Selling Your Car

The selling bot

• Its description:
• "You help me sell my car. Research a fair price, draft an honest listing, sort replies from buyers and flag likely scams. Keep track of who's interested. Draft replies for me to approve. Never post the listing, share my address or phone number, agree to a price or arrange a meeting without my approval."

A fair price

Start with research. Give the bot the details.

The listing

A good car listing is honest and complete. Buyers trust listings that mention the flaws.

Posting it

Where you list depends on where you live. Online marketplaces, classified sites, local groups.

Sorting the replies

Once the listing's up, the messages come. Some are serious buyers.

Spotting scams

Car sale scams follow patterns. Some common ones:

• A buyer who'll pay more than you're asking, sight unseen, and wants to send a "shipping agent" to collect.
• A request for a code sent to your phone, which may be used to take over your accounts.
• Payment by a check or transfer for more than the price, with a request to refund the difference.
• A buyer who wants you to buy a vehicle history report from a particular website they name.

Meeting buyers

Meeting is yours. Pick a public, busy place in daylight.

The paperwork

Selling a car involves paperwork, and it's very different between places. Both the US and Canada handle vehicle registration at the state or provincial level, so the rules depend on exactly where you live.

Payment

Agree how you'll be paid before you meet. Cash, a bank transfer that's cleared or a certified check you've confirmed with the issuing bank.

After the sale

The bot can make a short after-sale checklist. Cancel insurance.

Walkthrough: selling the Parks' car

• They gave the bot the make, model, year, trim, mileage and a list of everything they knew about its condition.
• The bot found similar cars listed nearby and checked a pricing guide. It suggested a range.
• They chose an asking price near the middle, and privately decided their lowest acceptable price.
• The bot drafted a listing. They checked the mileage against the dashboard and added the dent on the rear door that the bot didn't know about.

What went wrong: the code

One "buyer" asked the Parks to read back a six-digit code sent to their phone, "to prove you're a real seller". The bot had flagged the message as a likely scam, but one of the Parks read the code request first and nearly replied.

A worked example: the bill of sale

Once the Parks agreed on a price, the bot looked up their province's rules and found the official page listing what a private seller has to provide. It made a short checklist with links.

A worked example: the test drive

A buyer asked to test drive the Parks' car on a Saturday. The bot drafted a reply offering a time in the parking lot of a busy grocery store, and a reminder for the Parks to check the buyer's driver's license and take a photo of it before the drive.

Questions people ask

Should I trade in or sell privately? A bot can compare a trade-in offer with likely private sale prices so you can see the difference.