Trading (Beginners)

I'm not sure how many people know the rules of trading cars on Craigslist, so I will explain some.

A straight-across trade
Trading straight across means you and the other owner will swap vehicles. That's it. No money involved, no conditions or rules such as "I will smog mine if you smog yours" or "Pay your tags first then we will trade." No. You meet at a public place at a set time and date. If you both agree that your vehicles are worth about the same (worth mean money or personal value) you will trade straight across. Here is an example by what I mean when I say worth personal value: You have a gas saver car, but it is two door. You or your wife if expecting twins. You need a four door car or SUV. You found an SUV on Craigslist that is looking for a gas saver. While the gas saver car may be worth less money, the owner of the SUV is willing to put that fact aside considering they need a gas saver car to commute. It will save them money in the long run. Do you see my point? If you found a soul willing to trade straight across, consider yourself lucky, and an advanced car trader.

A Partial Trade
A partial trade is when the owner of a car, that's worth more than yours, wants to trade his or her car for your car with cash or some other value along with it. In rare cases, some people will take other forms of valuables such as TVs, gaming systems, computers and other electronics, boats, jet skis, motorcycles, gold, etc.

No Trades
"No Trades" is a sad statement posted on some ads on Craigslist. This means they will accept CASH ONLY. The will only sell, so don't even ask about a trade.

Sometimes people will put on their ads "consider trades" This means go ahead and call them and find out what they are interested in. Tell them what you have, make an offer of your vehicle. The worst they can say is no thanks. They might say they want a partial trade because the value of their vehicle is greater. Or they may actually say "That's exactly what I'm looking for, I'll trade straight across."

If adds don't state whether they are wanting to sell or trade or both, call them anyways and ask. They may have forgotten to mention they may consider a trade. People like to get calls about their car because it shows others are interested. Sometimes people just give up on selling/trading their car if they get no calls.

So even if you don't have your ad on Craigslist, go to cars & trucks for sale by owner and type in "trade" and see what you find. It may just be your next car!