Curbstoning is selling used vehicles without a dealer license while posing as a private seller. It is illegal in every state, and the cars are disproportionately the ones licensed dealers will not touch: salvage cars, flood cars, odometer-rolled cars, and vehicles with hidden structural damage. The fastest check is free: search the seller's phone number. If it shows up on ads for several different vehicles, you are talking to a volume operation, not an owner.
One phone number, five cars
The name comes from the old practice of parking cars along curbs with for-sale signs, running a car lot without a lot, a license, or any of the disclosure requirements that apply to licensed dealers. The modern version runs on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and OfferUp. The seller buys damaged or problematic vehicles cheaply, does minimal cosmetic work, and resells them as personal cars.
The phone number test catches most of them. Copy the number from the listing and paste it into a search engine. A private owner selling one car has one listing. A curbstoner has several, often under different accounts, rotating frequently. Other tells stack the same way: the seller asks which car you are calling about, gives vague answers about maintenance history, and cannot say where he bought the car or why he is selling it. None of these proves anything alone. Together they describe a business, not a person selling a car.
Related reading on this site: Home and Cashier's Check Fraud: The Payment That Clears Before It Bounces cover the neighbouring problems in more depth.
Title jumping is the tell that matters
Title jumping, also called floating the title, is when someone buys a vehicle and resells it without transferring the title into their own name. It conceals the reseller's involvement in the transaction, and it is itself illegal in most states. When the name on the title does not match the seller's ID, ask for documentation proving they are authorized to sell, such as a power of attorney. If they cannot produce it, walk away.
The legal backdrop is the FTC's Used Car Rule, codified at 16 CFR Part 455, which requires covered used car dealers to display a Buyer's Guide on vehicles they offer for sale. The guide discloses warranty status and advises the buyer to request a pre-purchase inspection. Curbstoners skip the guide even when their sales volume makes them subject to the rule. Every state also requires a dealer license to buy and sell vehicles for profit above a threshold, typically three to five transactions a year, and some states set the threshold at zero.
The protections you lose
A licensed dealer has to disclose known defects, and lemon laws cover many dealer sales. A curbstoner owes you none of that. The car is sold as a private transaction, which means the buyer takes the history as it is, including the salvage title, the flood damage, and the lien the seller never mentioned. Vehicles sold by curbstoners may carry undisclosed accident history, salvage or flood damage, odometer rollback, mechanical defects, and outstanding liens.
The fix is procedural and it costs nothing. Check that the name on the title matches the seller's ID. Search the phone number across marketplaces. Run the vehicle history through Experian AutoCheck or Carfax for accidents and salvage branding. Insist on an independent inspection, and meet at the seller's home, not a parking lot. A legitimate private seller has no reason to avoid showing you where the car lives. If the deal only works in a gas station parking lot with cash and no paperwork, it is not a deal.
Frequently asked questions
What is curbstoning?
Curbstoning is selling used vehicles without a dealer license while posing as a private seller. It is illegal in every state. Modern curbstoners operate mainly through online marketplaces like Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist.
How can I spot a curbstoner?
Search the seller's phone number: if it appears on multiple vehicle listings, the seller is running a volume operation. Other signs are a title that names someone else, vague answers about the car's history, a refusal to meet at home, and pressure to pay cash fast.
What is title jumping?
Title jumping is buying a vehicle and reselling it without transferring the title into your own name. It hides the reseller's involvement and is illegal in most states. If the name on the title does not match the seller's ID, ask for proof they are authorized to sell.
What protections do I lose buying from a curbstoner?
Licensed dealers must disclose known defects and are covered by lemon laws in many states. A curbstoner sale is treated as a private transaction, so the buyer takes the car with whatever history it carries, including salvage, flood damage, or an undisclosed lien.