What is the easiest way to sell your car?

If you’ve ever been involved in the selling of a car via classifieds, you’ll know it is a long slog.

From writing and posting the advert, and dealing with potential buyers, to finally ensuring all parties have signed and filed the correct forms, it’s a process that can take many weeks to complete – not to mention all the little details we’ve skimmed over.

But in an age where you can call a taxi to fetch you at the touch of a button, is there not an easier way to sell your car?

The simple answer is – yes! Here are the easiest ways to sell your car.

The middleman service

By now, as a motorist who listens to the radio, you would have heard a WeBuyCars’ advert. But how do they operate?

Middleman services will provide you with a short form to describe your car and its condition, then you will be asked to submit photos of the car, and put down your desired asking price. After you’ve completed the form, the middleman service will send out an experienced car buyer who will take a closer look at the vehicle and talk to you about its history.

If he or she wants to make you an offer, they will bring change of ownership forms for you to complete, and will submit them to the traffic department.

It is a convenient service where a car salesperson will come to you, negotiate the price, deposit the funds into your account, and even settle bank financed deals. But if you’re looking for more than one offer on your asking price, there is a tried and tested method.

Auction

When many people hear the word “auction” they immediately imagine scenes of bidding wars for bargain-priced purchases. But actually, being on the other side can work in your favour as a seller.

All vehicles that go under the hammer are sold ‘as is’. This means if your car is in need of some TLC, but you can’t afford to fix it, you won’t need to enter into a heated conversation about its potential repair costs with interested buyers.

Then there’s the fact you can set a reserve price, which is a minimum price point for the sale. However, you’ll need to pay a nominal fee to the auction house for admin and paperwork.

Also, you will be required to sit through some meetings and liaise with the auctioneer about your asking amount. But auctions can drive up the price, so you could be walking away with more than you were expecting!

Middleman online auctioneer 

If you’re keen on the idea of the auction but are not interested in paying the fees, there is a new option.

Services like HiCarByeCar.com, which is currently only available the Johannesburg area, will place your car’s profile on the online auction used exclusively by dealerships, where it will be bid upon by dealers who are looking for cars like yours. They will complete the majority of the sales journey for you – at no cost.

So, if you felt like it was too much pressure to accept one person’s offer, or that you might not want to pay the auction fee, then this may be the right route for you.

All you need to do is fill out the online form and and wait for the broker to photograph your car. From there, the broker puts the car online for auction and phones you with the highest prices, then you choose which offers to accept or reject.

It is up to you which sales route you choose, but honestly, they’re all a lot easier than the alternative and at the end of the day you land up with cash in your pocket.