How to get more private sellers to sell to your yard
Every month thousands of Australians search for a way to sell their car. Most land on a marketplace or an instant-offer company. A dealer with the right setup on their own website can catch a share of them.
- “sell my car” gets about 12,100 searches a month in Australia; “instant car offer” about 720.
- Sellers want a number fast. An instant offer on your own website gives them one without a phone call.
- Show the assumptions behind the offer, then confirm it after inspection with every deduction itemised.
- Offer consignment alongside a straight buy: some sellers will wait for more, some want the money now.
Where private sellers are searching
Keyword data for Australia shows about 12,100 searches a month for “sell my car” and about 720 for “instant car offer”. These are people who have already decided to sell and are looking for the quickest, fairest way to do it. The paid competition for those searches is high, which tells you how valuable a seller is to the businesses bidding on them.
| Search | Monthly searches (AU) |
|---|---|
| sell my car | 12,100 |
| instant car offer | 720 |
| car consignment | 720 |
Give them a number on your own website
Most dealer websites ask a seller to fill in a form and wait for a call. A seller comparing options will usually take the first credible number they get. An instant offer on your own site, with a clear validity period, gives them that number while they’re still on your page.
- Ask for the basics: rego or VIN, kilometres, condition and photos.
- Show the offer straight away, with how long it’s valid.
- Show the assumptions it rests on, so the final number after inspection doesn’t feel like a bait and switch.
What to ask the seller for
Ask for enough to make a real offer, and no more. Every extra field loses sellers.
- Rego or VIN, so you can pull the vehicle details instead of asking for them.
- Kilometres.
- A handful of condition questions: accident history, warning lights, service history.
- Whether finance is owing, and roughly how much.
- The best offer they’ve had so far. It tells you the number you need to beat.
- Their name and mobile, last.
The photos that matter
Guide the seller through the same angles every time, so you can compare cars fairly:
- Front three-quarter and rear three-quarter.
- Both sides.
- The odometer, with the car running.
- Front seats and the boot.
- Tyre tread.
- Any damage they know about, close up.
Know your ceiling before you make the offer
An instant offer only works if it’s a number you’re happy to pay. Work back from what the car will sell for: take off reconditioning, transport, holding cost and your margin, and what’s left is the most you should pay. Make the instant offer under that ceiling, then confirm the final figure after inspection.
| Sample car | |
|---|---|
| Exit price, retail | $28,400 |
| Less recon | −$840 |
| Less transport | −$180 |
| Less holding cost, 21 days | −$390 |
| Less your margin | −$2,500 |
| Most you should pay | $24,490 |
Figures are a sample to show the method, not market prices.
Write an offer the seller trusts
- One clear number, not a vague range.
- How long it’s valid for.
- The assumptions it rests on, in plain words: “based on 112,000 km, no accident history, tyres with tread left”.
- What could change it after inspection, so a lower final figure isn’t a surprise.
- How and when they’re paid, including how any finance owing is paid out.
Follow up while the seller is still deciding
A seller who requests an offer is often asking two or three other places at the same time. Speed matters more than polish: reply the same day, make it easy to book an inspection, and follow up if they’ve opened the offer but not answered.
Where to put the offer
- On your home page, above the fold, not buried in a menu.
- On its own page with a plain address like /sell-your-car, so you can link to it from ads and social posts.
- In your Google Business Profile, as the link sellers see when they find your yard on Maps.
- In the reply to every “what would you give me for my car?” message.
Offer a choice: consign or sell today
Some sellers want the money now. Others will wait a few weeks for more. If you sell on consignment as well as buying, put both on the same offer: what they’d get by consigning, and what you’ll pay today. The seller picks, and you keep the car either way. Try the consignment calculator to see how the two compare.
Then get the paperwork right
Once the seller says yes, the purchase has its own QLD paperwork: the seller statement, the transfer form and a PPSR search before you pay. See our checklist for buying from a private seller.
Measure it like a funnel
Track each step separately, so you can see where sellers drop out:
| Step | What to count |
|---|---|
| Offers requested | How many sellers start the form |
| Offers sent | How many get a number |
| Inspections booked | How many come in |
| Cars bought or consigned | How many you get |
| Cost per car | What you spent to get each one |
Why sellers walk away
- The offer arrived after a competitor’s.
- The final figure after inspection was a surprise.
- They couldn’t see how the number was worked out.
- Payment timing or the finance payout wasn’t clear.
- Nobody followed up after they opened the offer.