Is It Smart to Give Out your VIN Number

Selling a car that is not in use can earn great profits. It will clear up some extra space in the garage and will also give an opportunity to invest in something else. But selling a car is not something one should be worried about. It’s the basics of how to go about it and the safety issues regarding the VINs.

How smart is it to give out your VIN number? Who exactly should know this information? Let’s find out.

What is a VIN?

VIN stands for Vehicle Identification Number. A VIN is a unique 17 digit code that is associated with the car. Since this number is unique to every automobile, it can be used for authentication checks. With this VIN, anyone can access the details and the history of any vehicle. A thorough check can be done which gives a proper report of the past and present of any car. Knowing the VIN will help the buyers in making a quick decision.

The VIN is generally accessible to anyone who is physically near the car as it is usually placed near the windshield or the driver’s seat window. However, is it really safe to give out your VIN? Let’s take a closer look at what should be taken care of.

Identify Mode of Sales

The first step to knowing whether or not to share the VIN is to identify the selling process. When selling the car to a known person or any person who is a potential buyer, giving out your VIN should not be a problem. However, if one is planning to put up a vehicle on sale on any online website, then there is no need to publicly display your VIN. The interested buyers might indeed want to check on the history of respective cars using these VINs but they can always contact the seller for additional information.

Why do the buyers need a VIN Check?

There are certain benefits to knowing a car’s VIN that allow the buyer to escape scams and make sure they are buying an authentic vehicle. With a VIN, the buyers can do multiple checks on the car.

One can find out whether the car they have selected is still on finance payments or not. One can also do a write-off check and know if the car has ever been in an accident before. A stolen vehicle check will allow the buyers a glance at the car’s history and one can also check for significant defects in the car using the VIN. An authentic site for perfectly detailed reports is www.quickppsr.com.

Apart from these authentication checks, one can also find generalistic registration details and the specifics of the car owner from these VINs.

Advantages of Giving Out Your VIN Number

Once a buyer is interested in the vehicle, they will most probably ask for the VIN. Sharing a number at this point is necessary for the seller in order to make a good sale. If the seller is reluctant to share the VIN, one might be suspicious about the car’s past.

VIN is necessary for the buyers to know so that they can recheck the history, manufacturer, model, and value of the vehicle. Here are a few advantages of giving out your VIN to the right person at the right time.

1. Good sales

If the seller has shared the VIN, the buyer would be able to check the specifics of the car. This will help them in making a better decision on the price of the car and the seller also stays in a place where he can demand a fair amount. If the car is in perfectly good condition and the buyer can verify it, a good sale is guaranteed. To get help and all information you need visit this website,

2. Transparency

When a seller gives away the VIN easily, a potential buyer feels trusted and this transparency builds good relations between them. No customer wants to blindly purchase a car. Giving out the VIN shows that you acknowledge their rechecking and also gives a sense that there is nothing wrong with the car.

3. The perfect match

After checking out the car specifics, different types of buyers can make sure whether this is the purchase they want to make. It also allows the seller to make sure their cargoes to the right person.

Possible Threats

Although VINs are not something as private and secret as the credit numbers or addresses, oversharing of VIN can cause certain problems. Let’s take a look at it.

1. VIN Cloning

VIN Cloning is something you should surely be worried about. Being one of the greatest threats, VIN Cloning can result in huge losses for the customers as well as the sellers. In this process, the stolen cars are given a new identity by attaching them to a VIN of any normal vehicle. So basically two vehicles with the same VIN will be around in the market.

In case someone purchases such a car with cloned VIN, they are at risk of being arrested or their car being confiscated.

2. Risk to the owner’s identity

The VIN of any car is also associated with the owner of that car. So when an owner is putting up the VIN publicly, for a larger audience, he is also putting his security at stake. Anyone willing to find out information such as the name, address, nationality, age, about owner, can easily do so by tracing the VIN.

3. False Tax Returns on Your VIN

Although this is not an instance that is reported of much, there is no harm in taking necessary precautions. In this case, someone can take the VIN and file a false tax return. The owner will then go through a lot of issues regarding the tax returns document and the details presented by the owner will not be unique.

Final Words

There are certain advantages as well as threats to sharing a particular VIN. The VIN is private enough that it shouldn’t be shared with a large number of people and at the same time, it is important enough to be shared with the requisite people.

To avoid all the possible threats, there is only one thing an owner can do. That is to not put up the VIN anywhere on advertisements or online websites. The number should only be passed to trusted individuals and potential buyers. Happy trading!