Digital car-selling platforms have revolutionized the auto buying landscape for the past few years. Research says the global online automotive market will reach $515.6 billion by 2027. Additionally, 95 percent of car buyers start their car search journey online. Another stat says that 65 percent take over three weeks to research online. There are so many digital platforms dealing with used and new cars. Online car sellers may need help deciding where to reach buyers and how to shortlist marketplaces to sell online.
You would need a proper analysis of marketplaces, how car buyers view those channels, and what type of responses they get: all these factors would affect your ultimate online car-selling decisions.
This blog will run you through everything you need about digital car-selling websites and marketplaces. So, let’s dive in!
What is an Online Car Selling Platform?
Online Car-Selling Platforms USA is a website where you can purchase and sell automobiles. It is a digital marketplace where buyers can browse different vehicles, check them out virtually, compare their prices and features, etc. Automobile retailers – including both independent sellers and dealerships. They can list their vehicles on these platforms to reach a much wider audience than traditional brick-and-mortar stores.Such platforms offer a lot of convenience to both buyers and sellers.
For buyers, the online car buying journey is greatly simplified, allowing them to conduct all their research from the comfort of home. Many online platforms also offer easy financing options, eliminating the need to visit other sites, and some even allow customers to trade in their old vehicles for discounts, similar to traditional dealerships. For sellers, the biggest advantage of online retail is the expanded reach, providing access to a larger and more relevant audience compared to offline retail. Additionally, digital car listings are simpler and more cost-effective, as there’s no need to physically maintain inventory—high-quality images and videos are enough to showcase vehicles effectively.
Top 16 Online Car Selling Sites
In today’s digital age, selling your car online has become a convenient and popular option. To reach a broad audience and make a fast and easy transaction, sellers can utilize the best place to sell cars online for free. We have mentioned some top options, considering user-friendliness, reach, features, and potential downsides, to help you find the best site to sell a car.
1) Cars.Com: Cars.com was established in 1998. It offers a convenient way for sellers and buyers to make a vehicle transaction. Cars.com offers a massive selection of cars, over 2 million, from a wide range of sources, including dealerships and private sellers. Additionally, Cars.com does not charge any fees from consumers offering a test drive and a transaction in selling vehicles.
2) Carvana Co. : Carvana. Co is an online used car retailer based in Tempe, Arizona. It is a fast-growing platform for selling used cars in the USA and is known for its multi-story glass tower vehicle vending machines. Carvana was the youngest company added to the 2021 Fortune 500 list.
3) Peddle: Peddle purchases vehicles directly from individuals. They offer great deals to the sellers and do not charge pickup fees. However, Peddle does not offer to trade a vehicle directly with consumers. Therefore, they also purchase old, damaged, and nonworking cars.
4) CarMax: CarMax deals in used car retailer that allows consumers to purchase or sell their vehicle in person at the company’s location, on their app, or on their best website to sell cars by owner. They also offer car warranties and financing services.
5) Copart: Copart organizes an online auction that allows dealers and individuals to sell or purchase vehicles. They buy cars in any condition, whether damaged or in good condition.
6) CarGurus: CarGurus is an online marketplace that allows individuals and dealers to sell their cars. Additionally, the company does not own the cars listed on its site. Therefore, it connects sellers and local dealers to consumers. CarGurus also provides a financial tool that allows users to compare used car pricing and get pre-qualified when purchasing a new car.
7) Vroom: Vrooms owns a leading automotive finance company and operates UACC (United Auto Credit Corporation). They offer an online car-buying site specializing in low-mileage, pre-owned cars similar to certified pre-owned vehicles. Vroom inspects vehicles with several checks to ensure they are safe and ready to sell to consumers.
8) Autotrader: Autotrader allows users to sell certified used and new cars. They offer a free vehicle history report to ensure the history is clean. Additionally, they offer a free renewal of up to one year for sellers if their vehicle does not find a potential buyer. They also offer sellers to add up to 30 photos of the vehicle from different angles.
9) Facebook Marketplace: If you want to reach your buyers independently and escape the extra cost of listings, Facebook Marketplace is the right car-selling platform. It is, in fact, a one-stop solution for all online car sellers and dealers. With Facebook, you can create your inventory listings for free, engage buyers by posting about cars daily, boost your listings and land qualified leads, stay active in the car buying communities, and know buyers personally.
10) TrueCar: TrueCar is buyers’ favorite platform for researching cars and vehicles. Online car buyers use it increasingly to search for market values of trending cars, recent transactions, differences between the offerings and MSRP (Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price), etc. This makes TrueCar an excellent platform to delve deeper into buyers’ preferences and trends and get discovered. By tracking buyers’ searches, clicks, and reviews, you can find the shortcomings in your listing info and discover yourself in buyers’ comparison charts.
11) Walmart CarSaver: Walmart CarSaver is an excellent platform if you want to go for a quick online car sales platform while ensuring a seamless omnichannel experience without scaling up. The framework and policies of the platform allow car buyers to contact online car sellers directly and ask for a test drive. They can visit any Walmart CarSaver physical store and assess the car. Collaborating with Walmart also gives you numerous add-ons, such as allowing buyers to insure their vehicles and lease them, other financing options like Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL), lifetime access to servicing, etc.
Otherwise, you might need help to offer such incentives to buyers individually. It is undoubtedly a seller-first platform.
12) Bring-A-Trailer: This is the best car-selling platform to sell your car online if you are dealing with rare, classic, or vintage vehicles. The platform thoroughly examines the car before listing it on its site, which is why it’s the favorite channel for all auto enthusiasts and leads to high-quality site traffic. Bring-a-trailer clientele makes the platform one of the most sorted and clean online car-selling marketplaces, translating into higher dollars for online car sellers.
The listing would cost you around $99, but audiences here are often willing to pay more to acquire those souped-up and antique cars.
13) Craigslist: Craigslist can be the perfect solution if you are unwilling to scale up for paid listings. You might have heard some haunting stories about transactions on Craigslist. But, it is still a potential tool for selling cars online. The most significant benefit of Craigslist is that you can include as many visuals as you want on the VDPs without any cost, paving the way for increased sales. It is also an excellent platform for selling cars locally and online. Conversely, it is also one of the disadvantages since it is not a very efficient source to sell nationally and makes the car sales online process slower.
14) eBay Motors: eBay is the best platform to start your car selling online research. The listings on eBay help you conduct an in-depth search and analyze completed listings, seeing what gets sold and what doesn’t. Moreover, if you are trying to sell your car locally, this can be a reasonable option. Local listings on eBay are free, while the national ones charge between $60 and $125. However, one of the prominent disadvantages of eBay is that the bids are not binding. This means a car buyer can exit the process anytime for any reason, even after bidding for your car.
15) Hemmings: It is the best spot for classic car enthusiasts, considering its broad reach and potential to reach a large audience. The site caters explicitly to automotive enthusiasts and those highly associated with car knowledge, as it is a catalog of rare and collectible cars. It’s the best spot to find your fellow car lovers. Hemmings allows you to auction your car, create a listing for a direct sale, or post a classified ad. The fee for posting on the platform depends on the option you choose.
16) Cars and Bids: A comparatively new platform launched around 2020 as a competitor to Bring-A-Trailer. To submit your vehicle to Cars and Bids, you must provide a brief description, VIN, and photos. One also has the option to set a reserve for the car or hold the auction without a minimum price to avoid letting them go. However, You will have to pay a $89 selling fee for your first listing, while subsequent listings will cost $49.
How To Sell a Car Online for the Best Price?
Online car-selling platforms are convenient and efficient for reaching a wide audience. Sellers have an opportunity to boost their revenue. However, before listing your car online it is important to inspect it thoroughly. So you can set the best description and decide the vehicle’s actual worth. We have mentioned some steps a seller can take to get the best price for the car, when selling online:
1) Finding the Right Platform
The three main ways to sell a car are through a private buyer, a car-selling website, or a local dealership. However, selling through a website is feasible and has a few problems. These sites offer customers the convenience of posting and selling cars online with a wide range of customer support services to simplify the process. The timeline for the process is also fast: get offers, sell it, and the car is picked up within a day or two.
2) Disclose current loans or leases
Several car-buying companies purchase vehicles from owners who still have a car loan on them. Additionally, some consumers are looking to lease a car for some time. It is important to disclose the current loans and lease options available to attract potential buyers.
3) Pre-Selling Processes
Before you post your car, consider a few tips to get the best deal for you. To find the best valuation for your vehicle for this, use a site l called Kelley Blue Book(KBB). It has a tool that can quickly tell you your car’s value on the private market, in a dealer sale, or as a trade-in. Then improve the vehicle conditions. Check for treads on tires, brake condition, and whether all other features are working correctly or not. Then, take plenty of pictures from all angles, including interior and exterior, and include every part of the car.
4) Recommended Platforms for selling
Plenty of platforms are available to sell your car. However, the top ones with the best reviews and features are Cars.com, Carvana, peddle, Truecar, Facebook Marketplace. These platforms not only have genuine buyers but have all the recommended features and tools you need to sell your vehicle.
5) Protect Yourself from Scams
There are many fake buyers, and people fall for these scams. Therefore, follow guidelines, meet your potential buyers in person, and avoid sharing personal information about your vehicle that they might misuse. When deals are closed, use safe payment methods; accepting cash or certified checks is best to avoid any issues. And the last step is to take the documentation process seriously and the transfer of ownership.
6) Closing the deal
You might have the best price and the right buyer, but how the negotiations go matters. Offer multiple payment options, allow serious potential buyers to have a test drive. Additifollow all the sale rules, and notify the motor vehicle department about the sale.
Important Factors to be Considered While Selling Cars Online
When selling your car on a private car-selling platform, the seller must ensure that the transaction is done safely. Additionally, we advise you not to share personal details more than required with the car buyers. The process of selling a car can be tricky. However, to make your experience smooth and profitable, we have mentioned some factors you can consider when selling a car online or in person:
Should we sell a car with a loan on it?
Sometimes, car owners are not able to pay off their loans. Therefore, they decide to sell their car. However, can we sell a call with a loan on it? Will lenders allow you to sell until you pay the loan? These kinds of general questions often occur on the original owners.
Therefore, the owners should inspect and compare the worth of the car and the balance loan on them. If they can make a profit, they can surely get rid of that vehicle. Additionally, they should check the requirements from the lenders before proceeding with the sale process.
Lender’s Requirements
Lenders like banks or any other financial institution. They have some requirements and policies in terms of owners selling their cars when they still owe money on the loan. Owners should consider consulting with the lenders before selling their vehicles. They can also ask dealerships to communicate with their lenders to make the process more convenient for you. Additionally, if you owe more money than the actual worth of the car. Dealerships will consider it as negative equity and will roll the debt into the loan of your upgraded vehicle. However, we do not recommend owners to trade this way. When they owe more money than the actual worth of cars.
Possible to sell a car without a title?
Often, it is not conceivable to sell a car without a title. Though, it depends on the state laws. However, you have to request a replacement title while going through the sale process. If you are willing to sell a classic, the bill of a sold vehicle is enough to prove the ownership.
Possible to sell a car around to the dealership?
Dealerships often purchase used cars to resell them. Additionally, owners can also opt for the trade-in option and can use the credit if want to purchase a new car.
However, we recommend to get the fair market value of the car before walking into the dealership.
Platforms to sell car parts
Scraped or junked car parts can be sold separately. Owners can earn some good cash from the vehicle’s valuable components like its battery, engine, and GPS.
1) Junkyards: Owners can sell the vehicle parts to Junkyards. However, you might not get a good price from them.
2) Scrap metal yards: They buy parts from scrap and sell the usable ones. Additionally, they also recycle valuable scrap material that can be used for other things.
3) Online listing: Car selling platforms like Amazon, Walmart, and eBay offer the best possible deals for car parts.
4) Auto shops and stores: Local automobile shops and stores are also interested in purchasing vehicle parts for the local business.
Protect Yourself from Scams
Some buyers will be genuine, while others won’t, and it is easy to get scammed. To protect yourself, follow safety guidelines and always meet potential buyers in person. Never share any kind of personal details regarding your vehicle that can be misused. Opt for secure methods of payment when closing on a deal; for safety, cash or certified checks do the work and keep you out of complications. Lastly, ensure all the paperwork and the transfer of ownership are taken care of properly to save yourself from any liability later.
​​How Spyne can Help These Car Selling Platforms to Boost their Revenue?
Spyne, an AI-driven platform for visual content creation, can significantly enhance car selling platforms by helping them boost their revenue through our 4 main products:
1) Image Studio: With Spyne you can enhance the quality of the car images you upload on your platform in no time, as well as we provide you with the luxury to choose the background you want from more than 100 templates, add your branding, apply window tinting, add realistic shadow on the virtual floor, and more, all in a single click.
2) Video Tour: Considering buyers these days have a very short attention span and they want the most information about the car in the least possible team, we provide you with short interactive videos which includes all the features and detailed description about the car. It is a proven and effective way to gather more eyeballs.
3) 360 Spin: How about having a 360 view of your car while sitting at home? Spyne even makes that possible by allowing car selling platforms to upload a 360 view of the inventory, allowing the users to look at cars from different angles and zoom at the hotspots on the car, and check out other details like the controls on the dashboard.
4) Website Builder: Spyne’s website builder is specifically designed in order to empower these platforms with websites that are professional and visually appealing, while also being SEO-friendly and responsive. Meanwhile, you can also embed high quality visuals to your site, via Spyne’s above-mentioned products.
Combining all Spyne products together gives you a powerful platform, designed and optimised to sell your cars quickly.
Tips for Using These Websites to Sell a Car
Before selling a vehicle keep in mind the important tips that you need to follow judiciously before making a car sale:
1) Look for Serious Buyers
Post your car to well-recognized, reputable websites catering to serious auto shoppers. This not only reduces your hassle but can get you good deals in a short time . More importantly, it gives you credible buyers .
2) Reduce Risk by VIN
Advertise your car on dedicated auto shopping websites that require a vehicle identification number (VIN). These websites know how to prevent fraud by matching the VIN numbers of cars advertised on their websites against public records to identify cars that have been reported stolen or cannot legally be sold.
3) Ask plenty of questions
By email and over the phone, ask the buyer plenty of questions. Listen for whether your car will help to fulfill their needs. Do a quick online search for the buyer’s name coupled with their location in order to check for any legal problems.
4) Protect Personal Information
If you are dealing with a potential buyer, don’t disclose your address and other personal information. Avoid posting pictures of yourself posing with your car or those photos that show valuable contents in your garage or house.
5) Inform DMV
The sale of car is incomplete without its ownership transfer because if any mishap happens even after the sale of the car but on paper you are still the owner then its your liability. Therefore follow the standard practice to inform the Department of Motor Vehicles(DMV).
6) Meet at a public place
Before fialising the deal its better to meet the interested buyer in person . However keep in mind your safety and meet at a neutral public location. Review atleasr the necessary documents like driver license, auro insurance card before you allow them the test drive.
Bonus tip:
Speaking of disclosing exterior and interior conditions. The best way to do it is to eliminate any surprise elements for car buyers and give them an accurate idea of the vehicle’s conditions. This is best done with Car Interior Photography with a professional touch.
In other words, give online buyers the best car platform visuals by capturing every feature of a car in detail. You can watch rotating car videos and shoot cars with panning effects, including engines, stitching of car seats, the emblem on the wheels and deck, and so on.
Conclusion
Hope this blog helps you find the best car selling platforms. If you still find it hard to choose, try to figure out your selling objective. Do you want to get rid of your car as fast as possible? Is it an old car you want to sell? Or do you want to get the best deal from your sale? This will help you figure out an answer. Another thing you need to remember – pricing and user experience are just some of the components of a car-buying journey. High-impact car images are equally important.
In fact, most of these marketplaces come with numerous prerequisites for uploading vehicle images on their VDPs. Well, guess what? You can stand out in these marketplaces without any of the struggles of hiring a professional Car Photographer or image editor.
Spyne’s next-gen AI photography solutions offer marketplace-ready backgrounds and visual effects for channels like Walmart and eBay. You can apply custom backgrounds, process bulk images, and publish them online at lightning speed.
Want to know more? Reach out to us today!
  
