How to Sell Your Car Quickly
We examined 1,000 private party vehicle listings—the best ones that sell the fastest have some key pieces of information that set them apart from the rest.
Selling a vehicle yourself requires a little bit of upfront work, but you’ll always make more money than trading it into a dealer so it’s well worth the effort. Once you do decide to sell it yourself, you’ll want the entire process to be quick and painless.
Here at Instamotor, we’re helping to simplify that process, by streamlining the listing process through our free app (available on iOS and Android). The whole process can be done from your phone in under a minute. However the best listings that sell the fastest have some key pieces of information that set them apart from the rest.
How to sell faster
We took a look at a set of vehicle listings in June to help determine what makes a winning listing. While providing your name, a photo of yourself, and more than five photos is important—the real winning formula is to include a description of the vehicle, a condition of the vehicle, and the reason why you’re selling.
We examined 1,000 private party listings on our marketplace in June:
- Listings with a description provided by the seller, sell 66% faster than listings without a description of the vehicle
- Listings with a condition of the vehicle (excellent, very good, good, or fair) sell 56% faster than those without
- Listings with a reason for selling the vehicle (need to upgrade, moving, purchased another vehicle, etc), sell 40% faster than those without giving a reason
- Vehicle listings that include a photo of the seller, sell 30% faster than those without a photo
- Listings with one owner sell 26% faster than those with two or more owners
- Listings with more than five photos sell 20% faster than those with less than five photos
List your car on Instamotor. Skip the dealer, sell it yourself, and get thousands more than a trade-in.
Tips to create a winning listing
Description — Be creative! The best listings include personalized descriptions. If you think about how a manufacturer or dealer tries to sell a vehicle, you’ll have a good starting point. But, there’s no need to drone on about routine features, highlight the ones that made the vehicle worth owning. What will the new owner just love that has stood out to you? Be sure to include maintenance information, warranty information, and anything else you’ve done to keep your vehicle in tip top shape.
Condition — Honesty is the best policy here, be transparent about any marks, stains, tears. Did your vehicle get dented by some careless person in a parking lot? Being honest and upfront about the condition will help sell your vehicle faster and you won’t waste a ton of time scheduling test drives with buyers who then change their mind when they see the vehicle’s actual condition.
Reason for selling — The most common reason sellers list as a reason to sell their car is changing/growing family needs, that they’ve already purchased another vehicle or that they’re moving. Including the reason to sell is very important to buyers. It gives confidence that you’re selling the vehicle not because there’s an issue, but because of a personal reason.
Always remember the general tips for selling apply. Get your car washed and detailed, determine the fair market value for your vehicle, gather all of your paperwork, and respond to buyer inquiries.
Selling a car yourself can be seamless and quick if you follow the tips above. Happy selling!
