Selling privately might seem like the obvious choice for maximum return — but the real costs, risks, and time involved often tell a different story. Here's an honest comparison.
Private selling can yield a higher gross sale price. If you're selling a popular, well-maintained vehicle and you're patient, you can sometimes achieve a price above what a professional car buyer would offer.
The key word is 'sometimes.' And the key word that's missing is 'net' — the amount you actually end up with after time, costs, and risk.
Most sellers underestimate the true cost of a private sale:
Private car sales carry genuine risks that professional car buyers eliminate:
Stranger danger — literally. You're inviting strangers to your home or meeting them in unknown locations. While most transactions are fine, incidents do occur.
Payment risk. Cash can be counterfeit. Bank cheques can be fraudulent. Some buyers propose creative payment arrangements that create problems later. Even 'cleared' funds from bank transfers can sometimes be reversed in fraud situations.
Deposit scams. Common on Marketplace — a buyer pays a deposit via PayID or Osko and then asks you to send it back. This is a scam.
Test drive fraud. The car is taken for a test drive and not returned.
When you sell to Sold Fast:
The typical difference between a private sale price and what a professional buyer will pay has narrowed significantly. Real-time data (which Sold Fast uses to create data-backed offers) means our offers are based on what cars are actually selling for — not a wholesale guess.
When you factor in advertising costs, your time, negotiation losses, and the risk premium of a private sale, the net difference for most sellers is modest — often a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. For many people, the certainty, safety, and speed of a professional sale is worth that difference many times over.
It varies significantly by vehicle. Popular, low-kilometre vehicles might yield 5–10% more in a private sale. Rarer models or vehicles that are harder to sell privately might see minimal difference. Once you account for advertising costs, time, and negotiation discounts, the net difference is often smaller than sellers expect.
Cash has risks — it can be counterfeit, it creates no transaction record, and carrying large amounts of cash is a personal safety risk. Osko eliminates all of these problems.
Our offers are data-backed — built on the actual prices vehicles are selling for right now. We can walk you through our assessment rationale if you want to understand how we reached a number.
Have money owing on your car? You can still sell. This guide explains exactly how the finance payout process works, what to expect, and how Sold Fast handles it for you.
A PPSR check reveals whether a car is subject to money owing, has been reported written off, or is listed as stolen. Here's what sellers need to know about PPSR before they list or sell.
Sold Fast pays every seller via Osko instant bank transfer. Here's exactly how it works, which banks support it, and what to expect on the day of your sale.