1. The bait-and-switch offer
You are quoted $800 on the phone, but when the truck arrives the driver "inspects" the car and offers $200, banking on you wanting it gone. Reputable services quote from your description and photos and stick to it.
2. Hidden towing fees
Collection should be free. If a quote mysteriously drops by a "towage charge" at pickup, walk away.
3. No paperwork
A proper buyer gives you a receipt and expects you to complete the NZTA change of ownership. If they wave paperwork away, the car could later be linked back to you for parking fines or toll charges.
4. Payment promises
"We will transfer the money next week" is not payment. Legitimate buyers pay on the spot — instant bank transfer or cash — before the car leaves your property.
5. No physical yard or landline
Check the business has a real address, reviews on Google, and an NZBN (New Zealand Business Number). A mobile-only operator with no reviews deserves caution.
6. Pressure tactics
"This offer is only valid in the next hour" is a sales trick. Real quotes hold for days.
7. Asking you to pay anything
You are selling the car. There is no legitimate reason for money to flow from you to the buyer — no "admin fee", no "deregistration charge".
The safe way to sell
Describe the car honestly, send photos, get the quote in writing, and confirm free pickup and on-the-spot payment. Do that and the whole process takes less than a day.