If you’re looking to sell your truck, you’ll want to make sure that you do everything possible to get the best price. Preparing your truck for sale, marketing it effectively, and negotiating a good deal are all essential steps in getting the most money for your vehicle.
Whether you’re upgrading to a newer model or simply downsizing your vehicle collection, selling a truck privately can be a stressful process at the best of times. In this detailed guide, we’ll discuss each of these steps in detail and provide tips on how to execute them successfully.
A deep clean (because your photos will be seen!)
When you upload photos of your truck online, submit vehicle details or hand out flyers, potential buyers will judge your lorry by its appearance. First impressions count whether you’re selling a beavertail truck, a chassis cab lorry, a tanker, or a mobile crane. With detailed cleaning and decluttering, you can ensure your lorry’s true worth is clear to see, which in turn will help prevent you from dealing with tire kickers. If your truck needs any cosmetic repairs like a fresh paint job or replacing dented panels, it’s worth taking care of these before listing your lorry for sale. By doing some simple preparation work, you can make your truck more appealing to buyers and increase its value.
Get an accurate estimate of your truck’s value
If you want to sell your lorry privately, you’ll first need to know how much it’s worth. There are many different ways to get an accurate estimate of your vehicle’s value, and whilst there are many sophisticated tools online, you need to obtain a quotation from a specialist. Truck Trading has decades of knowledge in the industry, so we’re not relying on dated spreadsheets or algorithms. We consider every aspect of your lorry and today’s market to give you the most accurate price.
Create an advertisement that sells
When you’re ready to start marketing your truck, you need to create an advert that will attract buyers. Your advert should include clear photos of your truck, as well as all of the important details like the make, model, year, mileage, and any features or extras that are included. You should also write a compelling description that highlights all of the selling points of your vehicle. Once you’ve created your advert, you’ll need to choose where to list it. There are many different marketplace websites and auction houses online. That’s not to say the process will always be smooth and seamless. These types of websites often attract timewasters, but the more accurate you are with your information, the better chance you’ll sell it for the right price.
If you have no interest in creating an advert and waiting many weeks or months for the right buyer, we’d be glad to offer you a free and fast quote. Simply complete our quick and easy form, and we’ll be back in touch with an accurate quote in less than 24 hours. Don’t forget to add high resolution images as these will be a huge help for us, as detailed earlier in this article.
Organise the relevant paperwork
Once you’ve found a buyer for your truck, you’ll need to get all of the relevant paperwork in order. This includes the vehicle’s registration document, as well as any service history or MOT certificates that you have. You should also check that there is no finance outstanding on the truck before completing the sale. If you’re not sure about any of this, our team would be happy to help. We have a dedicated sales team you can call, and we’re always here to answer any questions that you might have.
Be prepared to negotiate
No matter how much research you’ve done or how firm you are on your asking price, it’s likely that you’ll have to negotiate with potential buyers, especially if you have various classified adverts listed online or in your local newspaper. It’s important to be prepared for this and to know your bottom line before entering into any negotiations. Once you’ve agreed a price, you’ll need to arrange a time and place to complete the sale. We recommend meeting in a public place like a car park or garage, and if possible, bring someone with you for extra security.
Get paid and transfer ownership
The final step in selling your truck is getting paid and transferring ownership of your vehicle. Once you’ve received the full payment for your lorry, you’ll need to complete a change of ownership form, which you can get from the DVLA. You’ll also need to notify your insurance company that you’ve sold the vehicle and cancel or update your policy. And that’s it! You’ve successfully sold your truck, and you can now look to acquire your next vehicle.
Bonus tip: Get an offer in minutes
We’ve helped many large organisations, fleet managers, transport managers, sole traders, owner drivers and start-ups get the best prices for their trucks and trailers. Above we’ve listed some of our top tips for selling your truck privately, but the quickest and most accurate way to get a quote is to contact our team. As soon as you give us your vehicle’s details with several up-to-date photos, we’ll get to work and we often value trucks in just a matter of minutes. You can then choose whether to accept our offer or not, with absolutely no obligation.
If you’re happy with the price we’ve offered and would like to go ahead, we’ll arrange a free collection at a time that’s convenient for you. We understand that selling a truck can be a stressful experience, which is why we aim to make the process as simple and straightforward as possible.
