Private car sale, Ontario
How do I sell my car privately in Ontario without giving out my cell number?
Put a listing number in the ad instead of your cell. Car buyers text, and an ad with no number gets fewer replies, so the fix is not to remove the number but to use one you can drop after the sale. A TheLocalRing number costs C$5.99 for three days, C$7.99 for a week, or C$14.99 for a month, texts to it arrive in your email, and it stops forwarding when the pass ends. Your cell never appears on Kijiji, AutoTrader, Facebook Marketplace, or the sign in the window.
Why car ads attract more junk than a couch ad
A used car is worth thousands, so it draws more than the usual scrapers. Curbsiders, unlicensed dealers who pose as private buyers and sellers, watch new ads for cars they can flip. Lowballers text every ad in a price band. Scammers send the "is this still available" opener and follow it with an e-transfer offer. A private seller who posted a cell number in the ad hears from all of them for weeks after the car is gone.
Set up the listing
- Get the listing number first, then write the ad. Choose a Toronto, GTA, Ottawa, or other Ontario area code so the number looks local to the buyer.
- Put the listing number in the ad text and in the phone field, and say "text me". On a pass, callers hear a short message asking them to text instead; on Monthly the call rings your phone.
- Get the Used Vehicle Information Package from ServiceOntario. Ontario requires the seller to give it to the buyer. Do not photograph your ownership for a stranger; show it in person.
- Keep your address out of the ad. Meet at a public place for the first look, and at a licensed mechanic for the inspection if the buyer wants one.
Screen the texts
Real buyers ask about the car: kilometres, accidents, why you are selling, whether it is certified. They want to see it. A curbsider asks for your lowest price before seeing it and offers cash today. A scammer offers more than asking, wants to pay by e-transfer, and has a courier. Reply to the first group from your email, and let the rest sit.
Close the sale, then close the number
Take payment in person, sign the UVIP transfer, and keep the plates. Then let the pass end. Forwarding stops, the number is reserved to you for seven days in case a buyer needs to reach you about paperwork, and after that it is released. Nobody who copied the ad has your cell.
Pay only for the time you need
A listing number costs less than a coffee.
- 1 day
- C$2.99One payment. Never renews.
- 3 days
- C$5.99One payment. Never renews.
- 7 days
- C$7.99One payment. Never renews.
- Monthly
- C$14.99/monthFirst 14 days free. Cancel anytime.
Questions people ask next
Do I have to give a phone number in a car ad?
No. Kijiji and AutoTrader allow message-only ads. In practice a car ad with no number gets fewer replies, which is why a separate listing number works better than no number.
What is a curbsider?
An unlicensed dealer who sells cars while posing as a private individual, often without disclosing accident history or liens. Curbsiders also buy from private ads to resell.
Will a 289 or 437 number look suspicious to buyers?
No. They are ordinary Ontario mobile area codes. Buyers see a local number and text it.
Can buyers call the listing number?
On a 1-day, 3-day, or 7-day pass, they hear a spoken message asking them to text, and most buyers text back within a minute. On Monthly, the call rings your own phone and you hear the caller’s number before you pick up.
Which pass fits a car sale?
Three days at C$5.99 if you expect it to go over a weekend, seven at C$7.99 if it might run a week. Monthly at C$14.99 if you are pricing it to hold out. Monthly cancels anytime.
What if the sale takes longer than the pass?
Buy another pass before the seven-day reservation ends and the same number is assigned to you again, so the ad does not need to change.
Do I need a second phone or SIM?
No. Texts arrive in your email and your email replies go back as SMS from the listing number.
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TheLocalRing is not affiliated with or endorsed by Kijiji, Facebook Marketplace, AutoTrader, Craigslist, or Google. Published 2026-09-08.