Selling your car online is an efficient way to get your vehicle off your hands and receive your payment quickly. However, if you’ve never sold a car through an online method before, you may be unsure of the process — and the best ways to navigate it.
We’ve created this guide to teach you a few valuable tips on how to sell your car online. Read on to learn our suggestions, then contact the Westside Auto team to learn more about our online car-buying process.
Know Your Car’s Value
Before beginning your car sales process, you should understand your car’s value in Australia’s current vehicle market.
Car prices can fluctuate frequently. Additionally, your vehicle is probably worth at least a few thousand dollars less than when you bought it. Knowing your car’s value can help you hold reasonable expectations throughout your sales process and ensure that you do not sell your vehicle for too little.
You can determine your car’s value in a few different ways. One of the easiest ways is to request an online valuation through a car dealership.
For example, at Westside Auto, we offer instant valuations through our website. You can fill out a quick online form with information about your vehicle’s model and condition, then receive an accurate valuation within minutes.
You can always fill out quote forms through several different dealers to determine a broader price range. Keeping this range in mind can help you be more flexible in your sales process while still understanding your vehicle’s worth.
Consider Your Online Sales Methods
You should also consider which method you would like to use to sell your vehicle. You can sell your car online through a few different methods:
- Online private sales platform: Selling your car to another individual through an online platform, such as Facebook Marketplace. These can be time consuming, and you may end up getting the run around by many people
- Online car-buying service: Selling your vehicle to a company that facilitates the entire sale online
- Dealership sale with instant online valuation: Selling or trading in your car to a dealership, such as Westside Auto
Each of these methods has advantages and disadvantages. For example, conducting a private sale may allow you to increase your profits, but it takes more time and effort than dropping your car off at a dealership. Further, using an online car-buying company is incredibly convenient, but you’ll need to pay fees that cut into your profits.
Fix Any Issues Beforehand
If you’d like to maximise profits through your vehicle sale, we recommend fixing up your vehicle before you attempt to sell it. Most private buyers do not want to purchase vehicles with any issues that need immediate attention. If your car has bald tyres, needs new brakes, or makes an odd sound when you start the engine, people may be wary of purchasing it.
Instead, fixing these issues before advertising your sale can help you facilitate a smoother sales process. Then, when your potential buyer takes your vehicle for a test drive, they won’t notice any glaring red flags that make them want to reconsider the purchase.
If nothing else, we recommend at least taking your car for an inspection and receiving supporting documents to present to your buyer. Knowing that a professional has inspected your car may make your buyer more confident purchasing it.
Once you complete all necessary repairs, you may even increase your car’s value by more than you paid for the repairs, making fixing these issues well worth your time and money.
Clean Your Vehicle Thoroughly
Whether you plan to sell your vehicle to a private buyer or a dealership, you’ll want it to look its best before you try to sell it. We recommend cleaning your car inside and out — including vacuuming the floors and seats, wiping down the console, adding a fresh-smelling air freshener, and taking it through the car wash.
These tasks won’t take much time, but they can increase potential buyers’ interest in your vehicle. Buyers will be able to better visualise themselves owning your car if it looks like a new vehicle on the inside and outside.
Take High-Quality Photos
Once your car looks clean and you’ve fixed all of the issues, you should spend time taking clear, high-quality photos of the vehicle. You can use these images to advertise your car on platforms like Facebook Marketplace or submit them with online valuation forms.
If possible, we recommend moving your vehicle to an area with a plain, neutral background, such as in front of your garage or in a spacious parking lot. You should take your photos in the daylight and avoid locations with trees or other objects that could create shadows.
Try to make your photos look as professional and appealing as possible. Potential buyers are more likely to scroll past low-quality images than clear, professional ones.
Gather Everything You Need
Selling a car isn’t as simple as handing over the keys to your buyer. You’ll also need to give the buyer all the supporting documents and items that go with your car.
As a result, before you begin advertising your vehicle, you should gather the following items:
- Your vehicle’s Rego
- Any keys, fobs, or remotes you have for the vehicle
- Maintenance and repair documents
- Owners’ manuals
Locating these items ahead of time can help you facilitate a smoother sale.
Know What’s Important to You
Above, we mentioned a few benefits and drawbacks of each car-selling method. Before you sell your vehicle, you should consider what benefits are important to you and which features of the sales process you could do without.
No sales method will allow you to maximise profits, simplicity, speed, and convenience. Instead, we recommend choosing one or two of these characteristics that you would like to optimise in your sales process.
For example, if you want to make the most profits possible, you may need to keep your car on the market for several weeks or months until you receive an acceptable offer. In contrast, if you want to sell your car quickly, using a dealership like Westside Auto can streamline your process.
Consider a Trade-In
If you’re planning to purchase another vehicle after selling your current one, you may want to consider trading in your car at a dealership or car yard.
When you trade in a car, the dealership will subtract the value of your existing vehicle from the cost of the new one. It may also throw in an additional discount that makes the trade-in more worthwhile.
Trading in your vehicle is an excellent way to streamline your car selling and buying process. You can show up to the dealership with your old car and leave with your new one, eliminating any gaps in vehicle ownership.
Additionally, at Westside Auto, we keep our warehouse stocked with over 2,000 used vehicles available for purchase or trade-in. You can feel confident that you will find your dream car when you trade-in through our dealership.
Avoid Making Quick Decisions
Selling a car can sometimes feel like a chaotic, whirlwind experience. However, there’s no need to rush. You can take time to think about your offer and sales methods without needing to rush into a transaction.
While the first offer you receive may be an excellent deal, you should still consider it carefully before accepting. You can always counter the buyer’s offer and try to agree on a price that works for both of you.
Of course, if you’re looking to sell your car as quickly as possible, you may not need to think too hard. But if you’re looking to get the most value from your sale, you can take some time to consider the buyer’s offer.
Choose a Reliable Buyer
Along with taking time to consider your offer before accepting, you should also make sure to work with a reliable, trustworthy buyer. Cars are valuable items, and you should do everything you can to ensure that you receive fair and honest payment when you sell your vehicle.
Unfortunately, one of the risks of selling to a private buyer is not knowing whether you can trust them to provide their stated payment. If the person you’ve chosen to purchase your car doesn’t seem trustworthy, it may be worth your time to keep looking for another buyer.
In contrast, when you sell to a dealership or car-buying service, you can feel confident in its ethical, trustworthy buying processes. You won’t need to worry about your check bouncing or your payment falling through when working with these reputable companies.
Sell your Car the Easy Way at Westside Auto Wholesale
If you’re looking for the most reliable way to sell your car online, we can help. At Westside Auto, we offer quick and easy online car purchases and instant valuations, allowing you to receive payment for your car within one business day. You can trust our reliable sales processes and friendly, knowledgeable buyers to optimise your experience.
Request your online valuation through Westside Auto Wholesale today to learn how much we can offer you to buy your car.
