Help selling my car

[NYCMustachian]

So I want to go full MMM and sell my tank... I mean my SUV. It's 100% paid off but the insurance is high and my DH and I don't need it because we can use his Prius.

I'm hoping to sell it privately so that I can get the most money I can for it. I currently have it listed on craigslist but not one has contacted me about selling it. Does anyone know any good websites for selling cars? Or does anyone have any tips in general for selling a car? I've never sold a car before so I don't want to get scammed or ripped off.

Thanks!!

[bobechs]

The general rule of thumb about selling cars -and this applies both before and after the internet revolution- is that if you offer a car for sale at a given price through the marketplace of your choice and after a reasonable time you get absolutely no interest from buyers then you are pricing it too high.

[RethinkTheRatRace]

Exactly what this guy said ^^^

Also, a little info on your asking price, year, make, and model of the suv would be helpful along with mileage. All of these things are big factors in price. Obviously you won't be able to sell a 2006 Saturn Vue for the same price as a 2016 GMC Yukon, so it's hard to give advice when we know very little other than its listed on Craigslist.

[mountains_o_mustaches]

A few other pieces of advice:

Less is more in your craigslist ad - list the essential information needed for making a decision about the car - year, make, model, transmission, title (clean vs. salvage), mileage.  You could consider adding info about any recent upgrades repairs (e.g., new tires, replaced X last year), but that's not necessary.  Ads that have a whole story about the car and a million details tend to be distracting or make me worry something is hidden in all that text!

Clean the car and take nice photos of it.  A sure-fire way to not sell a good car is to post the listing without pictures or post blurry pictures of your car covered in the kids' cheerios and toys.

Respond promptly to offers.  When I'm buying on craigslist I may be sending out texts / emails to 3 or 4 different sellers.  I've had sellers respond days later and by then I've often already bought something from another seller.

[luminajd]

Do you have a local facebook for sale group? I put our camper on there about a month ago and it was sold and picked up in less than 24 hours.
As others said, pricing right is key, as are pictures.
Are you comfortable posting a link to your posting so we can critique?

[Monkey Uncle]

You could try putting an ad on autotrader.com.  It'll cost 25 bucks for a basic ad that runs for four weeks.  I had good luck selling my son's car via an autotrader ad last year.

But I agree with the previous poster who noted that if you've had it up for a while and haven't gotten any calls, you probably have it priced too high.  Check out Edmunds, Kelly Blue Book, NADA, and CL ads for similar vehicles to give you an idea of what cars like yours are selling for.  Be sure to account for mileage, year, and condition, as these can have a big influence over what buyers are willing to pay.

[Khaetra]

Everything everyone above said.  You probably have it listed too high and not enough pictures/description.  What I did when I sold mine a few years ago was browse dealer listings and listed mine the way they list their cars.  Pics of the front, back and sides, doors closed then open and the interior, including the instrument panel with the key on showing the mileage.  Then do your write up and if you have things like USB ports, bluetooth or a backup camera, list those in the description too.  Check sites like those listed above for what your car will go for in your area and price it accordingly.  You'll get it sold.

[Metric Mouse]

Whatever you do, do NOT just copy and paste the manufacturer's spec sheet into the description.  This just shows that you have no idea about the vehicle, and assume your audience doesn't either.

[HipGnosis]

It's also possible that your price is to low, as that can scare away some potential buyers (that don't want to buy a vehicle with problems).

OfferUp is the (a) 'new' version of craigslist.
It's an app and uses the phones location for both selling and buying.
I sold a mtn bike in 2.5 days on it.