Selling a Car and the Art of Negotiating

It's not that hard and shouldn't be that frustrating if you don't let it. It's about pricing the item right (and knowing you priced it right), and knowing what your bottom dollar is. Ignore all stupid messages and only pay attention to those asking to check out the vehicle. If they try to negotiate the price tell them firm and won't negotiate over FB. This will weed out all the shit people very quickly. You'll be left with the serious buyer that's willing to come check it out with cash.

For cars that are worth under 5k: I'll purposefully underprice with a big ass FIRM and AS IS. TAKE IT TODAY AND F OFF. Works every time. I end up unloading it quickly with minimal hassle.
 
Whenever I list a price as firm, if a buyer offers less I increase the price accordingly.

I’ve lost a few sales like that, including here, but it filters out problem buyers and the amusement is priceless.
 
right - ur goal is to attract the person who actually knows what your vehicle is worth, and is cash ready. Not make your proposition soft and squishy to attract all the outliers as well, in the hopes they become real buyers. F that noise.
 
A few years back we were selling my son's first car, which we had bought from a neighbor. I list it on Craigslist and then take off on a short business trip. Shortly after I landed I got a call from this guy, raving about how this was his absolute dream car, down to the color and options and he just had to have it. Car was listed for $1800, would I take $1200. I'm thinking to myself, no way, you just talked yourself into full price. Then he says he can pay full price, but can I make sure it has gas, because he will not have any money left for gas. I call my son, tell him to go gas up the car and gather the paperwork, this guy is on his way to buy the car.

A few hours later, my son calls me to tell me that he showed up, was so excited to buy the car he could barely contain himself, and drove off with a huge grin. Did I mention that the car was a brown, 2 door, 1991 Honda Accord with well over 200k on the odometer? Automotive tastes can be strange...

An original 91 accord is actually pretty rare and desirable for Honda guys.
 
Can't tell you my secrets. Lol. I love when the parties are close. Like maybe $1000 apart. And people say. 'We're not moving another thousand. There's no way they'll walk away for $1000.' My response to them is usually along the lines of 'you'll walk away for the $1000? But you think they wont?'
The only power in a negotiation comes from a sincere and honest ability to say no. Once the wife says "we have to have this house" you're the one making concessions. The one more willing to say no has the upper hand. "Final offer" is a game of chicken, unless you honestly are at the max you are willing to pay.

I hate selling used stuff. Usually I give it away. If not, I put a low end price on it to save the aggravation.
 
Weak rant, but here it goes.

I will start by saying I absolutely despise selling stuff. Especially vehicles under $5k. Because it brings out some of the worst people. Tire kickers, time wasters, and worst of all terrible negotiators.

I've had a car for sale for 2 weeks on a few different websites. FB was the clear winner as far as driving traffic to the ad. This car fell into my lap, so I had a Chace to make some quick cash. Problem is, I have no clue what it's worth. KBB was giving me 4k-6k on private party sale. But with insane xar prices everywhere and the car does have a few small issues, I started at 4k.

After a week, I got nothing. Dropped it to 3500 and that's where the insanity started. It's like every lowlife had their filters set for that dollar amount. Probably 50 people have messaged me. Half of them were not even sentences, just dollar amounts of their price. All being 1k-2k.

After a few weeks of this, I got beaten down. I was willing to take the 1st 2500 that showed up with cash. Today was the day. For whatever reason, I had about 10 people message me all within an hour. One guy says 2500. He says he can do cash today. Perfect. Come on over.

He shows up, he is from Romania. He brings his wife, son, daughter (absolutely beautiful) and grandson. All are checking the car out. Son is the translator. He refuses to pay anymore than 2k. I refuse to take any less than 2500 which is what he offered originally.

I ended up telling them to leave. It got awkward. He was baffled that I wouldn't take it. I'm not sure if it was a culture thing to negotiate after online negotiations but I had to explain to him that I would have more fun destroying the car in the field up the street than selling it to him at an already discounted price. They drove over an hour to my house to be turned away because of their bad negotiation tactics. After they left he messaged me a few times with $2k lol.

I can write this post with a smile, as another guy just left the house with the car. He offered 2500 on the phone and came with a pocket full of cash.

Moron. $2K and the hopefully-legal-aged daughter for one weekend. ;)

Why not just bring it to a place like CarMax and see what they’ll give you for it? At least that will give you an idea what it’s worth, and there are no hassles and no private parties coming back to claim you sold them a clunker.

That's going to give you the bottom dollar #. Just be aware of that. But if they will take it for that, sometimes it's better to have Carmax show up and haul it away.
 
An original 91 accord is actually pretty rare and desirable for Honda guys.

I had no idea...it was a decent car, 5 speed and my neighbor had owned it from new and it was all three of his kids' first car. We got back what we paid for it and were happy with that...

The main reason we sold it was a friends kid got into a bad car wreck and my wife decided she couldn't stand the idea of our son being in a car without airbags...
 
Ended up not buying it due to (no suprise) rust issues. But I believe he sold it the next day. Feel like that's the way to do this shit: budget a specific slot of X hours for all interested buyers, not a minute more, and then it's gone if it doesn't sell private. His chill attitude through the process stuck with me.
That is exactly how I sold the last car I ever sold as a private sale.

You want it, the price is X. Don't offer less.
Only available these days and times.
Don't call me to tell me you will have the money, if you are here during those days/hours with the money, you get the car.
Don't show up trying to fight the price, you will walk away empty handed.

But I also was not in a rush and had another car I could rely on while shopping for a new car. Worse case scenario I would trade it in.
 
As a seller, there is an art to making an ad. Cars, guns, whatever. Detailed pictures and description. Honest representation. Try to pro-actively answer any questions. Add some language to weed out the tire kickers. Asking price should always be higher to allow for some negociation. How many times on NES have you seen some bozo post a WTS and say "I'll post pics later....". Why can't you just do it now? Anyways, the first guy that came to look at the car drove away with it.
Agreed. Good marketing is the key.
 
Why do people put OBO on their ads? If I list it as $5k or best offer I'll never see 5k and the bargain hunters see that as an invitation to low ball.
 
I'm late to the game here but I always "know" what stuff is worth when I go to sell. Also, you have to know the market.

Here's what happened with the last couple of vehicles I sold. I would immediately get "cash offers" TODAY from people who had never seen the car. These people are likely used car re-sellers. I out right turn them down. Tell them to come look at the vehicle and then we can negotiate. This way I know they are re-sellers. The re-sellers don't want to drive around and THEN try to negotiate. Takes too much time. They buy low and sell "high" because they know the market and they will offer some poor schmuck a high interest rate on payments on an over valued vehicle. I also looked for vehicles similar to mine for sale, private party AND used dealer sales. I price pretty close to the used dealer sale price as I know the history of the vehicle, discount it if there are issues. Then I stand firm. I have not been in a hurry to sell a vehicle ever so I can wait for my price. But honestly, it's just only ever taken about 2 weeks.

I prefer to deal with individuals looking for a vehicle for themselves or a family member. These people show up and will actually look over the car before making an offer. And then there are the cheap f***s who think just because they "only have $8k" to spend on a vehicle I listed for $12k that I should knock my price down. I tell them to look for a vehicle priced at $8k.
 
It's a clue that the price is negotiable and it's a bad idea.

I sell a LOT of stuff on CL, FB, etc. I routinely get offers over ask. But if someone sends in their cash offer, I tell them unless they are standing in froont of me with a pocket full of cash, I am not listening to offers. Every price is negotiable, but only if they are ready to buy it immediately.
 
What if it is a gem and you are listed below, one guy shows up and offers $6K. Then you take the best offer.
I can always accept a higher or lower offer. But why signal in your ad that the asking price isn't your actual goal?
 
Imo, OBO may help the buyer feel more comfortable in negotiating. See my earlier comment about always pricing high. Plenty of times I’ve flat out told someone that there is little wiggle room due to increased interest. But, it started the conversation.
 
I can always accept a higher or lower offer. But why signal in your ad that the asking price isn't your actual goal?

You can tell from the buyer's first communication if they are worth dealing with or ignoring outright. I have a very particular set of skills. Skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for buyers like them. If they meet my "ask" that'll be the end of it. I will not look for them, I will not pursue them, but if they don't, I will look for them, I will find them and I will dump my rusted out Camry on them with no warranty (Written OR Implied Oral).
 
That's going to give you the bottom dollar #. Just be aware of that. But if they will take it for that, sometimes it's better to have Carmax show up and haul it away.

Not quite bottom dollar, it's usually above what a dealer will give you for a trade-in.
I hate the whole process of selling something and having to deal with people, especially tire-kickers. If carmax will give my anything close to what I want for it they can have it.
 
Decades ago, I sold my fairly new Toyota. No A/C and I NEEDED A/C.

Anyhow this nice girl from Woooostah came and looked at it and put a deposit down and agreed to my price.

The next day (in between her deposit and coming by with the rest of the cash), some guy calls.

No offense to foreigners - but negotiations are different in different countries. It's 3 asian guys. Only one speaks English. Fine. They decide they want a test drive. "Sure, but the car is SOLD. The girl gave me a deposit and is coming back tomorrow. But if you want to get in line, sure."

They drive it a bit. Complain about it being a stick. (???). Notice some paint damage on the hood (Rt 1 in Saugus was under repair for the better part of that decade. The shit the scarifier would leave was just awful.)

I was asking, let's say $2K.

"ONE THOUSAND DOLLAR."

"What?"

"ONE THOUSAND DOLLAR."

"Uh, no. It's $2K and I've already got a buyer. It's not for sale."

"ONE THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED."

"It's $2K. And I've got a buyer that's in front of you. I'm not understanding what you aren't understanding."

"LAST PRICE - ONE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED DOLLAR."

"Sorry. No. Get out."

????

I guess in China or Korea or wherever they were from, that's how it goes. I lie and tell you it's not for sale. You offer some stupid price. We come to a middle area that I was planning on all along. Everyone walks away frustrated but possibly happy.

Versus finding a car for what you think it's worth and just paying that price. Gosh that method is so fraught with peace and serenity. LOL
 
Ugh.

Selling my car in a few months and I'm not looking forward to this.

I thought I'd do the kind thing and offer it up into the family (10yrs old, 100k miles, 4wd with all the safety accessories) and apparently I'm a monster for pricing it slightly higher than what carvana is going to give me.
 
Ugh.

Selling my car in a few months and I'm not looking forward to this.

I thought I'd do the kind thing and offer it up into the family (10yrs old, 100k miles, 4wd with all the safety accessories) and apparently I'm a monster for pricing it slightly higher than what carvana is going to give me.
what are you selling ? what do you want for it? post it in the yard sale section here
 
what are you selling ? what do you want for it? post it in the yard sale section here
Going to wait for the new car to arrive, god knows when that'll be.

I've debated posting it here, but with the NES skinflint crew sometimes I wonder if that's more of a hassle than its worth.
I'll be looking for about 18k.
 
Decades ago, I sold my fairly new Toyota. No A/C and I NEEDED A/C.

Anyhow this nice girl from Woooostah came and looked at it and put a deposit down and agreed to my price.

The next day (in between her deposit and coming by with the rest of the cash), some guy calls.

No offense to foreigners - but negotiations are different in different countries. It's 3 asian guys. Only one speaks English. Fine. They decide they want a test drive. "Sure, but the car is SOLD. The girl gave me a deposit and is coming back tomorrow. But if you want to get in line, sure."

They drive it a bit. Complain about it being a stick. (???). Notice some paint damage on the hood (Rt 1 in Saugus was under repair for the better part of that decade. The shit the scarifier would leave was just awful.)

I was asking, let's say $2K.

"ONE THOUSAND DOLLAR."

"What?"

"ONE THOUSAND DOLLAR."

"Uh, no. It's $2K and I've already got a buyer. It's not for sale."

"ONE THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED."

"It's $2K. And I've got a buyer that's in front of you. I'm not understanding what you aren't understanding."

"LAST PRICE - ONE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED DOLLAR."

"Sorry. No. Get out."

????

I guess in China or Korea or wherever they were from, that's how it goes. I lie and tell you it's not for sale. You offer some stupid price. We come to a middle area that I was planning on all along. Everyone walks away frustrated but possibly happy.

Versus finding a car for what you think it's worth and just paying that price. Gosh that method is so fraught with peace and serenity. LOL
That's why I included the fact they were Romanian in my OP. I just believe it was a culture thing. Certain parts of the world literally bargain/ haggle over the price of everything. I took it as somewhat insulting, where they probably were not doing anything out of the norm for them.
 
I'm also extremely happy with who I sold it to. As mentioned, I knew there was issues with the car. The kid that showed up to buy it knew his VWs. He was driving the same model as I was selling, just a standard and mine was automatic.
We talked a good bit about the issues and he wasn't worried about them. I just don't want a buyer to be surprised down the road when something fails.
As mentioned above, having car inspections makes it much worse for the sellers. I have the peace of mind that this kid isn't going to be harassed about an evap leak.

Oh, and the best part about the sale, he opened the hood, and started pulling the engine cover off. Which is easy enough to do with no tools on a Passat, but still requires some know how. He pulls it off, and starts laughing. My heart sank think he just discovered something terribly wrong. He holds up a pair of my extended needle nose pliers that I left on the motor before I snugged it all back together! Score!
 
Going to wait for the new car to arrive, god knows when that'll be.

I've debated posting it here, but with the NES skinflint crew sometimes I wonder if that's more of a hassle than its worth.
I'll be looking for about 18k.
2k, cash today! You bring to me.
 
My last two private sales were interesting.

Car #1 was a nice car in decent shape, several years out of warranty with 130k miles. I had it online for about $13k. I had a guy call, ask reasonable questions, and then ask if I would take $11k if I sold it that day. I said that I would, but I wouldn't move past that price. He said he'd come by in a few hours. Showed up on time and, we took it for a drive. I asked where he was from, and he said he lived in Newport, but was originally from Columbia. We pulled into my driveway, he reached into his pocket, and pulled out $11k in $100 bills rolled into a cylinder. I remember thinking that I was glad they didn't have drug sniffing dogs at the bank.

Second time was a newer car, only 2 years old and still in warranty. Had one guy go back and forth with me for a week or two, finally settling on $25k. No problem. Come by Thursday with a cashier's check on a local bank. Guy calls the night before and asks if I can write the bill of sale for $20k. Sorry, no. OK, he'll still be by in the morning. Brings dad with him (dad speaks no English). Dad's holding a cashier's check for $20k. and $5000 in cash. With the son translating, dad again asks for low ball Bill of Sale. Again, no. How about a BoS for $21k? No. $22k? No. Rinse and repeat all the way up to $25k. OK, settle, run to his bank to pull the cash for check (I'd notified them in advance that I'd be coming), and then over to my bank to deposit it. They drive off in the car. And then call me 2 weeks later asking for any pictures I had from the sale because "the car was rear-ended and totaled" and they're having a fight with the insurance company "over a fair settlement value". :rolleyes:
 
hate buying more than selling. more time wasted. I'm not picky on mechanicals, but bad rust is what I hate. unfortunately here its unavoidable, and most people cant tell how bad it really is.
I'm in the market for a cheapo right now, and I dont throw an offer out there until I look at it. I just looked at one that was near ideal except rust in the worst possible spots. I told the guy I was out unless he was willing to take half bc that's where I was at.
if the body/underside is decent I can get alot of miles out of a shit car.
 
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