Online auction better than classifieds

Survey finds selling a car online is best

eBay is the place to sell a car because of a lack of timewasters, and the ability to describe the vehicle properly, reckons the online auction site. According to a survey by eBayMotors, car owners are fed up with hours of hassle, heartache and haggling when selling their car.

Haggling over price is the major bone of contention for people selling a car through classified ads in local papers and shop windows, with over eight out of ten (82 per cent) forced to haggle down and negotiate with buyers in order to reach a final, unsatisfactory, price.

Time wasters

Sellers waste valuable time dealing with visits from potential buyers who simply enjoy ‘kicking the tyres’
Forty-one per cent of people who received 10 or more inquiries about their vehicle reckoned over half of these potential buyers had no real interest in the vehicle
Over four in ten sellers (41 per cent) continue to be badgered with calls long after the car is sold
With a viewing lasting up to 30 minutes, selling a car can mean the end of weekend leisure time
Forty per cent said they felt "uncomfortable" inviting strangers to view their car, explaining why half as many women (18 per cent) as men (36 per cent) sell their car through classifieds

Haggling hassles

82 per cent of private sellers are forced to accept less than the vehicle asking price
Nearly a third of sellers (29 per cent) are at an immediate disadvantage having done no research into their car’s value
32 per cent believed they could have got more elsewhere

eBayMotors' UK boss Clare Gilmartin said, "What’s clear from the research is that people are struggling to find serious buyers and when they do, they’re often forced to haggle and drop the price of their car. The beauty of eBay Motors is that there’s no need for negotiation and you see buyers bidding up the price, with sellers often getting more than they expected."

Listing a car on eBay Motors provides much more scope for sellers than placing an advert in a local paper, said Gilmartin. Classifieds give minimal space to describe a car, forcing the use of successive acronyms and trade jargon -- such as e/w, r/c/l, e/d/m, fsh -- and a single, tiny picture is the most you can expect, according to the company, while eBay Motors provides enough space to describe a vehicle, with as many interior and exterior pictures as you need.

Advantages, according to eBay, are:

Selling a car on eBay Motors means you can handle enquiries by email rather than waiting by the ‘phone.
Auction format listings can be set at three, five, seven or 10 days and when bidding ends sellers can simply look forward to collecting the money and handing over the car.
You can build up a picture of potential buyers through the feedback system which allows you to see what other people have bought and sold – preventing any ‘tyre kickers’ wasting your time.

Gilmartin said, "With over two million monthly visitors to the eBay Motors site and a vehicle selling every couple of minutes, it’s clear we’re becoming a very attractive alternative for people determined to get a decent price for their vehicle in a quick, simple and hassle-free manner."

www.ebaymotors.co.uk

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Bill Carr

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