Start with a free listing
An online listing is where most buyers start, and plenty of sites let private sellers list for free. On CarListing a Standard listing costs nothing, takes no commission when the car sells, and stays up until you take it down.
- Check what “free” means: some free listings expire after a few weeks, cap your photos, or charge to put the price in the ad. Read the fine print before you spend time on it.
- Watch for commission: a free ad that takes a percentage when the car sells is not free.
- Keep your number private if you want to: a listing that takes messages lets buyers contact you without your phone number being on show.
Make the listing do the selling
A free ad competes with paid ones on the same page, so the listing itself has to be good. Buyers decide in seconds, mostly from the first photo, the price and the headline details.
- Photos: use every slot you have. On a Standard listing that is 15 photos, and the first one is what buyers see in search.
- The details buyers filter by: make, model, variant, year, kilometres, transmission, fuel and body type. A car missing one of these drops out of filtered searches.
- An honest description: condition, service history, recent work and anything a buyer will notice at the inspection.
Our photo guide and guide to writing the ad cover both in more detail.
Price it to be found
Most buyers set a price range before they search. A car priced a few hundred dollars above a round number, such as $20,400, can miss everyone searching up to $20,000. If you are close to a round figure, consider pricing just under it.
Spread the word for free
- Share your listing link: post it on your own social media and send it to friends and family. Someone usually knows someone looking.
- Work and community noticeboards: a short note with the car, the price and the listing link.
- A sign in the window: only where it is legal to park and display one. Some councils restrict cars advertised for sale on the street.
Keep it fresh
Answer questions quickly, and update the listing if anything changes, such as a new service or a lower price. If a week passes with no interest, look again at the price and the first photo before anything else.
