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If you are interested in making good money flipping cars, one of the biggest issues you face is where to place the vehicle for sale.
There are many options out there to get the car in front of potential buyers.
But there is one place that stands out as the best place to flip a car, and it is Craigslist.
In this post, I’ll detail why Craigslist is the best way to flip cars and talk about some of the drawbacks of using this site.
After all, nothing is perfect, so you need to know these things so there aren’t any surprises.
Table of Contents
The Absolute Best Way To Flip Cars
List Your Car On Craigslist
Making the decision to flip cars for a profit is one that requires a ton of research, clever investing, and, most importantly, knowledge of where to sell your cars once you have made the proper repairs.
The latter part of the process can often be the most difficult.
The good news?
There are plenty of places to turn to in order to sell your used car.
However, I highly recommend using Craigslist as this is the general consensus among many if you want a platform that offers the best way to flip cars.Â
Arguably the biggest issue for those who wish to sell their cars online is finding a platform that won’t take a great deal of your profit in the process of selling.
While Craigslist does charge a minor fee of $5 for listing cars and other vehicles for sale, their pricing is much more agreeable to those who find themselves paying far more on other platforms.
Of course, there are other benefits to using Craigslist over some of the other listing platforms that you may come across.
Let’s take a deep dive into why Craigslist is the best place to flip a car.
Strong Exposure And Traffic
Pretty much everyone knows about Craigslist and even those who may not know how to use technology but still wish to buy a car can easily navigate their user-friendly interface and directory.
Because Craigslist is so well-known, it makes it the perfect platform to use if you want to see people willing to buy your car relatively quickly.
The only thing to remember is that you do need to renew your ad at least every couple of days.
There are so many people selling goods at a time that it can be easy for your ad to get buried over the course of a few days.
You will have to use the renew option instead of reposting the same advertisement as this is prohibited.
Get In Contact With The Right People
If you’re selling vehicles that are not classic cars or high-end, you’re going to find plenty of buyers on Craigslist who are generally in need of a car now.
This means that you can be very direct with your advertising and avoid all of the salesy language that some other flippers may have to rely on in order to sell their vehicles.
Better yet, you can get directly into contact with interested parties by posting your telephone number.
Those who are willing to call you and establish a meeting time so they can see the car in person are more likely to follow through and not waste your time.
Better yet, knowing that they’re talking to a real person and will actually see the car in person will help establish confidence with those who see your car listings.
Put simply, Craigslist is a no-nonsense platform that will help you sell your cars quickly.
It’s An Easy Platform For Any Car Flipper To Use
Generally, we think of the customer experience when it comes to flipping.
However, having a platform that prioritizes ease-of-use for the seller is important as well.
Craigslist is very simple for flippers who may not be as technologically savvy and don’t want to have to deal with all the bells and whistles like other platforms may require you to do.
Simply create an account, start working on your posting by providing pictures as well as any information, set your advertisement to live, and wait for the offers to come flooding in.Â
While it doesn’t impact the flipping experience completely, it is important to note that Craigslist has focused on clearing out some of the more inappropriate material recently.
This has made it much more credible as a website for people to go to for sales postings.
If you want a seamless selling experience without any hassle, the best way to flip cars is to rely on Craigslist for your car flipping needs.
Drawbacks To Selling A Car On Craigslist
Hands down the biggest issue when flipping a car on Craigslist is the potential for getting scammed.
There are a good number of people looking to trick you out of your money on the site, so there are a few scams you need to be aware of so you don’t fall for them.
Verify Your Identity
If you put your phone number and check the box you are open to getting texts about your car, be ready for people asking you to verify yourself as a real person.
They will send you a text message saying they are real and want to ensure you are human as well.
Then they will say they are sending you a six digit code and ask you to text them back the code.
What happens is they are using your phone number in Google Voice to set up a new number that is tied to your phone number.
When you text back the code, they use it to complete the set-up process.
Now they can scam others using your phone number.
Paying More To Cover Shipping
This is a classic scam that has been around for years.
The person will text or email you saying they love the car and want to buy it unseen.
Then they offer you more money than the selling price and to ship it to them.
For example, if you are asking $5,000 for the car, they might pay you $8,000.
You use this money to pay the shipping fee, say $2,500 and then keep $5,500 for the car.
The extra $500 is a thank you for the hassle of shipping the car.
What happens is the money they are sending you isn’t real.
It’s either a fake money order or wire transfer.
Eventually, the money will disappear from your account and you will be out the money and the car will be gone.
The bottom line is, when you use Craigslist to sell your car, take your time and think things through.
If something feels odd, it could be a scam.
Other Platforms To List Your Car
While the best way to flip cars is to list them on Craigslist, you may wish to diversify your options and see which platform works for you or try multiple platforms to sell faster and see what types of offers you get.
In this case, there are other platforms out there to try.
Here are some great alternatives to consider.
Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace has become a popular listing platform to help people sell goods locally, which has since extended to bigger purchases like vehicles.
Unlike Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace is completely free to list on.
That being said, Facebook Marketplace does come with the added risk of having your identity on full display.
Additionally, Facebook Marketplace may be geared a bit more towards those who are tech-savvy.
However, if you want to sell locally and don’t want to deal with any added account creation or fees, you should consider Facebook Marketplace.
eBay Motors
Given that you can sell pretty much anything across the United States on eBay, it only stands to reason that they’d expand to vehicles in order to appeal to a broader audience.
eBay Motors makes it possible for you to sell your car on the platform but it will require a fee once the car sells, rather than paying one to get the listing posted.
And this fee is one of the highest of all the places where you can sell your car, so it will considerably lower your profits.
Another potential issue is that people from all over the country could be finding your listing, so you have to be open to selling to someone out of state or even across the country.
If you don’t mind paying for the listing in order to sell your car quickly, eBay Motors is another avenue to look into.
OfferUp
Have you ever heard of LetGo?
LetGo, which is now part of OfferUp, is one collective platform of local listings, and these also include vehicles.
While OfferUp may not be one of the most well-known platforms for car sales, it’s worth a shot listing your car and seeing if you get any correspondence through the platform.
These types of platforms also offer identity verification so that users know they’re talking to a real person so that they aren’t being scammed by false listings.Â
The biggest downside to OfferUp is the limited number of users that you get exposed to.
Autotrader
If you’re looking for the best way to flip cars that is a platform geared towards car sales, Autotrader is another option.
Given that Autotrader is designed specifically for car sales, their expertise and resources will be extremely helpful in getting your car sold quickly and effectively.
However, they do charge a $49 listing fee, so it’s important to keep that in mind if you plan on using Autotrader to list the cars you want to flip.
And depending on how many pictures you want to upload and what additional selling features you want to include in your ad, the price increases.
CarGurus
Another option is CarGurus.
CarGurus actually offers you all the listing and communication support that you need to sell your car with the added benefit that they handle the payment process.
This means you don’t have to worry about running into any issues with payment once you do find a buyer.
There will be a minor listing fee for each of your cars, but otherwise, this is an excellent platform to use and may not be enamored with Craigslist as your first option.
Frequently Asked Questions
I get asked about of questions about how to make extra money flipping cars.
Here are the most common ones.
Is it legal to flip cars?
This varies from state to state, so you have to check your state laws and regulations.
Most states allow you to sell a set number of cars as a private seller, anywhere from 1 to 10 cars per year, before you need a dealer’s license.
And before you think you can sneak by without notice, think again.
Most states are very strict on these laws and will catch you.
What is involved with getting a dealer’s license?
For most people, applying for a dealer license is not worth it.
You need to not only prove you are a business, have insurance, a store front and lot, but you also need money.
The amount varies by state but is $10,000 and up.
Is this a good side hustle to pursue?
If you love working on cars and making deals, this could be a great way to earn extra cash.
This is especially true for a high school or college student.
The reason is because you can’t get over your head since you can only sell a set number of cars per year.
How to make the most money flipping cars?
You have to find a good deal.
Buy a car with only minor mechanical issues, like needing a new battery, at a low price and sell it for a higher price.
Steer clear of cars with major problems that can cost a lot of money to fix.
The larger the gap between your purchase price and sale price, the higher your profit margin.
What are the best cars to flip?
When it to the most profitable car flips, you want to find cars that are reliable over the long term.
Think Honda, Toyota, Lexus, etc.
These cars are always in demand and will be easiest to sell.
You want to stay away from luxury cars like Audi, BMW, and Mercedes Benz as the cost to repair these is high.
Plus, if you buy one that has a lot of potential problems, you will be hard pressed to earn any profit.
Where to find car flips?
There are a few places you can go to for finding cars.
The first is in classified ads.
Another option is to simple drive around and pay attention.
A lot of people will simply place a for sale sign in their car and park it in front of their house or on the street.
Public auctions and auto auctions are other places where you could find cars to flip as well.
When it the best time to sell a car?
While people will be looking to buy year round, the easiest time to sell is around April.
This is because most people will get their tax refund around this time and will have the extra cash to pay for a vehicle.
How should I price the car?
You want to check out Kelley Blue Book and get the fair market value of the car.
You can choose to make your asking price this amount, higher or lower.
Know there are pros and cons to each, so be sure to pick the price that best meets your ultimate goal.
Wrapping Up
At the end of the day, the best way to flip cars is using Craigslist.
The fee you pay is minimal and you get your listing in front of a lot potential buyers.
The only downside is to watch out for scams, but if you take your time, you should be able to avoid these.