How to use Facebook to sell your car for free

Advertising always seems to come with a price tag. But what if I said you could avoid that cost and advertise something for free. That would be awesome!

Well then, how about selling a large-ticket item like a car, for free, and be almost certain that plenty of eyeballs are getting a look at it. That would be epic!

Believe it or not, this is all at your fingertips. Right now.

And Facebook is how it can be done.

That’s right, if you’re on Facebook, you can upload the details of your car to Facebook Marketplace and sell it for free. And it’s simple to do. Even car sales yards and dealerships are using this tool.

Here’s how you too can get in on the action and sell your car through Marketplace.

But first, what is it?

What is Marketplace?

It’s a platform Facebook users can employ to buy and sell items within their local area. There is no need to download another app or set up a new account and it can be accessed by simply clicking on the ‘house’ icon within the Facebook newsfeed.

Marketplace only displays your publicly listed information and as long as you are over 18, you can buy and sell items on the platform.

Benefits of using Marketplace

• Can communicate via live chat or message through messenger
• Easy to use
• Get instant notifications
• Advanced filtering tools
• High exposure on Facebook and also in search engines
• It doesn't cost you anything!

OK. With that out of the way, let’s get down to the ‘how to use Marketplace’ guide. It’s so easy!

Login or open the Facebook app. Click on the Marketplace icon in your news feed
Click on the ‘sell’ tab and then select ‘vehicles’
Upload up to 20 photos of the vehicle you are selling
Enter vehicle type, vehicle details, vehicle condition, mileage, location, price and a description
Select to list publicly and on your newsfeed

Hey presto, you’re done. Didn’t I say it was easy?

It really is probably one of the most straightforward ways of advertising a car and you can seriously get it done within five minutes.

Here are some extra selling tips to help you attract the right buyer for your car.

Tips for advertising your car

• Select the best category for your vehicle so people can actually find it
• Consider if the price is competitive by looking for, and comparing similar cars
• Make sure the vehicle details are correct
• Upload lots of various images. People want to see the exterior but they also want to see the engine bay, seats, wheels, dash, speedo and luggage compartment
• Write a good description. Imagine you are in the buyer’s shoes and think about the things you would like to see and read before you’d consider travelling to view a car?
• Be honest

Now, I haven’t had the opportunity to sell a car on Facebook as yet but I have bought one through the platform. I found it easy to check that the seller was legitimate, and using it properly gave me some reassurance that they weren’t running a scam and that they lived where they said the car was based.

I had a pre-purchase inspection done on the car - a process that can be arranged through AutoGuru - but I was also able to check out what type of lifestyle the seller led based on their Facebook profile. That was quite useful to see what sort of work the car had been asked to do over its life.

Of course, if you want to sell on Marketplace but don’t want your profile publicly available to a potential buyer, you can change your Facebook privacy settings.

Honestly, I think Marketplace is a great tool to consider when the time comes to sell your car.

You know that millions of people use it, and if you use the platform correctly you’re sure to garner some interest.

Oh yes, and did I mention it’s free!