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I have bought a few items, but not sold... so do have some feedback (sory if that wasn;t clear !)
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wrong time of year to sell a bread/butter car,but you didnt say the make anyway.?..........
why not dip your foot in with autotrader first as for many people a car purchase is a distress purchase and your car may just fill their needs in time (see focus thread this week person moving house etc and had to have a car by yesterday)
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it is a Mazda6 Estate, 2.0i auto.
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most autotraders either have an auto section or an underlined "auto" advert bit ,see if the advert is cheap for your area and have a paddle...........make sure the picture is taken from the side, that all the wheeltrims are on, that you have thrown a bucket of water on it and you say as much as possible without any negatives and dont offer to take the car to any prospective punters no matter how much they plead...........
no idea with ebay im afraid as i get tired of reading about messers on there ,at least if someone genuinely comes to look at your car you can asses his buyability at this stage and decide your actions.....
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Is it really worth that price (I've no idea, just posing the Q)? It won't sell otherwise. How much/soon do you need the money - Ebay suits people who need the deal as much as they need the cash. If you can afford to wait, then Ebay might not be for you.
If it's a sought after car, then let it find it's own value. Reserve it at £750/15% less than your asking price, and let the market do its job.
Does it have any issues? If it's in showrom condition, with low to average mileage, then fine - if not then expect the market to value it accordingly.
Take at least eight pictures, showing all the features, panel, seats, and be honest about any damage, scratches or issues. Write it up well, and not all in block caps. Link to the guides eg Parkers, HJ, that are complimentary about the model.
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I've bought and sold on e-bay. Simple tip, be honest. E-bay is a great way to sell. You have virtually unlimited space and numerous photos to get your message across. Just be honest and list any fault, including any dents or scratches. Emphasise service history and mention receipts if you've got them.
Tke pictures of each side of the car and the interior. I asked for a 10% deposit and balance within seven days. I never did a 'buy it now'. I started £500 below the reserve and got more than I wanted.
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I've sold twice in the last few months, but both times for less than £2k so read my advice with that in mind. I think it's miles better than a trad ad because you don't have tyre kickers and worse still no-show tyre kickers.
The being honest advice is good but make sure it's clear that you've been honest and you get "credit" for it by being unambiguous that if the bidder hasn't asked to see the car before bidding that's what they'll pay, not turn up and start haggling over a tiny scratch.
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Take dozens of photos using a digital camera of your clean car in a decent location on a sunny day. They are your showcase and worth an hour or two's effort, as they will pay the effort back tenfold.
Dozens: Take three or four from each angle; side on, front on, back on, all four quarters. Use different exposure settings if your camera will allow it. Take from different heights. Turn your car around between shots. Then, when you get back, choose the best for each viewpoint. Turn the steering between takes so that the wheels are at a slight angle and the tread doesn't show; thus, rear quarter on the offside, you'll have the steering turned right. Same side, front quarter, it'll be turned left. This will make the photos look more attractive. It's the way manufacturers take photos - just take a look at a manufacturer's site and you'll get what I mean. Take photos of any damage or scratches that are worthy of mention in your description. Use a tripod if you have one, as the improvement in sharpness is always obvious.
Clean car: should be obvious, but you see dusty cars on ebay all the time. Wash it. Polish it if you can. If not, at least choose a wash cycle at your car wash that waxes the car. Clean the windows on the inside.
Decent location. There should be somewhere within ten minutes of where you live that will allow you to photograph the car with a pleasant background - I have the New Forest, but a park car park with trees in the background will do. If you don't have a spot withing ten minutes, consider a half hour drive. Angle the car so there aren't dustbins/other cars/houses/brick walls in view. Look on ebay for five minutes ti see exactly where not to photograph it.
Sunny day. It's worth waiting for the sun. Your photos will look far far better.
For the description, put in everything you can think of, in clear, structured sections. Under history, would you rather buy a car that says "FSH", or one that lists mileages and work done service by service? Be honest: If there are any bumps or scratches over and above minor wear and tear, mention them; otherwise your buyer has a clear get out at collection time. You might want to download Turbo Lister - it's somewhere on the ebay site, and is a bit of software that allows you to lay out your advert very simply and attractively while offline. You can choose f********s and styles for headings, etc that help you to stand out a little.
I've always started items VERY low - my view is that they will get to the same price, but you'll have a dozen bidders with at least an interest in the car. I suspect it's a matter of personal opinion.
Finally, reply to all and any emails you get from anyone in Nigeria, feigning interest and stringing them along for as long as possible. The longer they are spending wasting time with you, the less time they have to be ripping off the gullible.
Good luck,
V
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I fail to see why the swear filter would pick up "f o n t s i z e s"!
Or is this a new thing I should be shouting out of my window when enraged by bad driving?
V
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"f o n t s i z e s"! Yes but only if you use bold italic.
Sold two vehicles on E-Bay of late. One was for cash - buy a anti fraud pen from Smiths. I had £1800 in Scottish £50s check all the notes not just the top ones. I also had the buyers photo'd. The second bike sold for a lot less than that, the guy sent me a cheque which was banked and waited to clear (he was away on his hols) which also worked perfectly.
All froms of payment are risky, but that's true for any private sale.
Check out the feedback of any "winner", yes I know it can be fiddled but sometimes that's easy to spot.
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"buy a anti fraud pen from Smiths."
But be aware that a good dose of hairspray on a forged note will render this useless.
In terms of being paid, by far the best solution is money given to you in your bank. Hand it over and get the bank to count it into your account..
Alternatively, find out what bank/building society they are drawing against and go with them to collect a bankers draft.
Try a forum search on "selling a car" on here and you'll find dozens of options.
V
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I fail to see why the swear filter would pick up "f o n t s i z e s"!
That word was added to the swearfilter in an attempt to stop people using the HTML code to increase their wording to ludicrous sizes.
DD.
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DD, regardless of the reason, It's now irrevocably added to my list of swear words. If you cut up a black Jag S-type and get that shouted at you, you'll know why.
V
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This is a pretty desirable car. IMO it should sell readily from Auto Trader. People shoppig for cars on eBay are looking for knockdown bargains, not the sort of customer you want.
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Just out of interest can you tell me if it is the AWD and how much your looking for?
Thanks
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It is NOT the AWD, just a 2.0i TS estate automatic.
Haven't decided on price, want to consult some guides.
It is 2003, 63,000 Miles, just been serviced.
What would you offer :-)
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