Three months and not sausage

[PurpleMoonlight]

Are people not buying cars any more?

Okay, I accept the car I am trying to sell is not for everyone and is at the top price range for what it is (very low mileage for age), but gees, three months on Ebay and not even a scammy email! I didn't even list it during December due to Christmas.

Cost £48 so far too.

I might have to resort to WBAC soon.

[Djw John]

When it comes down to it the only reason cars don't sell is they are up for too much money. I've put cars up for top dollar if I've not been in a rush to sell them but after 3 months I'd drop it back down to middle of the range price.

[HumbleJim]

If something is not selling it's down to money.

However you can look at things that may help realise it's potential.

Advert, you want this to be well written, good english, facts only, detailing history, documentation, MOT, condition and options (don't assume everyone knows what the car comes with so list A/C etc)

Photos, you must have these, up to date (no point in showing photos with trees in full leaf in the background) Nice background, clear, good light, dry, clean car, shots of interior and exterior.

Marketing is the advert reaching your target market? Can you find it easily using a search? If it's a specialist bit of kit try the owners clubs.

Area, I like to buy locally but will travel for the right thing. A top end car in a downmarket area may put me off however.

Timing, cabrios, classics etc sell better spring/summer. It may be worth taking off the market for a bit. If I see something has been on the market for a while it puts me off.

Edited by HumbleJim on Saturday 8th February 07:16

[philmots]

What car are you trying to sell? Does it have a very limited market?

[Pistom]

Not sure what car journey are selling but when selling a car, the first decision is where to sell it. Just because eBay is cheap doesn't mean it's good, just because autotrader is expensive also doesn't guarantee success.

If I was selling a niche market sportscar then I'd choose PH to sell, a modern saloon, maybe AT but probably a local auction house, a Triumph Stag, one of the online classic car listings.

No matter how good a car is, there is a price ceiling, you have to accept this.

The style of advert also makes a difference and should reflect the kind of buyer you expect to buy the car.

It's a pity PH doesn't allow liknks to ads in the forum, we coulfd critique your ad for you.

[Angry Sheep]

You've got it advertised for top money and it's not selling, so you're thinking about resorting to WBAC? Why not try dropping the price first? You'll still get more than you would from WBAC.

[98elise]

Unfortunately, unless you are selling a very unusual car, then its down to price alone. You are asking more than people are willing to pay.

We are itching to buy a particual car at the moment. We saw one for sale in a dealers, with warranty, with the spec an colour we wanted, fully serviced (including cam belt), one owner etc. £6999. It was there for about 2 weeks before it sold.....while we were on the journey to see it

There are a few private (no warranty) for sale with exactly the same spec, higher mileage, cam belt not done etc, and they want 8k. They are probaby thinking the market is crap at the moment.

[Pistom]

Angry Sheep said:

You've got it advertised for top money and it's not selling, so you're thinking about resorting to WBAC? Why not try dropping the price first? You'll still get more than you would from WBAC.

A lot of people do this and makes little sense. By, all means get a price from We Will Shaft You Over Any Car but I would relist at 90% of whatever the top price is of other similar cars.

[Froomee]

If it's the 320i convertible then weather and price but not necessarily in that order

[JimmyConwayNW]

What is the car you are selling and how much do you have it up for?

[Thankyou4calling]

Djw John said:

When it comes down to it the only reason cars don't sell is they are up for too much money. I've put cars up for top dollar if I've not been in a rush to sell them but after 3 months I'd drop it back down to middle of the range price.

I don't agree as to that being the only reason cars don't sell at all. It has to be marketed, catch the eye of the right prospect , be of a colour and spec that appeals and tick boxes like service history and condition.. People walk away from cars for thousands of reasons some even because they don't hit it off with the seller so I don't think it's as simple as drop the price.

[r11co]

Thankyou4calling said:

It has to <snip> catch the eye of the right prospect , be of a colour and spec that appeals and tick boxes like service history and condition.

..and if it doesn't you have to price it accordingly.

[Dr Interceptor]

Not just the pricing, but the quality of the advert makes a huge difference...

A good friend of mine makes a good sideline in buying badly advertised cars (mainly classics, dodgy pictures and the like), and re-advertising them with a stunning set of photos, with a decent price hike.

[deeen]

Froomee said:

If it's the 320i convertible then weather and price but not necessarily in that order

I suspect most people would prefer to buy that from a dealer, so your price would have to be significantly lower than the dealers to tempt potential customers out of their comfort zone. Oops - lucky it's not that one, then!

Edited by deeen on Saturday 8th February 09:10

[PurpleMoonlight]

No it's not the BMW, it's one of the Daimler V12's.

I know it's top money (it's what I paid) but I would have thought I would have had some interest, even if it was enquiries for lowest price. But nothing whatsoever!

Can't use WBAC as they don't list a Daimler on their program.

[JimmyConwayNW]

Sounds like a big barge maybe would be good on pistonheads?

[deeen]

Maybe people don't search for "Daimler" any more?

[bigandclever]

Assuming it's the 10 grand one, why have you listed issues and then amended them with "NOW SORTED AND WORKS AS SHOULD" ... surely if you're taking the time to update the blurb it'd be better to just remove the (previous) issues entirely? My immediate impression of the ad is there are a lot of 'but', 'probably' 'some' ... it reads negatively, not positively.

But anyway ... 10 grand.

[PurpleMoonlight]

Because it had been listed before I updated the description to show that I had taken the time to have the problems sorted, rather than just remove it and leave people who may have looked at it before wondering if the problem still existed and simply wasn't being disclosed.

[Jim the Sunderer]

Perhaps these few points aren't attracting the punters:
£10,000
It was last serviced in July 2012.
3. The clock is very faint and can hardly be read.
4. Very slight paintwork bubbling on a corner of the sun roof.
5. Slight white marks under the lacqueur on the wheels.
6. Scratch on corner of rear bumper.

I'd want a Colgate fresh motor for that kinda dough.

I'm out.