From an enthusiast’s perspective, having another source for car buying and selling is never a bad thing. They enjoy the process of looking for a new car. From finding the perfect model to doing a license plate search to negotating with the car seller, it’s all fun to them. The only downside is many sites will show the same cars, as either sellers looking to list their cars in the most places for maximum exposure or the site’s bots scrounging the internet for content.
Car Lister is different. As enthusiasts, we like to talk cars. Actually, we LOVE to talk about cars. Our cars, your cars, cars we’ve read about. It doesn’t matter. But when it comes time to sell, the only time we may talk with a potential buyer is in our local market. What if your car listing took on a voice all its own, whether through today’s social channels or live video feed from your smartphone? This is the unique business model ecommerce startup DreamWare, Inc. has created with Car Lister.
You can list your car for sale on many sites but Car Lister provides a way for sellers to connect to buyers via their social tools. Simply create an account through your existing social channels such as Twitter or Facebook or with your email address.
Social selling and buying
Because of users social connections, Car Lister touts themselves as the first social network for the auto world, allowing buyers, sellers and enthusiasts to connect, with the idea of sharing your passion for cars.
After becoming a member and creating your Car Lister profile, you can post comments to your wall similar to other social media channels. Because of this most basic interaction, users won’t have a problem using Car Listers social tools to communicate with friends and other enthusiasts. You can, of course, post photos and videos as well. You can even create your own groups for chatting among friends or members of your car club.
The social aspect can really take on a life of its own if you’re selling a car. You begin by creating your listing. To the users benefit, Car Lister does a lot of the heavy lifting by generating the listing for you. Simply enter the car’s VIN and Car Lister generates the title of the listing as well as the vehicle description on the fly. You can also upload images and video of your car for potential buyers to check out. Car Lister even includes a vehicle history report at no cost.
But here’s where the social power comes into play. You can share your listings and ask your peers as well as experts for their opinions about your car. This has the potential to get a large group of enthusiasts talking about your car and creating the exposure you need to sell your car quickly.
Powerful features for the buyer and seller
Aside from the unique social channel, there are some additional features Car Lister users will find helpful. For example, you can be notified of new listings by creating Valet Tickets. These can alert you when the car you are looking for comes available on Car Lister.
After finding a car you are interested in, you can ask the seller to FaceTime with you and ask them to show you the car, take a look at the title, even listen to it start. This has the potential to be huge and giving you some piece of mind about the car. In addition, you have the option to Instant Message the seller or dealer, giving you a quick and direct way of communicating with them.
Two additional pluses with Car Lister is the vehicle history report and a pathway to financing. When buying a car, you usually pay $30-$45 for a report from other sites. But when you list a car, Car Lister provides you a history report which comes available to potential buyers when they look at your car. And when you have a buyer, they have the option of getting financing directly from Car Lister through their partnership with eLEND Solutions.
The Giveaway
I hope I didn’t tease too much with the reference to the giveaway but here’s the details. After creating your Car Lister account, visit their Epic Giveaway page and click the button to enter. This automatically throws your proverbial hat into the ring to win a $25,000 voucher towards any car shown on Car Lister. You’re also eligible to win a $500 service voucher you can redeem at any participating Car Lister dealership.
You can enter each month and gain additional entries by inviting your friends to sign up, connecting with dealers or following car groups on the Car Lister social network.
Car Lister has the potential to take advantage of this niche market. Giving users the ability to expand beyond the standard ‘for sale’ site with social media can have great implications for those of us selling and opening new markets for dealers. Let us know here at Ridestory if you use Car Lister to sell or buy. We would be interested in knowing about your experience.
