Selling made easy
Take the hassle out of private car sales
- ID verification
- Value and history report
- E-sign the bill of sale
- Instant payment
How it works
Get listed.
Get found.
Get paid.
All within a single easy app. No giving out personal details or contact information. It’s so streamlined and intuitive, you’ll want to sell another.
Pricing
Listing fee
$25
Per listing, access the best tools to sell your car privately.
- Your vehicle’s history report
- Window brochure with QR code
- Verified buyer funds
- Buyer ID verification
- Choose which payment method you’ll accept
- Chat, test drive, and offer features
Only pay if your car sells
Closing fee
$80
The safe and simple way to close the sale on your own.
- Buyer & seller ID verification
- Offer accept/reject/counter
- Verified buyer funds
- E-sign the bill of sale
- PrivateAuto Pay
- Instant money transfer P2P
- Available 24/7/365
- No commission or transaction fees
Skip the listing and do the DealNow?
*Disclaimer: Account services are provided by US Alliance Financial, a licensed and insured banking institution. PrivateAuto does not facilitate or handle any funds throughout the transaction. All funds in custody of US Alliance. Buyer financing may require additional fees.
What people are saying:
Steps for Selling Your Used Car on PrivateAuto
1. Gather necessary documentation
2. Register on PrivateAuto and get verified
3. List your car
4. Set your terms
5. Vet incoming offers
6. Choose a buyer
7. Schedule a test drive
8. E-sign documents
9. Get paid, instantaneously
10. Transfer title
11. Cancel Insurance
Where is the Best Place to Sell My Car?
When looking to sell your used car privately, you have a few options:
01
PrivateAuto
02
Sell to an online dealer
Such as Carvana or CarMax
03
Local classifieds
04
Online marketplace
Such as CarGurus, Cars.com, or AutoTrader
05
Auction site
such as CarsAndBids, BringATrailer, or eBay Motors
Private Sale vs Selling to a Dealership
The main benefit of selling your own vehicle to an individual buyer is that you have full control over the price and all negotiations.
Private sellers often get a better price for their used vehicles, since dealerships need to buy low and sell high to make a profit.
In almost all cases, you’re likely to get more money for your car if you sell it yourself versus trading it in or selling to a dealership.
Worried about the amount of time and effort it might take to sell your car privately? That’s what PrivateAuto’s self-service application is for! We take the work out of private car sales.
PrivateAuto vs Online Dealers
Carvana, CarMax, and similar online platforms operate under the dealership model. The only difference is that they’ve adopted a digital-first approach. Like traditional dealerships, they need to buy low and sell high to make a profit on your used car. You can get more cash for your used vehicle by going straight to the end buyer and cutting out the middleman.
PrivateAuto allows you to sell directly to the end buyer, and do so safely and conveniently.
PrivateAuto vs Local Classifieds
Each city has its own local classifieds marketplaces. Then there’s Craigslist, which has a local classifieds section specific to almost every city or large town in the US. Selling your car via classifieds marketplaces has advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages of Classifieds Marketplaces
1. You control your price
2. You choose your buyer
3. You set your terms
Disadvantages of Classifieds
1. Giving out personal info to strangers opens you to potential risk
2. Receiving payment is a challenge
3. Unverified buyers may waste your time…or worse
When selling via a local classifieds site, you will likely be inundated with a large volume of messages, some of which could be outright scams. You will spend a lot of time weeding through these, and will need to give out your personal contact details in order to schedule test drives. Unfortunately, it’s possible that you may encounter bad actors in this process, so do everything you can to stay safe.
When you finally find a legitimate buyer and agree on price, you will need to find a way to get payment from that buyer to you. There are no great ways to move large sums of money from one individual to another in a private car sale (except for PrivateAuto). See our article on the 5 best forms of payment when selling a used car.
PrivateAuto offers you all the control and autonomy of a classifieds site, with none of the risk and inconvenience.
– Buyers are verified with facial recognition
– You can choose to deal with only buyers who have verified funds
– Message back and forth with buyers within the PrivateAuto app (don’t give out contact info)
– Schedule a test drive with our in-app scheduling feature
– E-sign the bill of sale within our app
– Receive instantaneous payment within our app via our integrated banking solution, PrivateAuto Pay, any time of day or night, all 365 days of the year
PrivateAuto vs Other Automotive Marketplaces
Online automotive marketplaces such as Cars.com, AutoTrader, and CarGurus have similar pros and cons as classifieds sites (discussed above).
Similarly, the advantages of PrivateAuto over these sites are the same: safety, security, autonomy, convenience.
PrivateAuto vs Automotive Auction Sites
Automotive auction sites such as Bring a Trailer, eBay Motors, and CarsAndBids facilitate you selling your car directly to a private buyer. However, these all have some shared drawbacks:
1. You must wait for the auction to run its course (not a fast way to sell your used car)
2. You must give out personal contact details to strangers
3. Strangers aren’t verified, opening you to the potential of having bad actors on the site
4. Buyer funds aren’t verified, meaning you could waste your time with buyers who can’t afford your car
5. These sites don’t facilitate payment; they only connect you with a potential buyer, and then you and the buyer need to work out how funds will be transferred outside the platform (inconvenient and risky)
PrivateAuto has all the benefits of auction sites with none of the drawbacks.
– Buyers are verified with facial recognition
– You can choose to deal with only buyers who have verified funds
– Message back and forth with buyers within the PrivateAuto app (don’t give out contact info)
– Schedule a test drive with our in-app scheduling feature
– E-sign the bill of sale within our app
– Receive instantaneous payment within our app via our integrated banking solution, PrivateAuto Pay, any time of day or night, all 365 days of the year
The Best Place to Sell Your Used Car Online
If you want to sell your used car safely, quickly, and for the maximum amount, you want the convenience of PrivateAuto.
– Convenient
– Safe
– Secure
– Integrated
– In-app financing available Welcome to the end of hassle when it comes to selling your used car online.
How to Sell My Used Car in Each State?
Different states have different requirements when it comes to issues such as:
Where Can I Sell My Car for the Most Money?
Generally, you can sell your car for the most money by going directly to the end buyer and cutting out the middlemen.
Sell Directly to Private Car Buyers
This means avoiding brokers and dealers who buy used cars and resell them.
- CarMax
- Carvana
- Dealerships
- Etc
These intermediaries need to make a spread on every vehicle, so they have an incentive to pay as little as possible for your used vehicle, and to sell it for as much as possible to the buyer.
By selling directly to the person shopping for a new car, you can ask more for your vehicle than a broker or dealer would generally be willing to pay.
Use Direct-to-Buyer Marketplaces
To get the most money for your used car, sell it on a marketplace that connects you directly to buyers. These come in many forms, including:
- Classifieds
- eBay Motors
- CarsAndBids
- AutoTrader
- Craigslist
- CarGurus
- PrivateAuto
- Etc
The Most Secure and Convenient Direct-to-Buyer Solution
Of all the direct-to-buyer marketplaces you could list your vehicle on, only PrivateAuto has the following set of benefits:
- Avoid scammers and fakes through buyer verification
- Keep your info private by communicating and scheduling through our app
- Cut down paperwork hassle with built-in e-signing of the bill of sale
- Receive your money quickly and securely with our integrated banking solution
Where Can I Sell My Car for Cash Today?
If you’re in a hurry to sell your car, you can list it across multiple marketplaces to get maximum exposure.
Steer clear of auction-style sites and choose classifieds or marketplace sites that allow you to sell same-day, directly to buyers.
Fortunately, PrivateAuto lets you manage multiple listings through the PrivateAuto app.
You may also consider listing it for less than full market value to get offers pouring in.
Interested in buying a used car? Browse used cars for sale!
Interested in buying a used car?
FAQ on Selling Used Cars
What is the best way to sell a car for cash?
Selling your car online can open you up to a wide audience and allow you to get the best possible price for your car. Avoid dealer and broker sites and stick with peer-to-peer marketplaces.
If you want ultimate convenience, safety, and security for selling your used car, PrivateAuto offers an end-to-end marketplace with integrated banking for instant transactions any time.
Why are private vehicle sales better?
You can sell your used car to a private individual and make more money on the sale. A dealer can offer you a trade-in value or instant cash offer, but these are almost never as much as you can make in a private sale. Whether you’re selling the latest luxury vehicle or an old car with maintenance issues, you’ll almost always earn more in private sales.
Buying a used vehicle from a private party also has some benefits. Dealers not only charge dealer fees but they can be pushy and difficult to negotiate with. Whereas, an individual may be more flexible on pricing or more friendly when discussing the details of the vehicle. Because a private seller is often the individual who drove the car frequently, this seller may know more about the vehicle than a dealer.
What is PrivateAuto?
PrivateAuto takes the hassle out of buying and selling vehicles privately! Our technology-driven, self-service solution enables buyers and sellers to safely communicate, e-sign state documents, and send and receive payments instantly and securely. PrivateAuto is the new way to sell and buy used cars.
Verified information and confidential communication gives you the freedom to communicate between two parties without giving out personal contact information. Schedule a test drive, negotiate the price, and exchange payments through a secure online system with PrivateAuto.
Which is the best platform to sell used cars?
There are many online platforms for selling your used car. Most of our competitors have a similar business model: allow you to list your vehicle, connect you with a buyer, and then leave you and the buyer to figure out how to complete the transaction outside of the platform. In other words, most marketplaces act as matchmakers to connect buyers and sellers—but don’t provide infrastructure to help get the transaction done.
PrivateAuto, in contrast, provides a complete technology stack for secure communication, e-signing of documents, and payments—in addition to the “matchmaker” functionality of traditional marketplaces.
PrivateAuto is the only end-to-end solution that supports every aspect of selling your car and getting paid for it.
Is Carvana a legitimate company?
Carvana is a legitimate company. They are a digital-first car dealer. While we admire their rapid growth and online model, they don’t offer a seamless, end-to-end solution like PrivateAuto does.
Additionally, used car prices tend to be higher on Carvana than from private sellers because Carvana, like any dealership, needs to make a spread. That is, they need to buy low and sell high.
With PrivateAuto, a buyer buys directly from private sellers; we don’t need to make a spread on a used vehicle transaction.
We offer a number of additional benefits that sites like Carvana do not. PrivateAuto is a complete transactional platform that includes listing, messaging, verification, documentation walk-through, and secure payment.
How does PrivateAuto help me manage offers?
Online listing services can quickly drum up a lot of interest and have your inbox full of offers, information requests, and requests for test drives. Here are a few ways you can manage multiple offers on PrivateAuto:
– Accept, reject, or counter individual offers.
– Schedule meet-up times.
– Recommend locations and times for test drives.
– Link listings on multiple sites to the PrivateAuto platform.
All of this communication occurs through the PrivateAuto app, rather than your personal email or phone number. This feature of the app protects your personal information.
Linking listings from multiple sites allows you to communicate with every prospective buyer on the same convenient platform. This helps you manage offers and respond to them individually to avoid confusion. Receive the best price for your used vehicle by negotiating multiple offers at once.
Which is better: CarMax vs Carvana?
CarMax and Carvana are automotive dealers with a digital-first approach. CarMax has physical dealership locations in most major US cities, while Carvana does not. CarMax is reported to offer slightly higher values for used cars than Carvana, while Carvana’s process seems to be slightly more convenient and user-friendly.
Ultimately, if you want the best price for your used car, skip brokers and dealers such as Carvana and CarMax, and sell directly to the end buyer.
PrivateAuto is the only end-to-end platform that allows you to sell your car and get paid in one easy app. Sell your car to a private buyer and get top dollar—without the inconvenience and risk of other marketplaces.
Does CarMax give good trade-in value?
On average, CarMax is reported to make higher offers to sellers than their competitors Carvana and Vroom.
Still, you can command an even higher price by selling your used car directly to a private buyer.
How does PrivateAuto vet buyers and sellers?
Both buyers and sellers get verified using the latest facial recognition technology to create a safe experience. Buyers must provide drivers license information, an email address, and a phone number. This personal information is hidden from other buyers and sellers and is only used to verify the user’s identity.
Sellers must enter the VIN for the vehicle and create a profile before listing. A VIN is critical to investigating the ownership of a vehicle and determining whether the title is clean. Buyers and sellers can enjoy peace of mind on PrivateAuto knowing that both parties have been thoroughly vetted.
Is selling your car online a good idea?
Yes, selling your car online is a good idea. PrivateAuto connects you directly with private buyers while protecting your contact info. We give you a convenient and easy solution for selling your used car and getting top dollar.
Does PrivateAuto provide the necessary paperwork for a successful transfer of ownership?
Yes, PrivateAuto has all the paperwork you need to sell your car in any state. Every state requires different paperwork to legally transfer titles and sell vehicles to a private party. Many states require a bill of sale. Some states have their own specific forms that are required to buy or sell a vehicle in the state.
PrivateAuto manages all these forms and makes them available for both buyers and sellers to electronically sign. The entire process is only accessible by the buyer and seller, which prevents the risk of identity theft. It can be difficult to keep up with state-specific laws, particularly if you’ve moved states recently, so use PrivateAuto to ensure a smooth and legal transaction.
How secure is the PrivateAuto Pay feature?
Typical private-party used car sales require handling a large amount of cash or processing a cashier’s check.
Cash can be stolen, and cashier’s checks can be falsified. Cashier’s checks may appear legitimate, even after being deposited, only to be exposed weeks later after you’ve already signed over your vehicle.
Direct banking is a safer alternative to give both parties peace of mind.
PrivateAuto Pay is a direct banking integration that ensures payments are safely transferred without the risks associated with cash or cashier’s check sales. Payment information is also hidden from the seller, so a buyer doesn’t need to be concerned with bank information theft.
What paperwork do I need to sell my car privately?
Each state has its own requirements for documentation when a used car is sold. At a minimum, you’ll need your car title. Check out our state-by-state guide to selling your used car.
What do I do with my license plates after I sell my car?
Some states require you to remove your license plates, while other states pass them to the buyer. See our complete guide to license plates in a private vehicle sale for more info.
Who pays sales tax on a used car transaction?
In a state that charges sales tax—and most states do—the buyer will pay sales tax on the purchase of a used car, according to the state’s tax rate. The buyer may also pay additional taxes and fees as well. See our complete guide to used car sales tax for more info.