Is it safe to sell your car online?

Back in the good ol' days, if you wanted to sell your old car, you'd put a for sale sign on your windshield. But as people turn to a new wave of online marketplaces, it's easier to make a sale nowadays than to make a handcrafted sign.

For a lot of people (and we’re biased!) selling a car online makes total sense. There’s no need to meet up with a stranger (or let them take a test drive). Even going to meet reputable car dealers, which are more reliable, can be a drain on your precious time and result in lots of unwanted negotiating.

But there are still lots of people who are unsure about selling a car online. And they’ve got a point—Craigslist and Facebook marketplace are home to lots of scammers and timewasters. So how safe is it really? Let’s take a look at your options.

craigslist and facebook marketplace

These are free to use and have a large audience, but it can be hard to vet serious buyers from people trying to scam you. Lots of scams operate on these sites, where people ask for personal details in advance, or use dodgy Escrow services. If something goes wrong, your transaction is not protected.

eBay Motors

eBay is a less risky option than Facebook marketplace, as it offers more protection for its buyers and sellers, but ultimately you still have to negotiate (and trust) the individual. You could also find yourself susceptible to scams from fake buyers.

autotrader

Autotrader has a good reputation and a large audience. While it is a safer place to sell your car online, the downside is it is an expensive service and you could spend a lot of money just to list your car.

did we mention Peddle…?

Oh yeah…that’s us! Peddle was started to make selling your car online as quick, easy—and safe—as possible. We wanted to find a way to cut out the risk of dodgy customers and make the experience as smooth as possible. Here’s how it rolls…

Step 1: Answer a dozen or so questions about your car.

Step 2: Get your offer (in seconds!)

Step 3: Accept offer within 7 days.

Step 4: Create an account + schedule your free pickup.

Step 5: Receive your $$$ when we take your car.

Step 6: Celebrate with an (offline) party!

We get it, online car selling is like the wild west. But Peddle is tried, tested and legit. Don’t  take it from us—take it from our customers. At the last count we notched up over 100,000 stories of success behind our 2 million+ transactions.