Top 5 Reasons Automotive Consignment is Safer Than Private Selling

When you put aside the hassles and inconveniences and start to think of all the possible hazards and risks associated with selling a vehicle yourself, the list of fears grows quickly. Here are the Top 5 reasons hiring a consignment dealership (Consignment Pro) to sell your car for you is always safer than trying to sell it yourself:

Reason 1: Protects Your Privacy

No strangers coming to your home or work. No scary meetings in a "public place" to see and test drive your vehicle. No ride-along with strangers, not to mention possibly bad drivers. There have literally been news stories recently about people being harmed, robbed and even killed trying to sell a vehicle themselves. Your name, address or other personal information is never disclosed to potential buyers. The consignment dealer makes sure you remain completely anonymous during the selling process.

Reason 2: Avoids Money Scams

We've all heard the horror stories of shadowy characters online and in person. With technology, they are becoming more common, sophisticated and convincing with their scams. Even the most careful and diligent sellers can be tricked and harmed. The biggest scams involve handling of the sale money. Believe it or not, "certified funds" and even cash are no longer a completely safe method of payment. Counterfeit money, fake or cancelled cashier checks, phony wire or ACH transfer confirmations are all realities in today's digital world.

Reason 3: Avoids Curbstoners

The term "Curbstoners" is little known to most private sellers, but they have become wide-spread and very dangerous. Essentially, these are people who contact you about purchasing your advertised private sale vehicle. Some will present themselves as a private buyer and others will say they are a licensed dealer, but they are neither! These scammers are out to flip used vehicles for a quick profit and have no intention of paying the sales taxes, title fees or completing the transfer from you to them. Instead, they will ask you to sign the title and leave the purchaser's name and address fields blank using a list of many convincing reasons why. This allows them to put a "for sale" sign in the window, put "your vehicle" on a street corner (curb) and sell it to someone else as if you sold it to that third party person. You can see where this is headed and the liability you expose yourself to is large.

Reason 4: Eliminates Product and Safety Liability

When you use a dealership to sell your vehicle on consignment, you are transferring product and safety liability that comes with a consumer sale from you to the dealer. That's because with consignment, you are legally selling your vehicle to them (similar to a dealer trade-in transaction) who then becomes the retail seller to the final buyer in the transaction. Did you know that in many states, if a recently sold used vehicle doesn't pass inspection for the buyer, the seller may be financially liable for the cost of all repairs necessary for the vehicle to pass, even long after the sale. You are creating a barrier or wall against several types of liability from the buyer by having the dealership list and sell it for you on consignment.

Reason 5: Eliminates Title Transfer Risks

Do you know what happens when you sell your vehicle directly to a private buyer and that buyer does not complete the required title transfer and registration, or if there are problems with the title document? You guessed it! You are still technically liable as the current owner of record. Aside from convenience, Consignment Pros are licensed and bonded in their state to protect the private seller and the buyer, and they are experts in dealing with unique title issues like lien releases, odometer discrepancies, probate/heirship, lost titles, affidavits, safety inspection requirements, or anything else arising during the entire process.

How to Use Retail My Ride

Use Retail My Ride to Find & Connect with one of our trusted network dealerships specializing in selling your type of vehicle on consignment.  Then, take your vehicle to the dealership to discuss their specific program requirements, and obtain a free, no-obligation appraisal.  You can search by Zip code, City, County, State, and filter your search by vehicle type, including Cars, Trucks, SUVs, Vans, Classics, Exotics, Antiques, Custom/Mods, Wheelchair accessible, Commerical.

You can also request a free no-obligation quote and consultation by one of our consignment experts at Retail My Ride before being connected to your local network dealership.

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