Six tips for selling a truck: the right timing, an honest condition description, complete paperwork, a realistic price, and collecting multiple offers.
Commercial vehicles differ fundamentally from cars not only in how they are used and how they look, but also in how they are sold. To begin with, the market for trucks and commercial vehicles is considerably smaller than the market for cars. While tens of thousands of used cars change hands every year, trucks are sold comparatively rarely. With trucks, on the other hand, the variation is very pronounced because of the highly specific applications involved. That narrows demand and also reduces the prospect of a quick and successful sale.
It is important to know the value of your vehicle. Most people establish it through a local dealer. You make contact and, as a seller, you are quickly quoted a price. BUT: as a seller you lack price transparency and comparison offers. Many vehicles can be sold for export or abroad and fetch higher prices there. Export rules, however, are very opaque and hard to follow because of the many regulations. So you have to rely on trusting your dealer and hoping that he makes you a fair offer.
Dealers factor in long periods on the lot; on average the vehicle stands in the yard for a year. That is of course priced in and reduces your sale price. Many sellers therefore try to establish the value of their vehicle online and free of charge, on mobile.de for example. Comparable vehicles are easy to find, which allows you to draw conclusions about the value of your own vehicle. Anyone who has tried this knows that it is almost impossible to actually sell your vehicle at that price. The vehicles on those websites are offered above all by dealers. The prices are therefore to be understood as a basis for negotiation. On top of that, it is often not apparent how long the individual vehicles have already been advertised on the portals, so damage caused by a long time on the lot has to be factored in as well. It is not unusual for vehicles to be advertised for several months without success.
The price at which you can sell your commercial vehicle depends fundamentally on the condition of the vehicle. Some vehicles are in faultless condition, but the current keepers do not renew the roadworthiness test (Hauptuntersuchung). A sale is planned anyway. Yet it always makes sense and is an advantage to renew the roadworthiness test. It has a strong influence on the sale price you can achieve.
If, however, your vehicle will no longer pass the roadworthiness test without repairs, it is unclear whether a repair is worthwhile. You have to weigh up whether a higher sale price justifies the repair. With older vehicles in particular, the repair often does not pay off for the keeper. Some dealers, though, also buy defective trucks in order to repair them and resell them.
To be able to sell your vehicle at the best price, it is important that you obtain as many offers as possible. The traditional route via dealers who buy trucks is laborious. Each time, the truck has to be driven over. Only a few dealers give a valuation without having seen your vehicle themselves. Anyone who wants to offer their vehicle online first has to register and sign in on the various portals. The disadvantage of this is that listings usually cost money. Besides these costs, there is no guarantee that the truck will be bought at all.
For a successful sale, the listing has to be informative. In the end that saves you a lot of time answering questions. Photographs are very useful here and should be taken of the most important components. At the same time, all vehicle information should be recorded. Without this data your truck will either not be found, or you will receive a great many enquiries. In that case you should expect a full inbox.
As soon as buyers take an interest in your vehicle, they will want to inspect it in person again. There is a lack of trust that all the details are 100% correct. Once the potential buyer is standing in your yard, you can prepare for the price negotiation. Even if a price was agreed online, you will be asked for your final price. So think of good arguments for why your vehicle is worth precisely that price.
Documents for selling a truck · Trucks that hold their value · Exporting used trucks · free truck valuation
Gabriel Böhm is Managing Director of truckoo GmbH, the digital platform that is redefining commercial vehicle trade in Europe. With a passion for innovation and efficiency, he shapes the strategic direction and drives operational excellence to connect sellers and buyers smarter, faster and more transparently.
More practical knowledge about selling, valuation and documents.
The registration certificate, mileage and photos are all you need. Verified dealers bid bindingly and you decide – free of charge and with truckoo as your contractual partner.
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