How to sell a car privately in BC, and the best places to list it in the Okanagan

Your options, compared

Where to list a private sale in the Okanagan

• Facebook Marketplace: free, and where many local buyers look first. Expect a lot of messages, and be alert for payment scams.
• Kijiji Autos: private sellers can post one vehicle ad at a time free, with paid options to promote it.
• AutoTrader.ca: a large national audience; private-seller listings are paid, so check current pricing.
• OK Auto Search: free, Okanagan-only, and built around what buyers here search for. Start with your VIN to see how many local buyers have searched for a vehicle like yours. Buyers with a matching CarWatch get an email as soon as your listing is approved, and your phone and email stay private. We’re new, so our audience is smaller than Facebook’s or Kijiji’s: list in more than one place.

Tip: use the same photos and description everywhere, and mark the vehicle sold on every site the day it sells.

What you need to sell a car in BC

• Your registration (APV250). You’ll give the buyer the signed registration portion.
• A Transfer/Tax Form (APV9T), signed by both of you on all four pages.
• A bill of sale with the date, price, VIN, odometer reading and both names.
• No lien, or a plan to pay it off at the sale. Buyers who check will find it.
• Afterwards: keep your plates and cancel or transfer your insurance.

The full walk-through is in our ICBC transfer guide. ICBC’s steps for selling a BC-registered vehicle don’t include a safety inspection; inspections apply to vehicles coming from outside BC and to salvage vehicles being rebuilt.

Pricing it to sell

• Compare similar vehicles listed in the Okanagan (same model, years and kilometres), not national averages.
• Remember your buyer pays 12% PST on at least the Black Book wholesale value when they register it. A $20,000 car costs them about $22,400, and they know it. See BC used car tax.
• Compare against your trade-in offer: a dealer trade-in cuts the tax on your next vehicle. Our trade-in vs private sale guide has the math.

Writing a listing that sells

• Photos in daylight: front three-quarter, both sides, rear, interior front and back, odometer, tires, and any damage. Honest photos save wasted trips.
• The details buyers here search for: AWD or 4x4, winter tires (and whether a second set is included), cab and box length on trucks, seats, towing package.
• History: service records, recent work, accident history. If you have an ICBC claims report, offer it.
• The price, and whether it’s firm.

Showing it and getting paid

• Meet in daylight in a public place, and ride along on test drives after checking the buyer’s driver’s licence.
• ICBC advises accepting cash or a bank draft you confirm with the issuing bank, never a personal cheque.
• Never log in to your bank from a link a buyer sends, and never pay for a “VIN report” on a site a buyer picks.

Selling in Vernon, Kelowna or anywhere in the Okanagan?

List your vehicle free on OK Auto Search. It takes a few minutes with your VIN. Start with your VIN →