Anyone experienced selling a car on Ebay...?

[mrsya]

Thinking of going down the EBAY route of selling our WRX and wondered if anyone had any tips or advice before we pay our fees?

Can someone buy and then turn up and refuse to pay? Do you have to pay to relist? Is it better to have a buy now price as well or just straight auction? Are there any hidden fees I need to look out for...?

Minefield!

[-Stealth-]

I could write a book on this but gonna attempt to keep it short and sweet.

Depends on the type of coverage you want and/or quick sale. Done right, it can be very successful due to the amount of traffic ebay has.

Car sales has its own rules/section different to normal items sold on ebay.

3 types, auction, buy it now, or classified.

All 3 have different levels of coverage and fees.

If you look into the help section of ebay they will explain the differences and fees.

I prefer the buy it now option.

I sold my Audi within 11 hours of it going live on a buy it now listing, with 'best offer'. The guy turned up next day from Ireland with cash and drove it back!!

There is always a possibility that someone can buy it and then never turn up with the cash, it should be free to relist if this happens.

You can enforce to receive paypal, but be prepared for 3.4% loss in fees.

Successful sale usually results on how good your advert/listing is. Remember, there's are loads of performance cars on the market atm due to the current climate so you need to make yours stand about above the rest. You the seller need to come over as genuine and thoughtful with as much information included as physical possible to show that your a respectable owner. Think about what you would look for when wanting to buy a car off ebay. A couple of photos and a brief description hardly fills you with confidence compared to someone who has obviously spent alot of time putting the advert together giving you more than you need to know. Browse similar adverts and get a feel for what appeals to you and what puts you off, then apply the same. Set realistic price and check the prices of similar cars sold so you know what yours will fetch.

I spent about 4 hours doing mine. Some quick pointers..

Take 40/50 (or more) pictures of your car from every angle, interior/exterior, log book, keys, everything. Put the few best ones on ebay, then upload the rest to a new facebook album or photobucket etc and provide a link to it in the listing for viewers to see.

Include the full history of the car, when and where it was purchased, previous owners, how it was used, how you came to acquire it etc.

Inlcude the full history of every bit of service, from new tyres to oil change. Dates and prices, receipts etc. I did mine in a spread sheet then copied it into ebay.

Keep it looking professional. Use paragraphs, headings, bullet points tables etc. like your writing science report at school (with structure). Don't use big lettering or capitals or coloured fonts and check your spelling and grammer!

The more you put into the add, the more interest it will generate. Use the title wisely and keep it formal. Use the subtitle for positive key facts, -1 owner from new - only 36,000 miles- etc

Of course, if your not bothered what you get for it and just want a quick sale, ignore my advise and use an auction with no reserve, and I won't waste my time anymore!

[mrsya]

Thanks so much for your reply. It's just about the most helpful one I've ever gotten. We're a little baffled to be honest why we've received such little response and so ebay is our last option. It is prob the mileage, 112k, hence the low price, but we're now saying we'd rather keep it ourselves than give it to someone else for peanuts...

[lynnescoobie]

ive always put mine on auto trader ....and sold every car on there ........

[Karl B]

ive sold a couple of toys on ebay (R5 GTT & Merc S320 limo) and got great prices on them both. i must admit ive had good sales on pistonheads also!

I say just be up front about the car even down to the smallest dinks and dents but be aware of dodgy buyers also, ive had a couple of those come to look at cars!

[scatty]

i would say try piston heads as well......

[Karl B]

its the best place i say!

[mrsya]

Thanks again for replies. Will have a look at piston heads. Have had it on auto trader for a fortnight and not one phonecall...

[-Stealth-]

Yeah Autotrader is dead money in my opinion.

Piston heads does have a good reputation but limited on content compared to ebay.

Ebay is difficult to get around, but once figured out it is very successful as your guaranteed traffic, hence the sometimes extortionate fees!

Go with what you feel comfortable with

Also, high milage can be made positive by making the car referred to as a 'motorway cruiser' if it has mainly used for long distances as this indicates it's not had such a hard life as one would expect, providing all service records can be proven.

Edited August 10, 2011 by -Stealth-

[jas1uk]

hi i put a car on ebay not long ago and it didnt sell but you still have to pay there fees and if you relist it they charge you again. if you do sell your car on there be as honest as you can as a freind of mine sold her car on ebay but because she forgot to mention that it had a new wing on because the old one was rotten the colour was very very slight differnt colour to the rest of the car. the buyer came and turned the car down so she contacted ebay and they told her she couldnt claim any fees back because she didnt discribe the car exactly as it was.