PH Classified lost their sparkle?
Discussion
Just wondering what response people are getting from PH ads recently. Over the last 10 years I've sold 2 TVRs (2005 & 2007)and a Ducati (2011) within a week of putting them on PH classifieds.
My experience was that you got sensible, real buyers rather than tyre kickers hence advertising my RR on their recently.
I put my FFRR on a few weeks ago at a very keen price (£3.5k less than the next cheapest on Autotrader) and didn't get 1 call. After 2 weeks of nothing, I paid for an Ad on Autotrader and got 5 calls within a week (1 within 30 mins of the ad going live!), 2 viewings and sold the car today.
Is this typical or is it just that I'm selling an old Rangie which is not PH fodder? Keen to understand other experiences now that Haymarket are apparently pushing the site down a classified route hence I'd expect the response to be getting better, not worse.
PS I did get a free PH sticker sent to me though, Bonza.
My experience was that you got sensible, real buyers rather than tyre kickers hence advertising my RR on their recently.
I put my FFRR on a few weeks ago at a very keen price (£3.5k less than the next cheapest on Autotrader) and didn't get 1 call. After 2 weeks of nothing, I paid for an Ad on Autotrader and got 5 calls within a week (1 within 30 mins of the ad going live!), 2 viewings and sold the car today.
Is this typical or is it just that I'm selling an old Rangie which is not PH fodder? Keen to understand other experiences now that Haymarket are apparently pushing the site down a classified route hence I'd expect the response to be getting better, not worse.
PS I did get a free PH sticker sent to me though, Bonza.
StottyEvo said:
It probably depends on the type of car, I tried to sell a diesel BMW on here and didn't get much response, it sold within a week on AT though.
If I was selling my Evo I reckon it'd sell much better on PH than AT.
Fair point - my TVRs make sense, I was very surprised to sell my Ducati on here but I did think I'd have better luck on a FFRRIf I was selling my Evo I reckon it'd sell much better on PH than AT.
Last car I sold privately was a five year old, owned from new, very clean, very well looked after Mazda MX5. I was selling it in spring and selling it at a competitive and fair mid book price. I put it in Autotrader. I got one and only one phone call. Fortunately that one guy bought it and paid a not kick in the arse off the asking price. If he hadn't I might have been on here moaning that Autotrader are piss poor and that I should be advertising in PH Classifieds.
That's a seller's perspective. One thing I would say is, that as a buyer, I much prefer buying privately from a PHer than an Autotrader.
That's a seller's perspective. One thing I would say is, that as a buyer, I much prefer buying privately from a PHer than an Autotrader.
I used to use the PH classifieds all the time to buy and sell. I rarely look at them now and never advertise a car on here. My lack of interest coincides with when they started charging for adverts. Now I find the majority of the stuff on here is from dealers and lots of it is boring stuff. PH classifieds used to be my go to place for looking for the weird and wonderful.
My searching routine now goes Ebay > Forums specific to the car > Auto Trader > Gumtree > Pistonheads
My searching routine now goes Ebay > Forums specific to the car > Auto Trader > Gumtree > Pistonheads
I used to use the PH classifieds, they were previously a really good format to browse as a pastime, and I know a few people who bought cars from the ads here that they stumbled across while browsing for fun.
Now, the classifieds are rubbish, after Haymarket's little cash-grab attempt. I wouldn't bother advertising here, and I don't even bother browsing now. I'd put a bike on if I was selling it, but only because it's free. There used to be a really good thing going here at PH, but Haymarket killed it - quite how they thought the "new" classified were an improvement is beyond me, but I suspect that someone will have been looking for a new job at some point.
Now, the classifieds are rubbish, after Haymarket's little cash-grab attempt. I wouldn't bother advertising here, and I don't even bother browsing now. I'd put a bike on if I was selling it, but only because it's free. There used to be a really good thing going here at PH, but Haymarket killed it - quite how they thought the "new" classified were an improvement is beyond me, but I suspect that someone will have been looking for a new job at some point.
I've got two cars advertised at the moment (an E28 M5 and an X5). They're listed on PH, eBay and for the M5, carandclassic.co.uk.
I've had interest through eBay and carandclassic, and nothing through PH.
Personally I still browse the PH classifieds, but I actually use it for inspiration, then go to eBay, AT and carandclassic to find the cars I might want to enquire about - there seems to be a PH premium on most things.
I've had interest through eBay and carandclassic, and nothing through PH.
Personally I still browse the PH classifieds, but I actually use it for inspiration, then go to eBay, AT and carandclassic to find the cars I might want to enquire about - there seems to be a PH premium on most things.
It's very sensitive to what sort of car you're dealing with. I generally buy from Auto Trader adverts because, let's face it, the majority of the market seems to be there but I do look on PH too.
The last car I sold was advertised on eBay and PH, and it was PH that shifted it. Pleasant transaction and I got the price I was looking for, too. The last two cars I've bought (BMW 328is) were both from AT adverts, one a dealer and one a fellow PHer.
If I'm really looking to buy, I don't find the PH listings have enough of the market to give me a true idea what's out there. However, if I'm just going to drool over stuff or looking for a really cherished example, sometimes it's better.
But I only look at fairly PH cars. For dull stuff, I probably wouldn't even bother looking.
The last car I sold was advertised on eBay and PH, and it was PH that shifted it. Pleasant transaction and I got the price I was looking for, too. The last two cars I've bought (BMW 328is) were both from AT adverts, one a dealer and one a fellow PHer.
If I'm really looking to buy, I don't find the PH listings have enough of the market to give me a true idea what's out there. However, if I'm just going to drool over stuff or looking for a really cherished example, sometimes it's better.
But I only look at fairly PH cars. For dull stuff, I probably wouldn't even bother looking.
I haven't used them for a good couple of months. It's an annoying waste of time trying to view anything in the PH Classifieds now; don't know if it's just because I'm on an iPad? But it's got to the point where I don't even bother now.
Which is pretty serious, as I used to spend more time on them than the forums!
Which is pretty serious, as I used to spend more time on them than the forums!
Edited by TheLordJohn on Sunday 31st August 10:04
Escy said:
I used to use the PH classifieds all the time to buy and sell. I rarely look at them now and never advertise a car on here. My lack of interest coincides with when they started charging for adverts. Now I find the majority of the stuff on here is from dealers and lots of it is boring stuff. PH classifieds used to be my go to place for looking for the weird and wonderful.
My searching routine now goes Ebay > Forums specific to the car > Auto Trader > Gumtree > Pistonheads
This.. Searching for a nice 330 or something which PH used to be full of, loved ones too.. and all you get is 3 year old 320d's from dealers.My searching routine now goes Ebay > Forums specific to the car > Auto Trader > Gumtree > Pistonheads
I think the new format ruined it.
Autotrader is Europe's biggest motoring website and gets roughly 2 or perhaps 3 times more traffic than PH Classifieds. It is not a surprise to see some cars selling easier on AT.
As others have mentioned, the PHC graphics update in recent months has been a car crash, in my opinion. In my experience, the cutesy graphics are rather unsightly and the dropdown-menu usability is painful (too many clicks). My personal usage of PHC has dropped by over -90% since the update.
With luck, the head of PHC will read this theead, have a rethink, and re-change the website design.
As others have mentioned, the PHC graphics update in recent months has been a car crash, in my opinion. In my experience, the cutesy graphics are rather unsightly and the dropdown-menu usability is painful (too many clicks). My personal usage of PHC has dropped by over -90% since the update.
With luck, the head of PHC will read this theead, have a rethink, and re-change the website design.
Perhaps it's time to give a fresh tranche of members free advert privileges. I would imagine they're a lot of the previous lot who have moved on now and by doing so it would rejuvenate the quality of stock being offered on the site making it more attractive for buyers so would be a win-win for the site owners.
Note to the mods who need sell this idea to the suits: In project speak the vision is to improve the balance of trader vs PH community cars and to increase revenue through footfall. The above is how to achieve it.
Note to the mods who need sell this idea to the suits: In project speak the vision is to improve the balance of trader vs PH community cars and to increase revenue through footfall. The above is how to achieve it.
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