Car Truck Craigslist (2024)

FAQs

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.

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 you're selling a car, cashier's checks, certified checks, and money orders share the same benefits and risks: the funds are guaranteed, but only if the check is genuine. Personal checks are much riskier, however, because their funds are not guaranteed.

Don't share personal details.

Never disclose your personal or financial information to strangers online. There is no need for your Craigslist contact to know your bank account number, home address, or date of birth. You might share your cell phone number with someone you are meeting in person, but not more.

CraigsList can offer some great deals if you know how to negotiate effectively. I've been compiling a list of best practices to help buyers get the best deal from Craigslist purchases. The bulk of this article is going to focus on a process for getting the best price on CraigsList items based on my experience.

Use a secure form of payment

One of the most important Craigslist precautions is to be wary of scammers. In almost all cases, you are best off accepting cash for a Craigslist sale. Personal checks can bounce, and scammers can fake cashier's checks and money orders.

Should I Accept Cash When Selling My Car? Maybe. Avoid having a lot of cash on for any amount of time out in public, and especially not in a high-crime area. The safest way to accept cash is to have the buyer meet you at your bank, give you the money, and you immediately deposit it.

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.

How can you tell a scammer selling a car? ›

Fraudsters will often post pictures of rare or exotic cars at low prices, and when you contact them about the vehicle, they'll say it's located in another state or outside the country. They will attempt to get you to wire them money before shipping the car—which likely doesn't exist.

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.