The used car market saw a massive boom in the last couple of years, with more and more customers preferring to own a private car. Car sellers are increasingly searching for the best site to sell car, while buyers consistently look for convenient methods to buy cars online.
If you are an independent used car seller, dealership, used car retailer, etc., you will find more than half your customers online: on websites, social media, marketplaces, and so on. Having strong online used car selling tactics is no longer a choice. A bad online car buying experience is a deal breaker.
In fact, today, the online market for used cars captures a whopping 38.67 billion U.S. dollars and will reach as high as 176.24 billion U.S. dollars in 2031 with a CAGR of 17.5 percent (data by Statista). The figures highlight major Automotive eCommerce markets like the U.S., which reported a massive growth of 30% till Feb 2022. Interesting, isn’t it?
You can seize deals on websites with top-notch used car selling strategies, techniques, and some secret sauces. To help you survive the competition and build the best site to sell car, this blog will run you through numerous avenues, step-by-step guides, also essential components to increase your used car sales online and leverage A.I. (your secret sauce).
Let’s dive in.
How To Choose The Best Platform To Sell Your Car Online?
When searching for the best online platform to sell your car, differentiating between the offerings of various platforms can be a daunting task. To facilitate this comparison, we will look at the key considerations to contemplate when determining the best site to sell car online. Here is a list of a few key points to consider:
1) Customer Reviews
Start by evaluating customer reviews. Comparing ratings for a company’s selling services and overall value can significantly aid in your decision-making process.
2) Vehicle Offers
Car-selling websites typically provide a user-friendly online quote tool to assess the valuation of your vehicle. It is equally important to compare multiple offers across different platforms to secure the most favorable pricing.
3) Services Offered
A vital aspect of gauging the selling experience is examining the array of services offered by a platform to enhance convenience. Lastly look for features such as free vehicle pickups, at-home inspections, and drop-off options.
4) Industry Reputation
The reputation of a company within the industry is crucial. Trustworthy services are often indicated by positive ratings from reputable organizations such as the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Consider this factor in your decision-making process for added assurance.
Best Online Car Selling Sites
Navigating the search for the ideal online platform to sell your car can be challenging, given the crucial importance of specific features. To help you in this quest, here is a curated list of the 18 best site to sell a car, ensuring you find the perfect fit for your needs.
| Website | Description |
| Autotrader | is an online car marketplace for car buyers and sellers. It offers a wide range of tools to help you sell your car online. |
| Carvana | It’s an online car-selling platform and without leaving home, if you are selling your car it will schedule vehicle pickup according to your convenience. |
| CarGurus | is an automotive research and shopping platform that helps users compare local listings. It is the best car-selling website because of its advanced features. |
| Craigslist | It’s a great platform for selling your car locally. It charges $5 for 30-day listings. |
| Cars.com | It is an online new and used car selling platform with local listing and advanced search. |
| eBay | It allows you to sell cars in a simplified way also, it charges zero fees for users to create a listing to sell locally. It offers two options for selling your car either by an auction or at fixed price selling. |
| CarMax | CarMax offers an online component for selling your car. It has a quick and easy way to sell your car. |
| Truecars | It offers transparent pricing information to potential buyers. |
| Edmunds | Edmund is a trusted platform in the car-buying industry. |
| Kelley Blue Book | Trusted for car values, KBB allows sellers to list their cars, connecting with buyers who rely on KBB for pricing and reviews. |
| Vroom | A hassle-free online retailer, Vroom simplifies selling with quick quotes and free pickups, promising a transparent experience. |
| Autotempest | An aggregator, Autotempest streamlines the search for cars by compiling listings from various platforms, making comparison easy. |
| CarsDirect | Connecting buyers and sellers, CarsDirect offers a straightforward platform for listing and researching new and used cars. |
| Auto List, Inc. | Simplifying the process, Auto List, Inc. provides a user-friendly platform for listing and selling cars. |
| Copart | Known for salvage auctions, Copart also facilitates the sale of used vehicles, attracting a diverse range of buyers through online auctions. |
| AutoNation | A large automotive retailer, AutoNation extends its services online, offering a streamlined process for selling cars. |
| Webuyanycar.com | With a quick online valuation and physical inspection, Webuyanycar.com claims to purchase cars of any make, model, or age. |
| Hemmings.com | Specializing in classic and collector cars, Hemmings is a go-to marketplace for vintage and unique vehicles. |
Why is Selling Used Cars Online a Good Decision?
The pandemic years changed the buying-selling scenario, and the automotive sector was no exception. With people facing travel restrictions coupled with higher fuel prices, they switched to buying used cars in no time and too online.
Interestingly, there is no way these buyers will change their preferences for buying a car online anytime soon. You lose out on your market share, revenues, sales, customers, and brand identity if you are not online. By 2035, online car sales will see a surge of 33%, as stated by Meta.
Well, it’s not only about creating the best site to sell cars. Car buyers are reaching out to digital sources for every used car-related info. Consider the following facts:
- 95% of car buyers refer to the Internet while searching for cars.
- 65% of car buyers prefer going to service centers they first heard about through videos.
- 70% of car buyers say online videos help them learn more about cars and make effective purchase decisions. (Data provided by Think with Google)
Your dealership websites need to be a one-stop solution for all car-related activities: browsing, buying, comparing, learning about cars, etc. In addition, you can attract buyers through innovative spinning videos, testimonies, add-on services, and more.
Here are a few more reasons why you should build the best place to sell your car quickly:
To increase conversions
In 2023, only a few car buyers are using the legacy method of locally searching for car dealerships or retailers. Social media and websites are the most used channels to discover and buy cars. By going digital-first, you can infinitely increase your reach, customer engagement, and conversions. Moreover, research by Meta says 57% of all new car buyers and 66% of 18-34-year-olds view online purchases as a realistic option.
Keeping abreast of customer expectation
The way to car buyers’ hearts is to level up your digital game. The first step towards this is building the best site to sell car. The biggest frustrations for any car buyer are time and convenience. Allowing them to transition to an online experience will help them conduct research and explore at their own pace and time.
Additionally, online car buying focuses more on delivering experiences over prices and products. This means you have to constantly upgrade your buyer personas and target smartly with trending products and features.
Bigger transaction values
Bring your cars and dealerships online if you wish to impact your bottom line. You need to enhance car-buying experiences and provide new options for buyers to connect, discover, and then purchase with zero friction in phases. All car buyers, including ones looking at higher price points, are interested in buying online. The only way to convert these customers is to notch up your online presence.
How to Sell Used Cars Online: A Step-by-Step Guide
Customers no longer have time to scroll through classifieds to buy used cars. If you wish to convert them, you need to pursue a platform (if you are an independent seller) or create an effective one (if a dealer/retailer) to increase your visibility and stay on top of car buyers’ minds. Here’s a step-by-step guide you must follow to help you understand the online used-car selling process and earn more.
Choosing/Building the best site to sell car
Website experience will define your dealership image and decide customer loyalty in the long term. Sadly, websites are either too complicated to navigate or miss out on critical information while striving for minimalistic design.
When selecting the websites to sell cars, it’s best to research thoroughly before making a decision. You should also talk to people who’ve previously used these sites, to know what the ROI (Return On Investment) looks like.
That said, you should list your cars on multiple websites, if possible, to increase your chances of sale. Be sure to read all the terms and conditions before you list your vehicles.
The key to building the best sites to sell cars is striking a balance between design and the information given. Keep these points in mind when designing a used-car selling site:
- Give a search bar at the top of the screen that is easy to locate.
- Car buyers should not lose track of their journey when they press the back button.
- All critical data should be mentioned on the VDPs.
- Ensure that the payment page does not reroute car buyers to different locations.
- Connect your website to social media pages and content, what’s more it allows customers to transit smoothly.
- CTAs should be clear, concise, and compelling.
Blazing-fast websites
Do you know that a delay of one second in loading times can lead to a 16% fall in customer satisfaction and a 7% decline in conversions? This is because humans have an attention span lesser than that of a goldfish. With text-heavy visuals and larger-sized but high-resolution catalogs, not-so-responsive websites frustrate customers and make them abandon the website for good.
Additionally, car sellers’ most common mistake is building the same website for desktops and mobile and trying to force fit. To land more car buyers, your website should be responsive, device-agnostic, and easy to load.
Find your used car’s value
Pricing is still a differentiating factor when it comes to selling. At the end of the day, car buyers will tend to buy from a seller giving them a 20% discount and services like free repairs than those charging full retail.
Do thorough research on the current pricing of your models at various levels: dealerships, trade-ins, or private market and individual selling. Some car buyers also like features like instant cash offers on websites wherein they can put their quote and see if it’s over or underpriced.
Fix your super old cars
Selling a pre-owned or used car means they have already gone through a lot of wear and tear, may have parts that need tightening, will give a mileage lower than expected, or have the engine working slower. Remember that car buyers searching for used cars don’t want a piece of junk. They need a decent car that can solve their self-esteem needs and commuting purposes without trouble.
So fix every broken part of your used car, paint it, repair the torn leather seats, replace tiers, check the brakes, place a new windscreen, and then show it for sale to get a deserved and elevated value.
Include high-impact pictures
Images talk on your behalf when it comes to selling cars online. Car buyers would like to see your vehicle from every angle possible. Therefore it’s critical to ensure that your car images include the following:
- They shouldn’t reflect any unnecessary shimmers
- The color and features should be highlighted subtly. The background should complement the vehicle’s paint.
- Images shouldn’t be clicked from boring angles.
- Ensure they don’t contain any element of distraction, like crowds, animals, garbage in the background lastly too many trees, etc.
- Ensure images aren’t captured with other cars parked on the side.
The best practice is to capture from all angles possible. Shoot the front, the front 3/4 (an oblique angle), the driver’s side, the back 3/4, and the passenger’s side. Show the undercarriage, the dash, the trunk, the front and rear seats, Finally, highlight the engine within its compartment, adjusting lighting as necessary, perhaps with the use of a flash for optimal visibility.
Also, be prepared to provide proof if your ad claims that your product is “rust-free.” Some buyers will only consider viewing your vehicle in person after viewing an extensive gallery of images. Interiors are equally important, you can focus on seats, steering wheel, blind-spot monitoring, heated seats, sunroof/moonroof, third-row seating, etc.
Show VIN reports in your vehicle listings
The vehicle identifying number, or VIN can be used to obtain a vehicle history record that will benefit buyers who want to know the used car’s specifics upfront. In addition, it assures buyers of the car’s past. Even in excellent condition, a wreck or flooding title will lower the car’s value.
Offer multiple payment options
Offering various payment options, such as cash and cashier’s checks, can facilitate the completion of a cash sale and prevent the buyer from having second thoughts. The sooner you receive payments, the faster you can finalize transactions. Some buyers (and, for that matter, some purchasers) favor cash deals. Being open to other choices, such as cashier’s checks, instant cash offers, etc., may be beneficial.
Why are High-Quality Images Necessary for Online Car Sales?
The answer is pretty simple. Would you like to buy a car when you can’t judge its color by the image? Or what type of headlights it has? A vehicle that shows only the bonnet or the trunk? Or does the background have a heap of stones or sand lying around?
It’s a big NO.
Images are the first impression for your online car buyers therefore you can only build the best site to sell car by including good car visuals. It can make or break your sales. In fact, 93% of car buyers consider images influential enough to impact their buying decisions, and 64% say 360-degree walkaround videos can influence them to buy a car without going for a test drive.
Research by Cox Automotive says 90% of car buyers need images mandatorily when comparing new and old cars. In almost all cases, good-quality car images are the best bets to lure car buyers into buying and showing interest.
Build a brand image
Good quality car images reflect professionalism and lead to the best site to sell car sales website. Additionally, professional photos raise the legitimacy of both your business and website. According to a study by the Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab, a website’s design and the photographs on it were cited as the most crucial factor in determining a website’s credibility, by 46.1% of respondents.
Gain traction on social media
Visual content is the future of social networking. In contrast to other forms of content, visual content receives 94% more overall views and is nearly 40 times more likely to be shared moreover the use of social media by dealerships is growing. Therefore to stand out, it is crucial to produce high-quality material. For instance, you might use pictures of the cars you’re selling.
Avoid unnecessary distraction
When offering a premium car model in excellent condition, it is vital to highlight the unique color, superior exterior features, and high-quality tires. A clean and professional background is crucial in drawing attention to these details, as a cluttered background can distract from the car’s specifications. Therefore, car dealerships should maintain a professional image background.
High-impact car visuals = More trust = More conversions
More than one image is required to Sell a Car Online or establish a strong brand image. To engage potential buyers, providing visual content that allows them to focus on the car’s most appealing and significant aspects is essential. Research by Shopify shows only 0.52% of customers are satisfied with viewing a single product photo. Moreover, 33.16% prefer to see multiple photos, and approximately 60% prefer 360-degree images for a more comprehensive product view.
How can Spyne Help you Sell Used Cars Online?
The key to a successful and best site to sell car is to have more high-quality and converting vehicle images and visuals. What if those hero elements are distorted, shabby, blurred, or too ordinary to attract anyone? Moreover, The customers will not even look at them, let alone buy them. Isn’t it? and then, clicking good-quality images is no cakewalk. You would need the following:
- A tripod stands to place your camera.
- A reflector kit to manipulate the sunlight
- A 35mm to 50mm focal length lens for the perfect automotive photography
- Flashes for the ideal lighting while shooting car interiors
- Light limiters, including neutral density filters, avoid unnecessary shimmers on the car body.
- If you are shooting indoors, then a proper turntable with light background curtains and turntable software controls the stage’s movement.
In short, it means you must spend hours preparing first to set the stage for the shoot and find a perfect background, then some more hours capturing Car videos and images. Then again, a few more hours processing those images in bulk and uploading them on your websites. Adding the cost of professionals for each of these steps, including travel costs, acquiring the gear mentioned above, hiring professional photographers and editors, renting a car booth or studio for indoor shoots, etc., you have enormous spending on the horizon.
Sounds like too much hassle, doesn’t it?
This is where state-of-the-art in-built AI capabilities can be a game changer for you. In addition, these tasks of finding background, hiring editors, processing images, applying effects, etc., you can pass on to just one app on your smartphone and call it a day.
Why Choose Spyne?
Its inbuilt AI capabilities will help you capture car images from the right angles and ensure appropriate lighting. Next, You don’t have to be a professional to shoot cars. The app will provide an on-screen guide and an overlay sketch on your screen. You just have to capture the car from the distance and angle, so the car fits the sketch, and bingo! You are done.
For 360-degree car rotating videos, it lets you apply both car turntable and studio effects to your visuals. You will only have to capture multiple images from various angles and upload them to the virtual studio.
You can then choose either to keep the car spinning (the turntable effect) or keep the car static and rotate the camera in a way that feels like the viewer is walking around the car (the studio effect). Just a few taps and you are ready to go.
Last but not least, speaking of backgrounds, It makes changing and applying backgrounds as easy as a breeze. You will find more than 100 customized backgrounds to choose from and give a professional look to your catalog.
For instance, you can choose a corporate or a glass background for a sedan to enhance the car’s look. For a hatchback or jeep, you can select a background with dunes, mountains, or barren land to make it look sturdy and so on. The cherry on top, you can also easily upload any background of your choice on the dashboard and apply it to your images.
Features of Our AI-powered Platform
- Add or remove shadows
- Apply window tinting
- Remove logos
- Hide number plates, etc.
You will be able to turn ordinary and amateur car images into studio-grade and website-ready visuals with AI in seconds, providing immersive experiences to car buyers through 360-degree walkaround videos, by consistently winning over car buyers’ first impressions, your dealership gains a crucial edge over a rival’s website. Moreover, It helps you make your vehicle catalog interesting and competitive by making listings aesthetic and clean to outperform with unique shots and videos.
The icing on the cake, you will enjoy:
- 70% cost reduction since you no longer need to hire professionals and build a studio.
- Increased customer engagement by ensuring 100% consistent images.
- 40% CTR growth and increased conversions.
- 80% faster GTM by processing more than a thousand images at one go and uploading them in just one click.
Does this intrigue you? Or wish to learn more about how to build the best site to sell car? Reach out to our consultants today.
