Selling your car doesn’t have to be an exhausting and negative experience. If you choose to sell your car on consignment you can eliminate all the pit-falls and hassles of selling your car yourself.
Selling your car yourself can be a real headache. The cost of placing ads and the time to answer the many phone calls and questions can be daunting. The no-show appointments and having strangers come to your house to test drive is exhausting. And, then you have to deal with the paperwork, the filing of the title and hoping the buyers check doesn’t bounce.
There is a much easier way today that is becoming more widely used by sellers. You can choose to sell your car on consignment and leave the hassles with the professionals.
An auto consultant (not a car salesman) is a good place to sell used car start looking for someone who offers a consignment program. The consultant will place the ads online, take the pictures of your car, speak to the prospects, take potential buyers for the test drive and handle all the paperwork so that the paperwork is filed legally.
Here is how to go about selling your car on consignment.
Clean the car inside and out. Empty all the extra things you have stored in your car. Vacuum the car, wash and wax it so that it shines like new. If you don’t want to do this work, some consultants will offer this service and do it for you.
Next, know the value of your car. Check the Kelley Blue book and the NADA book so you have some idea to the wholesale and retail value of your car. consultants will usually do this for you and give you copies of what they find.
Now, search online for local auto consultant or other dealers that take cars on consignment. Not every dealer will offer this service. You may have to shop around before you find someone with a good program. Usually a dealer can get you more money for your car than if you tried selling it yourself. This extra money can help offset any fees you will have to pay.
Ask what they will charge you to sell your car on consignment. Will it be a flat fee, or will it be a percentage. Ask to see their consignment agreement. If they have one, this tells you that they have experience selling cars on consignment.
Check to see if they run a Carfax report and will they have it available for prospects to view. A good consultant will see the advantage of having this information and will pay for the report.
An auto consultant will file the title-transfer paperwork as well as any tax forms that need to be sent in. They will also make any payoffs on your vehicle if you still owe your lender. This will assure that your deal is on the up-and-up and you will not have to pay later.
Feel confident with your questions. After all, you are paying the commission to help relieve you of the burden, and you want to be sure things will be handled professionally and with integrity.
