Selling a car privately is the best way to maximise your sale and earn as much money as possible from the transaction. Although the potential to make more cash on a sale is attractive to most people, the perceived stress of managing the sales process repels them. But what if you could have your cake and eat it too?
Selling a car might seem hard on the surface, but there are hacks to everything, which we will be sharing shortly. So if you wish to sell your car privately, you have nothing to stress about.
Understandably, the rise of the coronavirus pandemic and the turn of events in the year 2020 have brought about restrictions and increased the difficulty of the sales process.
For instance, safeguarding your health and staying COVID-safe is one concern. Abiding by the government’s COVID-19 restrictions is another. Anyway, this post will help you scale the hurdles.
Pointers for Selling Your Car Privately in QLD during the Pandemic
Here are a few tips you should look into if you want to sell your car privately during the current situation.
1. Make Necessary Consultations
This step is important if your decision to sell your car is based on your financial situation. Needless to say, COVID-19 has caused financial difficulties, resulting in more people having to sell their properties, including cars, to raise cash.
Before deciding whether to sell your car, though, make sure to research the market, crunch some numbers, and gather the much-needed intel. Consult with your financial planner, accountant, or credit provider. These people can advise on whether it’s critical to sell or not. They would also inform you of potential losses that you could incur from the sale of your car.
2. Prepare the Merchandise
I recommend you have your car serviced by a professional before offering it up for sale. To a potential buyer, seeing your car breaking down in the middle of inspection could be a real deal-breaker. Also, clean up your car. Pay attention to the glass, carpets, and upholstery.
A clean car is more attractive, which increases the car's perceived value in the eyes of a buyer. Wash. Polish if possible. But be careful not to spend too much time and money on repairs that won’t yield returns or increase the car's market value. As part of the COVID-19 procedures, you should disinfect your car. Sanitise most especially those high-touch spots and surfaces, before and after every inspection.
Still on getting your vehicle ready for sale, obtaining a safety certificate is mandatory in Queensland. Before placing a registered vehicle for sale, you should have obtained a safety certificate or risk paying the stipulated fine.
Finally, have your car inspected by a certified vehicle inspector. The inspector's approval would give your potential buyers the guarantee that your car is safe and in great overall condition.
3. Set a Price
You don’t want to sell at a price too cheap. You also don’t want to price yourself out of the market. So what do you do? You ask around. Gather information about the selling price for your car. Check the local dealers around so you know how much your car model can be sold for.
4. Advertise and Get the Word Out
Getting your car out to the public once you have decided to sell is very important. Strategic advertising increases your chances of getting the car sold quickly. Speaking of strategic advertising, CarPartAU has a paid advertising service that you should try out. Boosting your ads on our site will likely prove to be a smart decision, considering the amount of traffic we receive on our site.
5. Always Keep Yourself and Others Protected
When meeting with potential buyers or after closing your car's sale, don't get so excited that you throw in a handshake. With the coronavirus still out there, a warm greeting from a distance would suffice. It goes without saying, always use gloves and a face mask when interacting with anyone.
Also, be considerate about the health of others. If you have a contagious illness or any symptoms, you can ask for the help of a healthy friend or family member. Brief them and have them step in for you.
To avoid moving things from one person's hand to the other, and avoiding direct contact, keep things on a central spot so they can be reached by anyone who needs them, including documents and keys.
6. Payment
Transferring cash has been made simpler with the aid of a mobile transfer app. Safely transacting using mobile transfer apps or other online solutions is the norm these days. But if you fall into the portion of people who are info-tech-paranoid or who does not feel comfortable about the Internet of Things, you can always insist (in a nice way, of course) on using the good ol’ cash payment at the bank.
Bottom Line
Don’t put your gains above your (or other’s people’s) safety. Ensure that you have the necessary and much-needed measures to keep everyone COVID-safe when they come around. With this in mind and the other tips we’ve shared up here, you should be able to get a good deal off your car in no time.
For more practical advice, car tips, and news, please don’t hesitate to visit the CarPartAU blog. If you’re selling an old car or auto parts, the ads should be helpful to you. Heck, this piece on how to advertise a car you’re selling can be very useful, too! So what are you waiting for, let’s get more eyes looking at your car. Sign up now to list your car for free or get a paid ad for it!
By Damilare Olasinde