The chances are if you\u2019re on the hunt for a new set of wheels that you already have one set sitting in your garage or on your driveway. You can, of course, trade the old vehicle in for the new one, but you tend to get a few more shekels if you sell it yourself \u2013 well, usually. This depends on the vehicle you\u2019re selling and what your local car dealer can offer you in the way of a trade-in. But often, if you do your homework, you end up working out that you can probably get more by being your own used car salesman\/woman\/person.<\/p>\n
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Online auction sites like EBay (by far the most popular and international online sales site) are very popular for selling off your stuff. People go on that site for fun \u201cjust to have a wee look at what\u2019s out there\u201d and also when they\u2019re seriously hunting for a car. And there are many upsides to doing so, as well as the odd downside.<\/p>\n
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One of the downsides is that you usually have to pay an insertion fee \u2013 after all, the operators of EBay have to eat. And even though listing some things on EBay can be done for free, cars can\u2019t be, as you\u2019ll find out if you read the small print. And you also have to pay a percentage of the final selling price. Make sure that you factor these costs in when you set the reserve price on the auction. At this point, you still want to be sure that you\u2019re getting more cash in hand for your old wheels than you would get by using the vehicle as a trade in. Also consider this when setting your reserve price and your \u201cbuy now\u201d price. The same applies to other online auction sites that allows private individuals to list stuff for sale.
\nTo get a good idea of what your starting price and what your reserve price should be, have a look at other cars listed of the same age and type as the one you\u2019re selling. Your price should be roughly around the same level, although you need to take mileage and overall condition into consideration.<\/p>\n
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Photos are an absolute must when you\u2019re selling a vehicle online, but not all photos are alike. It can get a little ho-hum if the only photos you put up just show the exterior of the car from different angles. Yes, your car looks pretty good and you\u2019ve done a nice job with the polish, but often buyers want to know more than just that \u2013 at least I would. If you\u2019re looking for, say, a Honda Accord<\/a>, and you see half a dozen listings that just show the front and side, and they\u2019re all similar colours, they all start to look the same. So what sort of photos should you include?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Be reasonably detailed when describing your vehicle and don\u2019t just copy and paste the relevant page out of our car reviews (I\u2019ve seen this done). Let your buyers know all the basic stats like the year, the engine size, the mileage, and all that sort of thing. If it\u2019s got any special features or if you\u2019ve recently replaced some parts, then list these as well (e.g. \u201cbrand new tyres on front\u201d).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n You may or may not want to list minor flaws. The key word here is \u201cminor\u201d \u2013 small things that you\u2019d like to know if you were the buyer. You may also want to list the reason you\u2019re selling it, but use discretion. \u201cOwner going overseas,\u201d \u201cExpecting new addition to the family,\u201d and \u201cWe\u2019re downsizing and don\u2019t need a second vehicle,\u201d are all good reasons why you could be selling, but don\u2019t explain that \u201cIt\u2019s a thirsty brute and I\u2019m not supporting its drinking habit any longer.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There are a lot of cars for sale online so your vehicle may not sell the first time you list it. Often, the second attempt is more successful (but you might strike it lucky first time). Patience pays off\u2026 or you might like to try another method.<\/p>\n\n