Anyone sell a car on ebay?

[ChemMan]

I am thinking about putting up my 1990 mercedes 300SEL on ebay. Has anyone done this? What are the fees etc? I am not sure if it is hassle or not.
Mike

[Rot 911]

I just sold my Austin Healey Sprite on ebay last month after getting some good ideas from the people here on the OT board. The fees are fairly reasonable. My advice is write up a good description with lots of pictures. Link to my ad: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=013&item=230006893517&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMESO%3AIT

[Tervuren]

And don't over sensationalize. Its a real turn off for me. I know what say - a 951 can do, I don't need to be told that. One Auction was soo bad, I copied it into notepad, and cut it to 1/4th of his description with all the useless exclamations. Especialy bad have been some of the Boxter based Carrera GT bodykits, things like. "No one will know the difference!", or "Have you ever wanted to own a $500,000 car!".

Avoid things like that for sure.

[speeder]

Originally posted by Tervuren
And don't over sensationalize. Its a real turn off for me. I know what say - a 951 can do, I don't need to be told that. One Auction was soo bad, I copied it into notepad, and cut it to 1/4th of his description with all the useless exclamations. Especialy bad have been some of the Boxter based Carrera GT bodykits, things like. "No one will know the difference!", or "Have you ever wanted to own a $500,000 car!".

Avoid things like that for sure.

You hit it on the head. There is nothing more annoying than the "infomercial" type of eBay ad, something you never used to see when people had to pay by the word for car ads. eBay opened a whole new can of wipe-ass with their free unlimited text feature.

When someone is browsing used car ads, (a major time consumer under the best of circumstances), the last thing they need is Vince Lombardi's "This is a football" speech. They want to know as much relavent info about your specific car, not the history of the 1998 Accord. (Or whatever is being sold). Those Dostoyevski ads usually omit the miles and minor details about flood damage, as well.

Sorry for the rant, but the discussion reminded me of one of life's true dreads, the verbose yet uninformative eBay ad. Take lots of GOOD pictures, (study other ads), up close and showing the flaws/dings plus the interior up close w/ good lighting. Dark, distant or glam shots are worthless, might as well have a kid draw a picture w/ crayons. People like eBay for the pictures, period. I've seen good ads that had hardly any text and great photos. Good luck!

[jshape]

I've sold one car ('76 912E) and one motorcycle on EBay with good results. Like the other posters suggested, list specifics on your car and post lots of pictures - especially ones showing any warts the car might have. I elected to be overly cautious and described every thing that was not perfect in the spirit of full disclosure. I also was reasonable in what I expected to get for the car and bike and was surprised in both occasions by getting more than I expected. I also did not have a reserve price - I started the auction at my dead rock bottom price knowing full well that it could sell for that amount.

Unless you have something that is extremely rare (and Ebay would not be my first choice for selling something like a real '73 RS) you are probably not going to get top dollar for your car.

I look at Ebay as kind of a forum of last resort to use when you really want to just sell the car more than you want to get top dollar for it.

[DavidI]

I sold my 1967 912 on ebay and the sale was a pleasure. I clearly documented the car in factual terms showcasing the good and bad. It went very well.

David

[Rick V]

I sold Beth's Miata a couple of years ago and it went well. The worse problem I had was getting the buyer here to pick it up. He rode in on the train and drove off in his new car.
Lots of pics and make yourself avabile for questions from perspective buyers.

[JavaBrewer]

B4 you make the $ commitment for ebay have you tried Craigs list? I have sold cars, a motorcycle, several bicycles, and many household items there. Also bought a car and motorcycle there. Highly recommended and it's free.

[Scooter]

I am in the same boat. I have listed my Boxster S on Craiglist and Auto Trader Online, but it is not getting the attention it deserves (priced below blue book). I am thinking of E-Bay, but not sure how to proceed. The other glitch is, the car is financed, and not sure how that will work.

[speeder]

Here is an example of a seller that needs a good beating:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/83-SUPER-CARRERA-CABRIOLET-107K-FACTORY-ORIG-CLEAN-CAR_W0QQitemZ110031968946QQihZ001QQcategoryZ10156Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Vipergrün]

Originally posted by speeder
Here is an example of a seller that needs a good beating:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/83-SUPER-CARRERA-CABRIOLET-107K-FACTORY-ORIG-CLEAN-CAR_W0QQitemZ110031968946QQihZ001QQcategoryZ10156Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

****e man, you'd need a 55" monitor to see that all on the screen.. ACK!!!


I sold a Toyota truck on ebay a few months ago. Sold it to a guy on the East Coast who thought my truck was a gem cuz it had no rust. I got top $$ biddind and he paid for transport. Be honest, take good pictures, and have a to the point description.