1. Wanna be a successful car seller? This article is for you!

Everyday more and more people are selling their cars in Nigeria because even more are buying. But selling a car can be the most frustrating endeavor if you don’t know how to go about it. This doesn’t have to be the case though. Being a car seller without going through undue stress depends on how you handle the whole process of selling your car. Read on, because this simple guide will teach you how to sell car in Nigeria.

Selling your car can be pain-free if you know what to do

2. To-do list before putting your car up for sale

To boost the price of your used car, before announcing it's for sale, make sure you finish the check list below!

a) Repairs

• Check all the major and minor faults outside and inside your car
• Have a mechanical engineer check the engine for leaks and corrosions, the hoses and belts for cracks, and the radiator hoses which should be hard, not soft.
• Carefully inspect the car’s hood thoroughly for dents, damages and rust.
• Check all the upholstery of the car for tears, rips, stains or damage, and repair them.
• Check the timing belt, which is one of the most important items in the car.
• Make sure the car tires look well kept and matched.
• Fix all faults if possible. Adding new accessories are not necessary as they will have no real bearing on the sale of the car. What's more important is that the car should be up and running.

b) Cleaning

• Ensure the cleanliness of the entire vehicle inside out. Having a clean car, and an equally clean interior can impact how much a potential buyer will be willing to pay for it.
• Do not use the regular laundry soaps to wash your car because they can and will damage the wax and paintings. Buy a car cleaning product specially designed for the car. Also, application of car cleaning product varies from car to car, so you must read the instructions carefully. For example, Chrome cleaner can ruin the beauty of an aluminum made car because of its high level of acidic contents.
• Use separate clothes for cleaning car windows and wheels.
• Carry out a thorough interior sweep; make sure it is free from dents, trash, scrapes, rips and tears. Wipe the brake dust off the wheel covers and treat the tires like a new bride with a tire gloss product.
• Clean the windows in & out, as well as all the mirrors with chrome cleaning product to give it the shine it deserves.
• Clean the dashboard and empty the ashtrays.

A clean and well-maintained car sells much faster

c) Replacements

Don’t just clean your car, consider replacing items that need replacement and make sure it is a low cost expense. Buyers will normally look at things like tires, radios, and so on.

d) Documentation

Be sure your papers are valid and complete. Nothing kills a sale faster than ambiguous documentation.

e) Minimum price

You need to do some homework to arrive at a realistic price for your vehicle. Set a price that doesn’t make you look desperate, but that is also profitable. You can refer to updated car prices in Nigeria to estimate the value of your car model.

f) Location

Like real estate, location matters for your speedy car sale. Choose a spot that is visible and welcoming. You can use a local car mart or outside a supermarket to display the car. Even if you plan to sell online, a good website for car market doesn’t hurt to have. We will introduce some reliable sources right below!

A sound knowledge of car buying and selling process is essential if you want to sell at a good price to the right customer.

3. How to sell car online for free

Selling your car via a website is very viable option to sell car in Nigeria today. Besides telling yourself, ‘I want to sell my car online’, rather ask yourself: “Is my car sellable? Is it what people on the net are looking for at the moment?”

Where to sell car online for free

There are several sites that won’t charge you for selling your car on their site. Sites such as Naijato, Cheki, and Olx are some of these. Most sites require that you register before you can place a listing. A detailed list of auto-sales sites can be found further down in this article.

Another way of guaranteeing a car owner’s selling a car fast is through using social media advertising. Just like the traditional advertising of putting up sale signs above the car worked in the past, social media is the new queen of publicity and marketing. Lucky us, big online car sites always have Facebook or Instagram fanpages (Eg: Naijauto has Naijauto Marketplace) to help promote their listings, so your car ad is advertised for free.

Reliable car websites come with highly followed Facebook page

To sell car online, all you need is a smartphone with a good camera, set up in a very nice location and you’re good to go. You can make a short video displaying the exterior of the car from different angles and make sure you capture all the details, the tires and the engines, etc. Take different photographs of the interior and the exterior, all shots from different views not forgetting the odometer reading to prove your car’s mileage.

Post videos and photos of your car on all car buying & selling websites as well as your social media platforms, then ask friends to help share them on their accounts. You should also post photos of your car in social groups and groups pertaining to car sales and general selling websites and platforms. Do not forget to include your contact information, the car model, mileage and year and every other information a potential buyer should know before they can think of contacting you.

4. How to sell cars with Naijauto.com

Why we recommend Naijauto? This is the most visited auto specialized website in Nigeria, offering car sales, news, maintenance and driving tips. You can list and sell your car on Naijauto following these fairly easy steps:

1. Sign up: Totally free registration. You can choose sign up with Facebook account to save time.
2. Choose section: Navigate to the car selling section.
3. Provide information: You will be required to fill a form detailing your car like location, brand, model, condition, mileage, price, year, color, body type, transmission, and origin.
4. Upload car images: Maximum of 6 images, with a 4mb limit for each image. Make sure your images are sharp and clear as one picture speaks a thousand words.
5. Extra info: Provide contact information or inviting words about your car to impress viewers.

Selling cars on Naijauto.com takes you less than 5 minutes

After posting your car advert, don't forget to check your mailbox and keep your phone on you all the time. Buyers might not call you for the second time as there are so many options out there.

5. Other car selling websites

Back in the days car owners would advertise through newspapers but now selling a car in Nigeria has been made easy with the help of car selling websites. Besides Naijauto.com, there are other car selling websites you can take advantage of, it is fast and effective and can be used to support your DYI digital and traditional car sales advertising.

Olx.com

Olx is an online marketplace where you can sell and buy anything from the convenience of your home or workplace. Goods include phones accessories to electrical items and of course cars. Selling options are flexible and made accessible for sellers to boost their car sales. All you have to do is register, set up your account and start uploading photos of your car for potential buyers to see. However, the primary focus of this site is not Nigeria, so the number of products sold in local regions is rather limited.

Jiji.com

Just like Olx, Jiji offers similar options to car sellers. All you have to do is register your account and create your space, follow the steps and start selling. Jiji is more familiar to Nigerians and sells all sorts of things. The pros is you can find almost anything here but it's not specialized in autos so you can hardly find support from the car experts in case of unwanted troubles.

Cheki.com

Cheki is another great place to sell your car without much hassle; it is easy and fast as the company has access to car dealers, importers and sellers across the country all under one platform. So finding a potential buyer will not be a problem.

Till now, Cheki.com and Naijauto.com are the two biggest car specialized websites in Nigeria who serve only for auto problems. The comparison between these sites shows that Naijauto.com has 3 times more cars for sale than Cheki, not to mention useful articles for car news and maintenance tips it provides for car users.

Toyota SUVs are extremely favored in Nigeria

Car 45

Car 45 is an online car auction who claims to help you sell car in Nigeria in less than 45 minutes. It is fast and convenient. The three easy step-by-step makes it even faster in selling a car, all you have to do is register, input the details of your car and if you are satisfied with the quote, you can take your car to any of their centers across the country and your car will be sold in minutes. The only advantage is Car 45 acts as a mediator in your transaction, which means your exchange with buyers are somehow limited. On the contrary, such places like Jiji, Cheki or Naijauto advise buyers contact sellers directly for negotiation. They have nothing to do with your own transaction.

6. Sell car contract

Though a commercial contract is optional when selling cars in Nigeria, a legal sales agreement is necessary for you to make the sale of your car official.

A typical contract contains details such as make, year, body type, chassis number, engine number, license plate number, and even color of the car. It will also contain both buyer and seller information, price the car fetched, date of transaction, and witnesses' name and signature. You might need legal services to draft a car sales agreement though you can DIY. There's no fixed format of a sell car contract, as long as you and buyer agree with what included in there.

7. Best selling cars in Nigeria

Regardless of your car model, you should be aware of best selling cars in Nigeria, from which you can better understand the taste of potential customers. You can prepare a presentation of advantages of your car compared to these popular models.

Conclusion

So there you have it, everything you need to know about how to sell cars in Nigeria without too much hassles. You will need to follow the basic guide above carefully in order to have a successful, happy car sale.

>>> For more tips and advice on how to buy and sell cars in Nigeria, stay tunes to Naijauto.com