Selling a car privately can be a serious challenge for car sellers, especially if they do not have any prior experience. Private selling of a vehicle is vulnerable to car scams, especially if car sellers choose to sell their car through classified websites. The level of difficulty is understandably higher for inexperienced car sellers who can become an easy target for people with fraudulent intentions. Therefore, it is important for car sellers to understand how fraudsters can approach them and how to develop a careful mindset to avoid car scams at the hands of such scammers.
When it comes to car selling, there are some important practices that should be followed to avoid frauds and scams. Sellers should evaluate all the available options and choose a reliable platform to sell their used cars in a safe manner. In this guide, we’ll go over the most important steps for selling your car safely in the UAE.
Avoid Fraudulent Deals
Selling a used car privately through dealers is one of the most popular ways in which a used car can be sold in the UAE. However, car sellers should be careful as several unlicensed dealers can trick them by faking their identity. These dealers are not authorized to sell or purchase a vehicle in the UAE, and they must be avoided by car sellers at all costs. Therefore, it is very important for car sellers to look for a reputable car dealer for selling a used car. The trade license of a dealer should also be checked if there is any doubt about the identity of the dealer.
On the other hand, classified websites also cannot be considered safe for selling used cars since there is no mechanism in place that oversees the authenticity of all the users of these websites. Also, the lack of monitoring of the entire car selling process makes the classified websites unsafe and unreliable for the car sellers.
Also read: Selling a Used Car: Private Buyer or Professional Car Buying Company?
Choose a Safe Payment Process
Car selling through classified websites can be highly risky due to the absence of any payment gateway for the transactions. In the past, few incidents were recorded in the UAE where a dud cheque was given to the car seller as the payment against a vehicle. Therefore, car sellers must be careful and avoid accepting a cheque whenever they decide to sell their car through classified websites.
A seller should be clear from the outset about their payment terms. They shouldn’t move ahead with the transaction if the buyer doesn’t agree to their payment terms. To avoid such a risk, car sellers must never let a buyer take possession of the car or sign over the title before they have verified that the funds have been transferred.
Meet Potential Buyers in a Public Place
Sellers must always ensure their safety by agreeing to meet in a public place, whether this is the first meeting for the buyer to inspect and test drive the car or the final meeting to close the deal. Furthermore, car sellers should avoid sharing personal information with the car buyer or offer them to pick or drop them at another location. To assure safety, it is advisable to meet at a crowded public place for the initial meeting.
Car seller should protect themselves by limiting the information that they provide until they have finalized the deal and are signing the sales agreement.
If car seller chooses to sell the car privately, it’s likely that they will be approached by non-serious buyers or potential fraudsters. Therefore, car sellers should screen people thoroughly on the phone before offering to meet up.
Also read: Factors to Consider when Selling a Car Privately in the UAE
Be Careful When Selling Your Car to Dealers
One of the most common ways to sell a car in the UAE is through a car dealership, however, there is a significant loss when you are selling a vehicle through a dealership. Car dealers are highly experienced professionals who can convince car sellers to sell their vehicles at a low price. The risk of a financial loss increases if the seller does not have the prior experience of selling used cars. Since the inexperienced sellers do not have the required negotiation skills, the car dealers can easily trick them into selling their vehicles at a low resale price.
In addition to this, car dealerships often give the option of trade-in to the car sellers who are looking to buy a new vehicle after selling their old vehicle. A trade-in refers to selling a used car and buying a new one from the same dealer by settling the difference between two payments. Dealers usually offer a discount on the price of a new car when a car owner accepts the trade-in deal, however, it can potentially result in selling a used vehicle at a price that is below its market value. A trade-in deal can never be in the favour of a car owner whereas dealers can get the most out of this deal. Car owners should ideally sell their used vehicle and buy a new one separately so that they can negotiate for a fair deal on both accounts.
How to Sell Your Car in a Safe and Reliable Manner
Instead of choosing dealers and online classified websites, there is another safer option for selling used cars in the UAE. The most reliable way to sell a used car in the UAE is to sell it to a specialist car buying company like SellAnyCar.com, which is the largest car buying company in the UAE. The company gives the car sellers an opportunity to sell their vehicles at a fair price without any hassle.
All they need to do is enter the vehicle’s data into the online valuation tool to get a preliminary price estimate for the vehicle. Following this, car seller will have to book an appointment for the physical inspection of the vehicle at any of the company’s branches in the UAE. Once the car has been thoroughly inspected, the company provides a guaranteed purchase to the car seller. If the seller chooses to sell their car at the offered price, a transaction can take place immediately in a safe and convenient way.
If you are looking to sell your used car to buy a new one with advanced safety features and improved performance, then don’t forget that with us, you can sell any used car in just 30 minutes while all the post-sale paperwork is handled by SellAnyCar.com’s team.