Howdy - I just sold a vehicle (to help finance the Prius!) and the buyer will ship it from CA to GA. When he has paid in full, he wants me to send him the title to the vehicle. Does anybody have any suggestions on how best to do that? Certified mail? Fed Ex? Any idea what happens if it is lost? Maybe I'm just being too paranoid, but it does freak me out a bit to send this original, important doc ocross the country. Thanks for any input.
Send it FexEx overnight. I couldn't find my title to my truck when I sold it and just went down to DMV with ID and got another for $10.00 on the spot. The new voids the old one. Once you have the money (cash- whatever kind of check was cashed and funds were there to cover), ask the buyer how he wants it sent. It becomes his problem.
Hey, thanks Koa. That puts my mind at ease all the way around. It will still be my problem if it is lost though, as I'm the one who has to go stand in line at the DMV to get a new one... but it is nice to know it isn't a huge deal.
I would definitely do FedEx that way you can retain tracking information and the item will possibly get to its destination quicker. Luckily the buyer for my previous vehicle (Saturn) is local, and stopping by tonight to trade the cash for the title/vehicle.
You probably already know/did this, don't forget to cancel insurance and send in the change of ownership form (if your state has one). It's also good to see an ID to make sure it matches the buyer. I also wrote the time by the date to cover any buyer's accident on the date of sale.
It's cool that the Hawai'i DMV will give you an instant title certificate. In California, they mail them, even if you go to the DMV in person, and it takes a few weeks. But then it only costs $16 here. When I did this a few weeks ago, the DMV clerk told me that because I had ordered a new title, the old one was void.
Insurance will definitely be canceled and liability release form will be sent. No problem there! Matching the ID will be tough though as I'll never be meeting the buyer. The truck will still be parked in my driveway when I mail off the title.
I'm glad so many PCers are suggesting FedEx. It helps with the twice a month direct deposit into my bank account. You definitely want to use a method that lets you track it along the way. (In my "slightly" biased opinion FedEx excels in this.) Be careful with the payment you receive. It may look good and your bank may seem to accept it on the spot only to learn later that it is fake and you don't get the funds.
I would say the same, make sure your bank will actually accept the check and put cash in your account before you send the car. There is a lot a scam's online, my friend was bombarded with scam attemts when he tried to sell his corrolla (thogh most of them came from abroad).
