Communicating

It is best to communicate either with a throwaway email address or through a messaging app, be it Facebook Messenger (if you’re selling on Facebook Marketplace) or a third-party app like WhatsApp. Avoid giving out your personal phone number or an email address you care about.

Meeting up

If you’ve decided you’re going to make the sale, be sure to meet somewhere open. Do not meet at your house, even if the person seems nice! Being robbed of a car isn’t fun. Meet somewhere like a busy parking lot, or at a police station which has cameras at a designated selling place. If someone is hesitant to meet publicly, run.

The Sale

Cars are big purchases and there are lots of scams going around with paying for them. Accept cash, certified check, or money order. Do not accept personal checks, business checks, payments via apps like Venmo or Cash App. Be wary of people who refuse to meet but offer to pay and bring a tow truck; this is a common scam where they’ll pay you, but the payment method bounces shortly after they’ve picked up the vehicle.

If the payment method isn’t something you can physically touch and immediately deposit, refuse it. It’s for your safety and the buyers too.

Any questions? Feel free to call Manchester Auto and Tire of Mint Hill, LLC at 704-545-4597, email us at kenmanchester1@gmail.com, or check us out online at manchesterautoandtire.com or on Facebook.