Selling a Car on eBay: Tips to Get You Started By: Ciriaco Abada
If you want to sell your car on eBay, but have never used the popular online auction website before, you may need guidance. Continue reading on for tips on how to get started with selling your car on eBay.com.
First, you must have a free eBay account. If you have never bought and sold on the website before, you must create a new account. This is easy. All you do is visit eBay.com. There, you will see a link towards the top of the page to "register." Click on that link and follow the directions. Within minutes, you will have an account that enables you to sell your vehicle.
Although it is free to register an account with eBay, it is not free to sell. There is no listing fee for the first four times you list your vehicle for sale in 12 months. There is however a successful listing fee. This is if your car sells. As of January 2009, it was $125 for cars, trucks, and other similar vehicles. If you list your car more than four times and it does not sell, you are charged a $20 insertion fee from there on out. What does this mean? It is better to do a good listing and get your car sold the first time.
Most importantly, you need to have realistic expectations. Too many people think of eBay and see huge dollar signs. Unless you have a rare or antique car that is in pristine shape, don't expect to strike it rich. You will not. The car should sell for about the same it would locally. Do not believe all the hype that some infomercials sell you about getting rich on eBay. It can happen, but it is rare and unlikely with a vehicle.
Your car may not sell the first time around. It needs to get noticed. Unfortunately, this can be hard. Ebay is a popular online auction website; there are millions of auctions going at any given time. There are thousands of cars listed for sale. Do not get discouraged if you car doesn't sell the first time you list it. Sometimes, it takes at least two or three times. With that said, remember you are charged more for the fifth listing.
Before you start creating your eBay auction listing, gather information about your vehicle. A well-written and detailed description helps your chances. You need the make, model, year, transmission style, mileage, and cylinder count. Then, get into the features, such as optional add-ons, safety features, and so forth. Most importantly, state any damage the car has. Be honest. If you have Microsoft Word or Works on your computer, write your description with one of these programs. They have spell check. Just copy and paste into eBay's description box.
When making your eBay auction listing, you need to create a headline. This is what buyers see first. It should describe your car. For example, "used 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback White 4 Door Wagon."
Next, take pictures of your vehicle. In fact, take many. Choose the best pictures to post on the website. You should have pictures of the odometer, dashboard, front and back seats, all sides of the exterior, and the engine.
Finally, you will have to set your price and outline shipping or pickup. Most buyers pick up their vehicles. You can allow the person to pay in cash or send you a check beforehand. When setting your price, be fair. Do not start your auction out low in case it does not receive any bids. The last thing you want to do is end up selling a $5,000 car for $500.
After following the step-by-step guide given by eBay, preview your auction before listing it. Look at it from the standpoint of a buyer. Would you buy the car? Is the description detailed? It is easy to read? Did the car pictures turn out well or are they blurry? If you notice any errors, now is the time to go back and fix them. Once you publish the listing, it appears on the eBay.com website.
About the Author:
Ciriaco Abada is a free lance writer and editor who loves to educate people in many different topics such as business plan examples, make money off the internet, how to make your own website and many more.
First, you must have a free eBay account. If you have never bought and sold on the website before, you must create a new account. This is easy. All you do is visit eBay.com. There, you will see a link towards the top of the page to "register." Click on that link and follow the directions. Within minutes, you will have an account that enables you to sell your vehicle.
Although it is free to register an account with eBay, it is not free to sell. There is no listing fee for the first four times you list your vehicle for sale in 12 months. There is however a successful listing fee. This is if your car sells. As of January 2009, it was $125 for cars, trucks, and other similar vehicles. If you list your car more than four times and it does not sell, you are charged a $20 insertion fee from there on out. What does this mean? It is better to do a good listing and get your car sold the first time.
Most importantly, you need to have realistic expectations. Too many people think of eBay and see huge dollar signs. Unless you have a rare or antique car that is in pristine shape, don't expect to strike it rich. You will not. The car should sell for about the same it would locally. Do not believe all the hype that some infomercials sell you about getting rich on eBay. It can happen, but it is rare and unlikely with a vehicle.
Your car may not sell the first time around. It needs to get noticed. Unfortunately, this can be hard. Ebay is a popular online auction website; there are millions of auctions going at any given time. There are thousands of cars listed for sale. Do not get discouraged if you car doesn't sell the first time you list it. Sometimes, it takes at least two or three times. With that said, remember you are charged more for the fifth listing.
Before you start creating your eBay auction listing, gather information about your vehicle. A well-written and detailed description helps your chances. You need the make, model, year, transmission style, mileage, and cylinder count. Then, get into the features, such as optional add-ons, safety features, and so forth. Most importantly, state any damage the car has. Be honest. If you have Microsoft Word or Works on your computer, write your description with one of these programs. They have spell check. Just copy and paste into eBay's description box.
When making your eBay auction listing, you need to create a headline. This is what buyers see first. It should describe your car. For example, "used 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback White 4 Door Wagon."
Next, take pictures of your vehicle. In fact, take many. Choose the best pictures to post on the website. You should have pictures of the odometer, dashboard, front and back seats, all sides of the exterior, and the engine.
Finally, you will have to set your price and outline shipping or pickup. Most buyers pick up their vehicles. You can allow the person to pay in cash or send you a check beforehand. When setting your price, be fair. Do not start your auction out low in case it does not receive any bids. The last thing you want to do is end up selling a $5,000 car for $500.
After following the step-by-step guide given by eBay, preview your auction before listing it. Look at it from the standpoint of a buyer. Would you buy the car? Is the description detailed? It is easy to read? Did the car pictures turn out well or are they blurry? If you notice any errors, now is the time to go back and fix them. Once you publish the listing, it appears on the eBay.com website.
About the Author:
Ciriaco Abada is a free lance writer and editor who loves to educate people in many different topics such as business plan examples, make money off the internet, how to make your own website and many more.
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