by Marijoyce Porcelli

Created on: December 29, 2008

Do you have a used car that is wasting space? Think about selling it to gain some extra cash. Craig's List is a good place to sell a used car locally at www.craigslist.com

It's easy to create a listing here. More importantly, it's totally free to advertise here, so won't cost you a cent for the ad. Pick your state and city from the list given and go from there.

Of course, there are also usually a lot of small shopper's newspapers where you can run ads for free, but those are hit or miss. And you can get a lot of exposure from your local newspaper, but classifieds in most cases there can be a little pricey, sometimes as high as $50 or more.

You can list locally on Craig's List and get just about the same exposure, possibly even more, as with the local newspaper. Plus, you can put up to four photos, all for free as well, on Craig's List.

I've tried it a couple of times and, while other things like books and what have you don't seem to sell that well on there, at least in my area (it may be different elsewhere), I've found that furniture, if it's a good piece at a good price, and cars with the same criteria will sell fairly quickly, as long as you write a strong ad and offer a fair price.

Remember, with any writing, including an ad, you need to catch your targeted audience's attention immediately and then keep them reading.

State in the ad first all the things that are good about the car. (One note, if you have a nice enough looking auto that runs that you can afford to advertise for a little less than $1,000 you can often obtain a quick sale, even if the mileage is high. That's because a lot of cars listed on Craig's List that are under $1,000 don't always run. In addition, there are a lot of buyers in this recession who are strapped for cash who may just be looking for a run around working vehicle they might have to do a few repairs on so they sometimes don't even look at cars that cost more than $1,000.)

Above all, be honest with your ad.

Tell the good first but then be specific about any defects. Let the potential buyer know about any work you have done or have had on done on the vehicle. Then always end on a positive note. For example, "Still could use some work but runs fine now and would make a good car for work or student getting to local school and back." Or "Clear title, passed inspection recently, doesn't need to be inspected until next year."

Also, tell people why you are selling. If you make an automobile sound like a great buy, and that's your objective here,

• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next Page >>