It’s very unlikely that anyone reading this underestimates the high risk attached to trying to sell the car, that hopefully, hasn’t given you any trouble until now when faced with the task of finding a trustworthy buyer! The used car market is well known for its fair share of rogue dealers and there are many scams online.

Often the best, unbiased advice is not to try and sell the car by yourself because you can so easily become a victim of clever – and not so clever fraudsters. Ideally, you should spend time finding a find a reputable company by looking carefully at their website, getting in touch and speaking with the staff.

However, if you are determined that selling your car is what you want to do then you should at least be aware of some of the most common tricks.

One type of scam not too difficult to spot if you decide to advertise to sell your car at a website is receiving an email from a foreign buyer who agrees to pay full the advertised price (without having seen the car) and asks you to contact a shipping agent on the buyer's behalf. They may ask for your name, address and even bank details for transfer of payment. They may also try to send you a cheque, which is later found to be bogus, or then cancel the sale and ask for a refund. Either way you risk losing both your car and your money, too!

Online auction sites like eBay are very popular but the most frequently reported fraud on the web occurs on auction sites so be warned! Make sure you carefully research the buyer and their buying history. And remember - money transfer companies are also easily exploited by the use of forged passports and identification documents.

Under the Banking rules, there is no redress from the bank if the buyer's cheque later turns out to be fraudulent. The most secure way is to either wait for the cheque to fully clear and show in your account before releasing the vehicle or use direct money transfer, the standard business procedure at sell the car.com!

You would think that everyone realises that selling your car really demands spending time and even a few bob to try and make the vehicle look as presentable as possible and easier to sell? The last thing you need is for a sharp-eyed buyer to spot several faulty or unsightly details that obviously will affect the asking price or worse, they just simply shake their head and walk away!

Incredibly, some people simply don’t bother because they think if a car is too ‘clean and tidy’ a potential buyer might suspect you are trying to cover up something wrong with it! But the reality for most people is that they don’t want to spend any more money to sell the car. But by making a little bit of effort to properly prepare your vehicle, you can actually increase the selling price.

Remember – even novice car sellers are likely to bring a more knowledgeable friend  along to a car viewing who will look carefully under the bonnet, check all four tyre treads and switch on and off every single switch and button on the dashboard – even the rear windscreen heater! How do you know if your rear brake lights works if you haven’t checked?

It doesn’t take long to also top up the oil, coolant and windscreen wash levels, ensure tyre pressures are correct – and don’t forget the air filter!  While never a guarantee that a car really has been looked after – the service history, receipts and MOT certificates should help here. 

A thorough clean and polish of outside bodywork is always essential. When cleaning the car interior you will likely expose any wear on the driver side carpet, seating, head rest, foot pedals and steering column. This is expected, if the car mileage is high, and it might be worth replacing carpets, gear stick knobs, etc!

The extra time and effort can make that vital difference to the final price agreed, whether you decide to sell the car yourself to a private buyer, a local dealer or through a specialist online car buyer.