Selling a car on ebay - good idea or avoid?

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knightstyle said:

We have sold our last two cars on Ebay, just be ready for the scams and time wasters but we did get a few serious enquiries.  Made sure they paid by bank transfer from an account in their name, did not let them drive because of insurance and never let the keys leave my hand or pocket.

Unless it's Mike Brewer from Wheeler Dealers and he has a camera crew following him.

marcia_

Jonx999 said:

marcia_ said:

 I've sold two cars on ebay cash on delivery and not had a problem 

That's encouraging.  Did you use a fixed price or auction?

Fixed price, I had a couple of dim wits messaging me offering significantly less but they were ignored. 

Goudy

By asking the question I think you already know it's probably not going to be plain sailing.
I've sold and bought plenty of cars and bikes on Ebay in the past and to be truthful, no two are the same.

Some deals go surprisingly easily, others turn out tough and frustrating but 9 times out of 10 it won't be easy.

There will be a few chancers and time wasters that'll want your car well below what you advertise it at.
If there is anything you can do to try and put those off, all the better but it's hard to discourage them.

Generally they will fixate on the price more than anything else so anything you can do that helps identify a genuine buyer, all the better,

Quite often the less you say in the advert the more you'll get interest via messaging/phone and perhaps viewings.
By that I mean stick to the simple facts, MOT length, mileage, number of owners, service history etc rather than your opinion of the car.

If it has faults and flaws, state them but there is nothing to stop you presenting the car well in the photos.

More often than not genuine buyers will contact you for these opinions and to discuss possible faults/flaws rather than just the price.

Genuine and chancers will always want to haggle, so be ready with what you would be happy taking for it and just say no to everything else.
If you do get what you feel is genuine interest and they ask what you'd take before traveling to see it, be upfront and tell them this is what you'll take.
Come and look by all means, but don't expect to get it for anything less.

If they ask you to do something that smells fishy to get the deal done, it usually is fishy. Don't get sucked in.
Be clear what your terms are.
I've never delivered or met someone halfway for a car sale, but I have delivered bikes after they have sent a reasonable deposit.

It's tempting to want to "help" out a buyer when they present some unprepared for or unusual requests.
Don't umm or arh if you aren't comfortable, just tell them so. If they are genuine, most will understand.

Always have someone else available with you when it comes to viewing in case the buyers turn up mob handed.
You need someone else to watch them all.

MEM62

The last three vehicles I have sold were all sold on Facebook Marketplace.  The all sold quickly and without any issues.  

jimjames

The cheap cars I've sold over the last few years have been via Facebook Marketplace. I did also use Gumtree but the same person saw the ads on both who eventually bought the car. You'll get some timewasters and messages saying just "Best price" but easy to ignore those. Best of all it's free so even if a little more hassle there's more in your pocket. Just use the normal caution when selling any car and don't leave a buyer alone with it unattended when they could do something to do the car that enables them to claim there's a fault to reduce price. (but that applies whatever platform you use to sell)

ThisIsWeird

EBay is an excellent place to buy or sell a car, Jon. It gives you a large, clear platform for lots of photos, and room for a detailed description. And, the end price is non-negotiable, whether BIN ('make offer') or auction. 

You can easily emphasise that point - 'no negotiation at end of auction' - but you don't have to; if they fail to pay the full price, you inform eBay, and they get a black mark. Also, offer to allow viewings before the end of auction. Add that you'd be happy to take any genuinely interested buyer out for a test drive. Only allow folk with Trades plates to drive themselves, and with you in the passenger's seat.

EBay also allows you to check the feedback of the interested parties. Not full proof, but usually a good indicator, and better than other selling sites.

Payment can be by PayPal, Direct Bank Transfer on collection, or cash on collection (I've used the last two, painlessly.)

Take a full quota of good quality photos, and include close-ups of the best and dodgier parts - refer to them in the text, and have the dodgier ones at the end of the photos. Ie, give as detailed and honest an appraisal of the car as you can.

I often give an introductory overview -"quiet, comfy, roomy family car, and lovely on longer drives...", and then a bullet-point list of 'good' points and 'not-so-good', with the added caveat that it's the opinion of the owner, a 'layman', and not a mechanic.

Everything you say must be 'true'. If the car has been a superbly-reliable first-time starter, then say so - that it 'has' been in your ownership, and not 'is'.

Bullet-point everything good about the car. How much service history. When brakes last replaced. Depth of tyre treads. Condition of bodywork. And interior - that's important to a lot of folk. All extras and features. "Never failed to start, hot or cold" "Never returned less than 50mpg - over 60mpg on longer journeys"

And then the 'issues' - hopefully these are not significant, so by listing them, folk will just realise you are just being picky and honest.

"Some scuffs and marks to the bodywork - see pics 8-11 for the worst - but no holes."

"Some surface rust to a couple of scratches, but easily sorted if wished"

"Some bobbling of the seat fabric at the edges - see photo - but no tears."

In essence, you don't want anyone to turn up and be disappointed.