers, but it isn’t all bad. You can’t be blamed for not wanting lowball offers phoned in after midnight. Just say so in a way that doesn’t turn off reasonable people with cash in hand. Avoiding unreasonable expectations is how to sell on Craigslist fast.

Set a fair price

Using Craigslist for selling your car fast comes with a tradeoff: you probably won’t get top dollar. Such is the price of quick turnaround. Just as we advise you do your homework selling your car by other means, consider an even more attractive price here. Be sure to check prices of other cars like yours when setting the bar.

Your guide to selling a car on Craigslist | The Car Connection (2)

2015 Ford F-150

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I be careful of when selling a car on Craigslist?

Scammers. The biggest risk listing a car on Craigslist is exposing yourself to scammers. If you want to learn how to sell on Craigslist safely, the keys are to minimize the amount of personal information you divulge and ensure the buyer is giving you good funds.

How do I not get scammed selling my car on Craigslist?

Here’s how to sell a car on Craigslist without getting scammed. First, when in contact with interested parties, protect your information. Use proxy email addresses and phone numbers that hide your real contact information. If a potential buyer wants to test drive your car, meet in a public place rather than your house, bring a friend, and make sure to see the potential buyer’s driver’s license. For a big sale like a car, use a secure form of payment. And finally, trust your instincts.

How do you sell on Craigslist for beginners?

Using the Craigslist sell car by owner feature can be intimidating for beginners, but it’s totally doable. Make sure you craft a good ad with good pictures and keywords that will reach the right potential buyers. Then, stay safe during the sales process by protecting your personal information.

Is it safe to give out VIN number on Craigslist?

A serious potential buyer will eventually expect you to disclose your car’s VIN, or vehicle identification number, so he or she can run vehicle history reports. However, you should delay this step as long as possible, since the VIN can potentially be used for fraudulent purposes. Consider paying for your own copies of your car’s vehicle history report and providing them on request, with your personal information obscured, to serious potential buyers.

What is the safest way to get paid when selling on Craigslist?

When you’re selling a car or another valuable item to a private party, cash and cashier’s checks are the two safest options. However, both can be counterfeited, and you’d be left with no recourse. Therefore, experts advise that you meet your buyer at a bank and watch the buyer withdraw cash or get a cashier’s check before you complete the sale. That way, you know the funds are good, and you’re in a safe place with much less risk of getting robbed.

Why does Craigslist charge $5 to post a car for sale?

If you’re wondering how to sell a car on Craigslist for free, those days are in the past. While you can still post on Craigslist for free on some sections of the site, a $5 fee went into effect in April of 2019. Though Craigslist didn’t comment on the new fee at the time, it’s a minor inconvenience to sellers that results in a more streamlined shopping experience with fewer irrelevant listings.

What is a red flag on Craigslist buying a car?

Whether you’re buying or selling a car on Craigslist, you want to be wary of other parties who aren’t willing to meet in person after establishing mutual interest in the transaction. Think about it. As a buyer, you wouldn’t buy a car if you weren’t allowed to see it, so as a seller, why should you trust a buyer who doesn’t want to look at it?

How do I accept a payment on Craigslist for a car?

If you’re selling a car on Craigslist for cash, you want to minimize the chances of getting counterfeit cash and of setting yourself up for robbery. Experts advise meeting in public to complete the deal and verifying the buyer’s funds, and a bank is the perfect place to do both.

Your guide to selling a car on Craigslist  | The Car Connection (2024)

FAQs

How do I sell a car on Craigslist for free near me? ›

Using Craigslist to sell a car isn't complicated, as long as you follow these steps.
  1. Estimate the value of your car. ...
  2. Gather together all the paperwork for your car. ...
  3. Write a detailed ad and take pictures. ...
  4. Meet potential buyers. ...
  5. Decide on a price. ...
  6. Draft a bill of sale. ...
  7. Notify the DMV and your insurance company.
Jul 11, 2023

How effective is Craigslist for selling cars? ›

Getting your inventory listed on Craigslist is one of the most profitable ways to advertise your cars. It's proven that car buyers on Craigslist tend to convert much quicker than on any other classifieds. The conversion rate on Craigslist can be as high as 10%, and that's huge.

Should you put your VIN number on Craigslist? ›

Craigslist has a spot to routinely list the VIN on ads for this reason. Repeat used car buyers look askance at sellers who won't provide the VIN. There really is nothing a buyer can do with the VIN to cause the seller harm.

What is the safest payment method when selling a car? ›

The safest payment method for private car sales is usually a direct bank transfer (wire transfer), which requires the buyer to transfer funds from their bank account to yours. Once your bank has confirmed that the funds have cleared, you can transfer vehicle ownership.

What is the best way to accept payments on Craigslist? ›

Use cash — safely

If you're dealing with a local, the most secure way to pay or collect funds for a Craigslist transaction is with cash. To keep it even more secure, you can make the exchange in a safe place like your local police station or even at Acclaim FCU.

Why does Craigslist charge $5 to post? ›

If I need something in my local community, I can find it on Craigslist. The $5 fee stops spammers from flooding the website. It forces the users to post an item by delivering value to the buyer. If buyers don't like what they see then the sale wont be made.

What should I not do when selling on Craigslist? ›

Craigslist.org offers more advice for users by suggesting that buyers and sellers should have a friend accompany you. They also urge users to never post a physical address, home phone number or e-mail address on the site.

Where do most people sell their used cars? ›

The best websites to sell your car online for the most money include Cars.com, Carvana, CarBrain, Peddle, TrueCar, Copart, CarMax and CarGurus.

How to negotiate car price on Craigslist? ›

Negotiate the price

To negotiate the car price, start by offering 15% below the asking price or the KBB value, whichever is lower. If an inspection reveals a problem, ask the seller to deduct the cost of repairs from the car's price. Lowballing the seller — asking for more than 30% off — could leave you empty-handed.

When selling a car, is it safe to give a VIN number? ›

Fortunately, sharing your VIN number is entirely safe and secure when selling a car privately. The VIN does not contain any personal information about you, the seller. In addition, most private buyers are reputable and trustworthy — so it shouldn't be a problem.

Is it sketchy to give out your VIN number? ›

Is It Safe To Give A Stranger My Vehicle Identification Number? Yes! Because VIN data is not public record, providing your car's VIN to a potential buyer, whether online or in person, is completely safe. A VIN number can only be used to obtain general information about the service records and history of your vehicle.

Should I ask private seller for VIN? ›

Get the VIN from the seller before you look at the car. Then run a free vehicle history report or pay for a more detailed report from a third-party company like Carfax or AutoCheck. Be aware of title issues: Make sure the title is in the name of the seller.

How can I avoid being scammed when selling a car privately? ›

Prepare the paperwork beforehand and keep the car's title unsigned and out of sight, even if using the Private Seller Exchange service. If not using the Private Seller Exchange service, be sure the form of payment is legitimate. Stick to well-known payment options, like a cashier's check.

Is it okay to accept cash when selling a car? ›

Cash is considered by most as the best form of payment when selling a car. Through cash payments, you are able to transact with almost any potential buyer who wants to buy your car and receive payments directly.

What is the safest way to pay a private seller? ›

Personal and Cashier's Checks

Besides cash, a certified cashier's check is the most secure way to accept payment during a private sale.

How do I sell on local Craigslist? ›

How To Sell On Craigslist: A 08-Step Easy-Selling Guide (+Updated)
  1. Go to Craiglist.org and choose the place where you reside.
  2. Go to the top-left side and click on the option “Create a posting.”
  3. Choose your “type of posting”
  4. Choose your Items “Category”
  5. Describe your item of choice, and fill the sale information.
Mar 10, 2023

Where is the easiest place to sell a car? ›

The best websites to sell your car online for the most money include Cars.com, Carvana, CarBrain, Peddle, TrueCar, Copart, CarMax and CarGurus. Daniel Robinson is a writer based in Greenville, N.C. with expertise in auto insurance, loans, warranty options and more.

How long does a $5 Craigslist ad last? ›

A. 30 days. Q. What about reposts and renewing / renewals of existing ads?

When did Craigslist start charging to post ads? ›

Hello, On March 15, 2018, Craigslist cut off the advertising "free ride" for posts in Services and Gigs. Each post will now cost $3 - $5. Learn more here: Craigslist Starts Charging $5 for Posts in “Services” – What Will This Mean for Small Business Owners?

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