by Andrew Rohrlich
Selling your car privately online can seem daunting, but it doesn't have to be. CarSoup makes online car sales simple. As a CarSoup private seller, you can easily list your car online and get access to a wide variety of prospective buyers.
If you want to sell your car privately on CarSoup, this five-step guide will help you do that. From creating an account to communicating with potential buyers, we'll walk you through the entire process and help ensure you get the best deal for your car. But first, let's take a deeper looker at how the platform works and CarSoup's private seller advantages.
What Is CarSoup?
Founded in 1999, CarSoup is one of the oldest and largest car shopping services in the United States. It helps consumers find the best-used cars and new cars. It also allows dealerships and private sellers to list their vehicles for sale and find the right buyers.
CarSoup is an aggregator website, which means it also pulls your listings from other websites when buyers search for your particular vehicle.
You can sell a wide variety of used motor vehicles, including:
- Carts
- Trucks
- SUVs
- RV
- ATVs
- Boats
- Motorcycles
- Snowmobiles
You can even list part resources and accessories as well. Whatever you post will show up on the website and app.
How It Works
CarSoup works by connecting buyers and sellers directly. Sellers can create an account on CarSoup and list their used cars for sale.
When you list your car, the site guides you through a few simple steps to create an ad to help sell the car quickly and conveniently. During this process, you add photos, a description, and other specifications about the vehicle. This allows potential buyers to quickly find the car they are looking for.
Once your listing is live, CarSoup's team of experts helps to market the listing through various channels, including:
- Email campaigns
- Digital advertising
- Social media
They may even advertise when you have a price drop. This helps to increase the visibility of the listing and makes it easier for potential buyers to get in touch with the seller.
If a buyer likes the car, CarSoup helps to guide them through the negotiation process and closing procedure. This includes offering helpful advice about paperwork, arranging for a test drive or inspection of the vehicle, and even suggesting financing options if needed.
This makes it easy for you to find the right buyer without going through a long and tedious process.
What Are the Advantages of CarSoup for Private Sellers?
CarSoup offers several advantages for private sellers.
1. Facilitates Direct Communication With Buyers
CarSoup offers the convenience of an online car shop with the added advantage of communicating directly with the seller.
2. It's Simple To Use
One of the main advantages of CarSoup is its simplicity. All you have to do to start selling is create an account. Then you can post a detailed description of your vehicles, including:
- Features
- Photos
- Videos
That way, potential buyers can fully understand the item they're buying.
3. It's Cost-Effective
CarSoup is one of the cheapest ways to sell your vehicle online. You can advertise your car without having to pay hefty advertising fees or commissions. Even the comprehensive package is less than $50!
4. It's Safe
CarSoup offers greater safety for you and your buyers. All transactions happen electronically through their secure payment system. Special user ratings and CarSoup private seller reviews serve as a reference for buyers to gauge the seller's reliability.
With CarSoup's commitment to customer service, you and your buyer have someone to turn to in case any issues arise during the transaction process.
How To Sell Your Car Privately on CarSoup
Now it's time to learn how to sell a car on CarSoup. It's very simple to do and only takes five steps.
1. Create an Account
The first step to selling your car privately on CarSoup is to create an account.
Making an account is simple. The fastest way is to sign up with your Facebook information. Alternatively, you can just enter your email address and desired password.
Once you have an account with all the required information, you can immediately begin listing your vehicle by providing your vehicle identification number (VIN). The website automatically fills in all the details about your vehicle based on the vehicle report and even shows you how to take high-quality industry-standard pictures.
2. Select the Appropriate Listing Package for Your Car
Next, you need to select the appropriate listing package. CarSoup has two different packages: Standard and Souper. Each has its own advantages.
Standard Package
The Standard package provides several features:
- An ad that runs until your car sells
- A featured listing
- A bill of sale
- Up to 24 vehicle photos
The Standard listing package has a one-time fee of $15.
Souper Package
The Souper package is a comprehensive package that includes everything from the Standard package plus a vehicle history report. It's double the cost of the Standard package at $30.
3. Prepare Your Car To Sell
Once you've set up your CarSoup account, it's time to get your car ready to sell. There are several simple ways you can prepare your car before listing it online:
- Replace damaged or worn tires
- Perform interior and exterior cosmetic repairs
- Replace any damaged or dim signals, headlights, tail lights, and brake lights
- Wash and detail your car, including removing any junk
- View your check engine lights and take them to a car store or your maintenance man to run diagnostics if they are on
- Complete any essential maintenance
- Use Kelley Blue Book to find out your car's estimated worth
You should also gather all the essential documents that your buyer will need to learn all the details about your car, including:
- Vehicle history report
- Vehicle registration
- Title
- Maintenance records
- Receipts for all work completed
- Insurance documents, including claim paperwork
- Accident reports
4. Provide an Accurate and Appealing Listing
Now that all the preliminary work is done, it's time to create your listing! You want to make sure that it is accurate and appealing to attract buyers. There are several ways you can do so.
Upload Photos from Every Angle
When selling a car, it's important to have high-quality photos of the car available for potential buyers to view. Poor photos can make your car less appealing to potential buyers and lead to buyers who don't know exactly what they're getting.
The images should be clear, well-lit, and free from any distractions or clutter in the background.
It's also essential to get a wide variety of photos from different angles showing the exterior, interior, and all the car's features, including:
- Exterior front, back, wheels, and side panels
- Close-ups of the tire tread
- Engine
- Front and back seats
- Dashboard
- Instrument clusters and stereo
- Steering wheel and gear shift
- Odometer
It's also important to take close-ups of any cosmetic or structural damage. Don't forget to take some close-up shots of any additional features or accessories you include with the sale.
Include Special Details and Features
The more detailed you are, the more likely the car is to sell. CarSoup includes numerous advanced search filters for buyers to find the car they want. You can include special details such as:
- Body style
- Drivetrain
- Transmission
- Cylinder count
- Fuel type, especially if the vehicle is fuel efficient
Next, include special details and features that can make the car more appealing, such as:
- Sunroof/moonroof
- Heated seats, especially heated leather seats
- Aluminum wheels
- Tow package
- Premium stereo
- Keyless entry
- Navigation
Add Important Information About Vehicle History and Maintenance
Finally, you should add detailed information about the vehicle's history and all maintenance performed on the vehicle. Buyers thus know exactly what they're getting, which can increase their likelihood of vehicle purchase.
5. Create a Simple Contact Route for Potential Buyers
It's important to note that CarSoup does not facilitate the actual transactions. You negotiate the price with the buyer directly once they contact you. So make a simple contact route - such as a phone number or simple email address - for buyers to get in touch.
This makes the process as easy as possible for your buyers, increasing their likelihood of purchasing.
List Your Car on CarSoup and Close the Deal With Caramel
CarSoup offers many advantages if you want to sell your car privately online. It allows you to list and advertise your car easily and makes communication with buyers simple.
You can further simplify the online car-selling process by using a private-party car sale checkout solution. Such a platform handles all the remaining steps of the car sale process for you, from negotiations to financing to post-close paperwork. It even provides you with a link you can include in your car listing that buyers can use to finish the checkout process. When buyers click on this link, buyers will be directed to that car, and your asking price will be displayed. This ensures that the entire process is secure and smooth.
This article was written by Andrew Rohrlich. As a brand and product marketing expert, Andrew Rohrlich has crafted products, experiences and communications for household names like Gap and for multiple automotive technology businesses. For nearly a decade Andrew has studied automotive retail in depth from a customer point of view and aggregated the industry’s best research, thought leadership and know how to provide credible and important information to auto shoppers and sellers.
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