Craiglsist Cars (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 shouldn't I give out my VIN? You shouldn't include your VIN on any public listings or advertisem*nts, such as Craigslist, Autotrader or eBay. This can leave you especially vulnerable to the practice of VIN cloning (see more from Rig Dig here).

Avoid adding any personal information in the posting, including your name, real phone number or real email address. Always use the generated email address on your Craigslist posts. This creates a random email address, so the poster doesn't have your real email on file.

Rule 2 of how to negotiate on Craigslist is to get them on the phone. Haggling works best when both parties respect each other as people. Unfortunately, email makes it very easy to be perceived as just text on a screen, reducing your ability to connect and close deals.

Make a realistic offer, but one that's also bold enough to anchor the negotiation to a lower point. A savings of 5% or so below the market value (not the price they are asking) is a reasonable starting point for negotiations. Another way to look at it is to do about 15% to 25% below the maximum you're willing to pay.

Begin by making an offer that is realistic but 15 to 25 percent lower than this figure. Name your offer and wait until the person you're negotiating with responds. Be courteous, but hold to your original figure after receiving any counteroffer. If you must move your offer up, do it in small increments.

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.

Yes, you should always include your VIN in your ad when selling your car. This is not personal information and buyers cannot look up personal information if they have it. Including your VIN helps buyers verify the vehicle is advertised correctly and allows them to purchase vehicle history reports.

Can Craigslist posts be traced? ›

It is important to remember that even if you post something on Craigslist anonymously, law enforcement may still be able to trace the content back to you.

When negotiating, it helps to be able to justify what you're asking for, he adds: “Instead of saying, 'I want to pay this,' try something like: 'I've looked at five or six different cars that are similar to yours in the market. The price range goes from $19,500 to $20,700. I'm comfortable making an offer of $19,100. '”

Yes, you can negotiate on the price of a car. However, it helps to do your research on the vehicle's fair market value and out-the-door price beforehand so that you know how much room you have to haggle.