Tips for Selling a Car on eBay

If you're thinking about selling a used car or truck, listing on the auction website eBay Motors might be worth your consideration. A few of the advantages this site provides include:

• The ability to have your advertisement seen by millions of potential buyers.
• Reasonable listing fees.
• The choice of selling your car by auction or a fixed price.
• Selling locally or nationally.

Feel free to use the following tips to sell your vehicle quickly and safely, and give your potential buyers the assurances needed to purchase your vehicle with confidence.

The eBay Selling Process

Here are the general steps you'll need to take to get your listing online and sold.

Step 1: List Your Vehicle

By creating an account, you can list your vehicle for sale on eBay. While there isn't any money due initially, you will be required to pay a fee once your vehicle sells.

Listings fees are based on the asking price and type of vehicle

You'll need your vehicle's information to create a listing. eBay provides a printable checklist to help get you started.

After you agree to pay the fees once your vehicle sells, you can create your ad.

Step 2: Create Your Ad

The general steps to creating an online eBay ad for your vehicle are as follows:

• Write a description of your car.
  • Basic information includes:
    • VIN number.
    • Make and model.
    • Type of engine and transmission.
    • Vehicle condition.
    • Special features.
    • Modifications.
    • Ownership history.
    • Maintenance records.
    • Warranty information, if applicable.
• Include plenty of photos of the interior and exterior of the vehicle.
• Set a sale or (starting) auction price.
  • Once you've researched your vehicle's market value, you choose between:
    • A reserve price auction, which is the minimum price you are willing to accept.
    • No reserve price auction, which allows you to start the auction at any price.
    • A “buy it now" price, which is a fixed purchase price.
• Determine the terms of the sale.
  • Some of the terms you'll want to consider include:
    • If you want to sell locally or nationally.
    • Shipping arrangements.
    • Financing options through eBay.
    • How you'd like to receive payment.

Step 3: Monitor the Advertisement

Now your job is to keep an eye on the progress of your vehicle sale. Buyers will be able to contact you through eBay if they have any questions.

The best way to sell your vehicle quickly is to answer any questions thoroughly. If you notice that important information has been left out, you can also edit your listing to make it more complete.

Keep track of the views and number of watchers your vehicle is getting. If these numbers are low or if the vehicle isn't selling, you may need to lower your sale price.

Step 4: Finalize the Sale

Once you've found a buyer that you're eager to sell to, you'll need to:

• Receive payment from the buyer.
• Arrange for the pickup or shipment of your vehicle.
• Transfer the title once you have cash in hand.

Tips for Vehicle Sellers on eBay

Other than the basic elements listed above, there are other things you can do to get your vehicle sold quickly and safely.

Highlight eBay's Vehicle Purchase Protection

One advantage of eBay over some of the other classified ad services is the inclusion of the Vehicle Purchase Protection plan. This protects the buyer's purchase against fraud up to $100,000.

While there isn't anything additional required on your part, some buyers might not be aware of this benefit. Including this information somewhere in the description could help reassure the buyer that such a major purchase is safe.

Consider Seller Condition Assurance

You can guarantee the condition of your vehicle when you list it. When you do so, eBay will put a gold seal on your advertisement that alerts buyers of an honest and accurate listing. This is important, especially for buyers out of state deciding to purchase a vehicle sight-unseen.

If you do choose this option, be aware that you will also be agreeing to work with the buyer (and accept a return) if there are problems following the sale.

Provide a Vehicle History Report

Including a vehicle history report (VHR) with your listing will give the buyer most of the information needed to make a decision. It will also provide a level of transparency concerning the history of your vehicle that can build trust during the transaction.

Set Up a Vehicle Inspection

Having your car or truck inspected from by third party and providing the report with your listing can help attract more buyers by:

• Verifying the accuracy of your listing.
• Increasing buyer's confidence that any potential sale is legitimate.

Offer Financing

For some vehicles with high sale prices, it may make sense to offer an option to finance. The eBay Financing Center is one choice that you can utilize.

Research & Prepare Shipping Options

One of the reasons eBay Motors is so popular is because buyers can purchase from a wide range of vehicles from all over the world. Keep in mind, however, that selling nationally or internationally will also require you to arrange shipment for your vehicle.

The buyer is usually responsible for making shipping arrangements, but do some research on your end as well, so you both know what to expect and how much the costs will be before you close a deal.