It’s time for lunch. You sit down with a sandwich, fire up your browser, and settle in to find your next cheap project car. You’re in a great mood, only to have your car compulsive commute ruined by ad after ad for the same stupid price: $1,234.
It’s a common tactic of sellers who think they know what they have, but they really don’t. The idea behind it is simple. They want a big payday for their rusty junk and don’t want to bother setting the asking price too low. The only problem is that this strategy doesn’t work.
For starters, when people search for cars online, price is the first thing they look for. It’s because they only have so much money in their pockets! It doesn’t matter if you favor Craigslist, Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace, they all have the same tools for filtering by price. This means that your ad with a price of $1,234 ends up in front of only people looking for the cheapest cars on the market. People looking for cars under $2000 aren’t going to give you a great deal. Meanwhile, people with the cash to pay more aren’t looking at ads under $2,000.
People who list their car for $1,234 really want another, much higher figure for their vehicle. The problem is, no one who sees your ad has any idea what secret magic number you’re dreaming up. Make no mistake, the people advertising these cars know what price they really want. But for some misguided reason, they think obfuscating that number will somehow get them much bigger deals.
In reality, if you don’t advertise the price you want, people are left guessing. At best, you get a bunch of offers way below what you’re looking for, which will make you frustrated and angry. Chances are, people will simply ignore your ad entirely. Because? They have no idea if they can pay off your car or not.
Posting an ad for $1234 just makes you look like you don’t know what you’re doing. No one wants to buy a car from someone who flips it. People want to deal directly. They don’t want to play guessing games with text messages.
Also, the price of a used vehicle depends on the state. Therefore, haggling over a price is usually done once the buyer has seen the car in person. Who’s going to drag themselves halfway across town to check out a car if they don’t have a stadium price first? No one!
If you really want a great deal for your precious car, just put that price on the damn list. If anyone is willing to pay for it, they will get in touch. If not, you can lower the price later or remove the ad.
“Now wait!” you exclaim “I’m tearing a vehicle apart! I can’t put a whole price because I’m selling it piece by piece!” That’s OK in my book! Go ahead and post your ad in the appropriate “demolition/for parts” category. Otherwise, list it for $1. This gives you your appropriate wildcard price while allowing busy hooptie hunters to easily filter your ad from the bottom of the results.
If you’re listing your car for $1,234, it comes down to two things. Either you’re not serious about selling, or you’re wasting everyone’s time. Including yours. Put a real price or don’t bother. In the meantime, if you use Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, or whatever? Just start deleting those ads en masse. Thank you kindly.
Do you have a tip? Let the author know: lewin@thedrive.com
