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How to Sell Your Car in Thailand [2023 Guide]
- How to Sell Your Car in Thailand
- Step 1: Get your car ready for the sale
- Step 2: Prepare the valuation report and other documents
- Step 3: Prepare the paperwork for the sale
- What if the car is under the name of a company?
- Step 4: Choose how you want to sell your car
- Trading with an auto dealer
- Putting the car for auction
- Selling the car as a private person
- Onsite Options
- Online Options
- Carsome.co.th
- Car Forums
- Kaidee.com
Selling your pre-loved car can be a daunting task especially if you’re going to do so outside your home turf. Fortunately, you have options on how to go about it when in Thailand.
You can choose how you wish to sell your vehicle depending on your needs and preferences and we’re here to give you some ideas on what your options are. Read on to find out more!
How to Sell Your Car in Thailand
To sell your car with ease and without any hiccups here in Thailand, you need to get your car ready for sale and prepare its valuation report.
You can then prepare the other documents such as car history and repair records, before drafting and finalising your car’s paperwork for the sale.
Once you have all that, you can then choose how you want to sell your car. You can do it as a private individual or you can go through an auction or a dealer.
Sounds fun and exciting right? Well, because it is, and below is our step-by-step guide to make it easier for you to sell your car in Thailand.
Step 1: Get your car ready for the sale
Keep it neat: Begin by giving your car the royal treatment which means making sure it’s presentable and neat. Keep the auto visually appealing and you’ll surely get better and more offers for your pre-loved unit.
This is crucial as your car may be well-maintained in terms of its mechanical and electrical parts but if its exteriors don’t look too good, your potential buyers might get offered lower buying rates or worse– get turned off altogether.
Tune it up: Once you’re done with the exteriors, follow it up with an engine tune-up. While most buyers aren’t car experts, they won’t buy your car if it has the potential to break down in the middle of the road or while speeding down the highway.
Accessorise: Lastly, you can catch the eye of prospective buyers if you dress up or enhance the features of your car. It can be the sound system, the alloy wheels, or just a set of brand-new tires.
Audiophiles might be inclined to buy your car if they find out you’ve got a new stereo or speaker installed. On the other hand, you might attract performance-focused buyers if they find out your new tires and alloy wheels greatly enhance the auto’s handling.
Local tip:
- To further increase the value of your vehicle for sale, we recommend having some exterior and interior detailing done before offering it up for sale. Car detailing in Thailand will cost you around 1,000 THB but it’s worth it!
This will make your auto look much smoother and refined, possibly bagging a better rate from buyers.
Step 2: Prepare the valuation report and other documents
Get a valuation report: Next, you want to show prospective buyers how much your car is worth. For this purpose you need to get your auto’s valuation report– it’s basically a customised valuation of how much your vehicle is worth based on certain factors.
These variables include the car’s kilometres travelled, additional equipment or accessories installed, and the overall condition of the vehicle. In short, it’ll give buyers a general overview of how much your car is really valued in relation to current prices.
The valuation report, which you can get online by clicking this link, will help you get an estimated value for your vehicle so that you can offer it a realistic and reasonable price. This will ensure that fair negotiations will be observed between you and buyers.
Prepare the car’s maintenance records: Once you’ve got that valuation report, you make the deal much more interesting and inviting by preparing all the documents pertaining to your auto’s maintenance records and history.
Doing so will give the impression that you are a meticulous car owner who values maintenance and proper care of your vehicle. The result– you can demand better prices as your auto on sale has evidently been well taken care of.
This combination (valuation report and vehicle records) will be the ace up your sleeve once you decide to sell your auto for a much better price!
Step 3: Prepare the paperwork for the sale
After you’ve readied your auto and got your valuation report, you then need to proceed to an equally important step in the process– preparing the paperwork for your motor vehicle’s sale.
This may be tedious but it is an important part of the process of selling your car. If you’ve ever tried buying used cars in the country, then you’ll probably have an idea of what documents you need to prepare in order to sell your vehicle.
Have your Blue Book ready: Every used automobile should have a Lem Tabian or a Blue Book which states the name of the owner, address, previous owners’ information (if any), and the vehicle’s tax records.
This Blue Book should be in the possession of your car finance company if you’re still paying off your vehicle. This means that if you want to sell your car, you have to make sure it’s fully paid off first.
Proceed to the Department of Land Transport: As for the actual transfer of your car’s ownership, it’s similar to when you buy a new automobile in Thailand. Both you and the buyer have to accomplish the transfer at the DLT or Department of Land Transport.
You can also opt to just send a trusted representative to deal for you at the DLT via a power of attorney. The DLT will then check and confirm the chassis and engine number of your automobile to make sure everything is above board.
Submit your documents: When it comes to transferring ownership, there’s going to be a slight difference if you’re a Thai national versus if you’re an expat. If you’re Thai, you’ll need to present your ID card and your Tabien Baan or house registration document.
On the other hand, if you’re an expat, you need to present the following:
- Your visa
- Your passport
- Official confirmation of residency (from your embassy or the Thai Immigration Bureau) of your work permit.
You’ll still need your auto’s Lem Tabian as its absence might make authorities suspect that the car you’re selling might be stolen. This will complicate matters for you and one you should avoid so we highly encourage you to keep that Blue Book!
What if the car is under the name of a company?
If the vehicle you’re trying to sell is under the name of a company or a foundation, then you have to make sure that the additional documents mentioned below are signed by the committee members and the chairman.
You also need to make sure that the documents are stamped with the foundation or company’s stamp before being submitted to the Department of Land Transport (DLT) together with the transfer form.
The documents you’ll need include:
- The committee member’s personal documents
- A formal letter expressing intent to sell the auto
- The foundation or the company’s registration papers
Keep in mind that road taxes, registration, and transfer fees for the vehicle will most likely be doubled if they are registered under the name of a foundation or a company.
Local tip:
- If you’re selling a vehicle that’s seven years old and above, you need to get an up-to-date tax sticker to prove your vehicle’s roadworthiness. It’s a necessary step to ensure the safety of the buyer and your peace of mind.
Step 4: Choose how you want to sell your car
After you’ve prepared all the paperwork needed for the transfer of ownership, it’s time for you to decide how to sell your car. We’ve listed down some of the more common options for you to do it:
Trading with an auto dealer
We recommend that you trade your old auto with an auto dealer if you want a new vehicle. These dealers will usually give you a great deal if you want to trade in your auto instead of selling it directly to them.
The car lots of these dealers are also people magnets and you’ll observe that cars displayed here often get quickly sold. Just note though, that you may not get the best price for your pre-loved auto, but at least you’ll be done much quicker.
Putting the car for auction
Putting your car on auction is the most ideal strategy if you have a unit that is rare or considered a collector’s item. This is perfect for you if you’re not happy with the prices being offered by buyers, dealers, and low-ballers.
If you’re able to pull off a highly publicised auction, you might get more people interested and even get better value for your pre-loved vehicle.
Selling the car as a private person
You can also directly sell your car without having to go through dealers or auctions. There are two options for you here – onsite and online – and we’ve detailed the information for these below:
Onsite Options
Ask family and friends: If you personally know someone who wants to buy your car, then lucky you!
It could be a family, relative, or friend living in Thailand and it’s one of those rare occasions where you don’t have to look far and wide for a buyer– plus you know these people well.
Use social media: You can also widen your onsite reach if you use your social media to post or reach out to your family, friends, and acquaintances and inform them that you are selling your pre-loved vehicle.
There are also marketplaces in Thailand where you can list your car.
Prepare for a quick sale: Keep in mind though, that selling quickly can also be quite stressful especially if you’re pressed for time. Aside from time constraints, you have to prepare the documents needed for the transfer of ownership which can also take time.
If you can have it arranged, you can have the buyer do all the paperwork for the transfer as well.
A word of caution though – if the documents aren’t properly processed and ownership isn’t completed, you’ll still be accountable if the vehicle encounters problems in the future. As such, we recommend ensuring that the transfer of ownership is completed!
Online Options
Carsome.co.th
Carsome is a great website for you to sell your auto fast without having to go through a lot of negotiations with prospective buyers. The site does this by offering to sell your auto to different dealers.
In fact, you most probably get a great offer for your vehicle within 24 hours after you post here.
Car Forums
These car forums are perfect for you if you want to sell cars to certain groups and if you want to interact with possible buyers about the condition of the vehicle you’re selling. First, car forums will usually be composed of niche customers.
This means that prospective buyers in most car forums will often have very specific preferences when it comes to brand, make, and model.
So if you’re selling your Japanese car to Japanese car enthusiasts, it goes without saying that you’ve got a high likelihood of selling that car to one of the members of that forum.
Car forums will also allow you to respond to online questions raised by members. If one is interested in buying your pre-loved auto, he or she can simply ask you about the history of the car or if there are any add-ons or accessories that make the unit special.
Facebook isn’t just for your social network as it now has a Marketplace, a virtual space where you can sell almost anything under the sun to anyone who’s interested. Simply log in to your profile and post the item you’re buying along with some of the details.
You’d be surprised at how quickly you’ll get a query about your items for sale. Also, keep in mind that while you won’t get the best rate, Facebook Marketplace can help you sell your vehicle pretty quickly.
Kaidee.com
Kaidee.com is one of the top online car selling tools in Thailand and it’s not hard to see why. Here, you can post your car for sale using the website’s very friendly user interface.
What’s more, it has one of the biggest user bases for pre-loved cars which means a post here will reach thousands of prospective buyers who might be interested in your pre-loved vehicle.
