Where and How To Sell Your Truck (2024 Guide) (2024)

If you’re looking to sell your truck, you have a few sales options available. In many cases, you can sell a truck to a dealership without it serving as a trade-in. You can also sell your truck to a private buyer. While this will likely fetch a higher price than selling to a dealership, it comes with the hassle of organizing the sale yourself.

Selling a truck online is becoming an increasingly popular and convenient option. Many online sales platforms provide good value and offer features to make the process easy, such as free pickup service. We’ll take a closer look at online sales options in the sections below.

Online Car Dealers

Online car dealers have quickly become an excellent method for selling used vehicles. Some of these companies buy directly, while others work with a network of dealers. Online dealers handle all the paperwork for these transactions, which saves sellers a good deal of time and hassle. However, some require the seller to drive the car to an inspector before it can be listed.

Local Online Marketplaces

Localized sites like Craigslist, OfferUp and Facebook Marketplace allow users to post trucks for private sale locally. You may be able to list your truck for cheap or at no charge at all, but you’ll also have to handle every part of the transaction yourself, from test drives to title transfers.

There’s also always the chance of an aggressive haggler or an outright scam.

Online Auction Sites

Online auction sites like eBay Motors let sellers list their vehicles for a specific amount of time, during which buyers place bids based on the selling price. In some cases, sellers can offer a “buy now” price, which acts as an instant purchase. Sellers can also set a price but choose to accept the most reasonable offer.

These sites have a lot of competition, however, and sellers don’t always get the price they hope for.

Cars.com: Editor’s Choice

Direct purchaser: Yes
Years in business: 25
Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating: A+

Since 1998, Cars.com has been one of the best ways to sell cars online. Its platform is easy to navigate and guides you through the process however you choose to sell your vehicle. Cars.com earns the highest overall score from our team for its solid industry reputation and positive customer experience, which is why we name it Editor’s Choice.

How It Works

There are two ways to sell your truck on Cars.com. First, you can enter your vehicle details and receive an instant offer, just like with any other dealership. You also have the option to list your vehicle for private party sales, where you’ll get a market value estimate for your vehicle. Once you list your truck, you’ll receive offers from private buyers. Either way, Cars.com is easy to use, making it one of the best ways to sell your truck online.

Carvana: Most Seamless Process

Direct purchaser: Yes
Years in business: 11
BBB rating: NR

Carvana, known for its “vending machine” towers, is one of the most popular platforms to buy or sell a used vehicle. The company is a leader in the online car sales space and helped establish the online dealership model. It’s very easy to list your car or truck and get instant cash offers, so we name Carvana the company with the Most Seamless Process.

How It Works

To sell your truck on Carvana, you simply type your vehicle’s license plate number and a few other details into the offer tool. Once you’ve combed through the offers, you can opt to either drive your truck to a Carvana location or have a Carvana representative pick up the vehicle and pay you at the time of pickup. The company handles all the paperwork for your sale.

Peddle: Good Choice for Older Vehicles

Direct purchaser: Yes
Years in business: 19
BBB rating: A+

Peddle is a little different from the others on this list. The company specializes in junk vehicles — cars that have been salvaged or damaged or are generally not in optimal condition. If you’re looking to scrap your car or truck, Peddle is worth considering.

How It Works

Getting an offer for your truck through Peddle is similar to the process on most other online platforms. You’ll need to answer a few questions about the vehicle, its condition and its ownership status, and you’ll get an offer instantly. Offers from Peddle are good for seven days. Once you accept an offer, Peddle can pick up your truck as soon as possible and you’ll get paid upon pickup.

TrueCar: Good for Quick, Fixed-Price Offers

Direct purchaser: No
Years in business: 18
BBB rating: A+

TrueCar is an online marketplace that connects consumers with a network of over 10,000 certified dealers across the nation. This makes it one of the top websites to buy or sell used, certified pre-owned or new vehicles.

How It Works

Enter your truck’s license plate or vehicle identification number (VIN) into TrueCar’s online estimate tool, then fine-tune by adding further details about your vehicle’s condition and mileage. You’ll then receive an offer that’s good for three days. If you accept the offer, you’ll need to coordinate with the dealer to settle paperwork and transport details.

CarMax: Great Value

Direct purchaser: Yes
Years in business: 30
BBB rating: A

Headquartered in Richmond, Va., CarMax has been in the used car industry since 1993. The company originally began as brick-and-mortar lots for low-priced used car sales. The company has since added an online platform that helps people conduct the entire process of buying and selling vehicles over the internet.

How It Works

To get an offer on your vehicle, you can visit CarMax.com and fill out the online form. You’ll give your phone number and email address and either schedule an appointment for an in-person offer or list your vehicle for an online offer. Offers are good for seven days. If you accept the offer, you’ll get a same-day payment.

For in-person appointments, you’ll need to bring certain items, like your car keys or fob, your driver’s license, the car registration and the title.

Before you can put your truck on the market, there’s a few steps you’ll need to take to prepare. In the sections below, we’ll go into detail about each of these steps.

Gather Information About Your Truck

In order to list your truck online and get an offer, you’ll need to provide some details about the vehicle. You’ll want to gather the following information:

• Vehicle history: You should know your vehicle’s history before listing it, as every car dealer will pull a history report. A vehicle history report from a company like CARFAX^® or VINCheck^® will tell you whether the car has been in an accident, damaged from floods or other weather events, or involved in any incident that could have affected its value.
• Mileage: Provide the exact mileage on your car’s odometer. Write this number down immediately after checking it and keep it updated on your listing before you sell.
• License plate number: You may need to provide your current license plate number to get a quote or an offer. In some cases, you may be able to use this instead of your car’s VIN.
• VIN: Providing your truck’s basic details — make, model and year — can help you get an offer, but adding the VIN will help you get a more accurate quote. It may also speed up the overall selling process.
• Vehicle information: You’ll need to present the truck’s make, model and year in order to list it for sale. You should also disclose any aftermarket additions or customizations, as well as information like trim level and optional equipment.

Learn Your Truck’s Estimated Value

If you get an estimate of your car’s value before you list it online, you’ll have a better idea of where to set your price. It’ll also help you determine whether an offer from a dealership is reasonable or not.

To get an estimate of how much your truck may be worth, visit sites like Kelley Blue Book or Edmunds. These companies use your truck details, location and current market conditions to estimate its value. Large metropolitan areas typically have a higher cost of living, so prices tend to be higher in those areas. In most cases, these sites will help determine the trade-in value of your truck as well as what you may be able to charge in a private party sale.

Prepare Your Truck To Sell

You’re much more likely to sell your truck for a decent price if it’s in good condition. There are a few simple steps you can take to make your truck more appealing to potential buyers, including:

• Deep cleaning and deodorizing the truck interior
• Giving the exterior a wash and wax
• Cleaning the wheels to remove dirt and brake dust

Whether you’re trying to sell an old Ford Ranger or a new Chevrolet Silverado, presenting a clean, well-maintained truck will help maximize your selling price.

Choose Where You Want To Sell Your Truck

There are pros and cons to every company that lets you sell your car online. It’s a good idea to consider your end goal before deciding where to list it. Some questions you may want to ask yourself include:

• Do I want the most money I can get or the simplest transaction?
• Do I want to trade in my truck for a new car?
• Do I just need to get rid of this truck?

Decide what’s most important to you before selecting an online dealership.

One thing to keep in mind is that you can list your truck on as many resale sites as you want. It may make staying organized more of a hassle when keeping track of various offers, but it’s a good way to get the best price.

Compare Offers

We recommend you wait for several offers to come in before making a decision. That way, you can compare various offers to make sure you get as close to or above your asking price. You may receive instant cash offers from online dealerships or private buyers, but don’t jump at the first opportunity to sell your truck.

When comparing, consider whether the offers cover taxes and fees. Also consider your own time — you may see an attractive offer that’s 500 miles away, but that may not be worth the time and effort.

Complete the Sale

Once you’ve picked an offer for your truck, you’ll need to complete the sale. If you’re selling to an online or brick-and-mortar dealer, you can simply coordinate a pickup or drop-off and hand over the keys. The dealership will take care of the paperwork.

If you’ve sold to a private party, however, you’ll need to go to your state’s department of motor vehicles (DMV) to obtain and sign over the car title and vehicle registration.

Because consumers rely on us to provide objective and accurate information, we created a comprehensive rating system to formulate our rankings of the best platforms to sell your car. We collected data on several providers to grade each company in five key areas. The end result was an overall rating for each provider, with the car selling platforms that scored the most points topping the list.

Here are the factors our ratings take into account:

• Industry Standing: Our research team considers ratings from industry experts and years in business when determining this score.
• Platform: Platforms that offer a variety of features, including instant offers and multiple sales options, are more likely to meet consumers’ needs.
• Cost: To compare providers’ average offer prices, our team conducted a secret shopper analysis for a variety of vehicle types. We also considered the fees companies charge to use their platforms.
• Support: Car selling companies that offer strong transaction support received the highest scores in this category. This includes offerings like free pickup service as well as how quickly you receive your payment.
• Customer Experience: This score is based on customer satisfaction ratings on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and Trustpilot as well as our team’s experience reaching out to each platform.

*Data accurate at time of publication.