Selling Your Car on eBay: Dos and Don?ts

Do you have a car to sell? Would you like to turn to eBay.com to sell that car? If this is your first time using eBay to sell anything, let alone a vehicle, you need to take the time to familiarize yourself with the dos and don?ts of selling on eBay.

DO register for a free account. To sell your car on eBay, you must have an account. To get started, visit eBay.com. From there, you select ?Register,? from the top of the main page. Follow the instructions to create an account. Although it is free to have an eBay account, you are charged seller fees. Not only that, if your email address is from a free account, as opposed to one from your internet service provider, you may be required to provide a valid credit card number.

DON?T list your car for sale right away. If you have never used eBay before, you want to take the time to look around. Ebay is a popular online auction website. Unfortunately, that means more competition for you. You need to browse the entire website and the eBay Motors section. Look for auctions that standout in both bad and good ways. What are those sellers doing right or wrong? Use their listing as examples.

DO checkout the competition. As previously stated, eBay often results in a lot of competition. This is most common with movies, toys, and books. At any given time, there can be hundreds of the same item for sale. Perform an eBay search with your car year, make, and model. How much competition is there? Where are those other cars located? You may want to wait on listing your car for sale if there is a similar car less than 30 minutes from your house and if the selling price is lower than yours. The less competition you have, the better your chances of selling your car and for a decent amount.

DON?T forget to take pictures. Many new eBay sellers do not fully understand the importance of pictures. Ask yourself this. Would you buy a car without seeing what it looks like first? No. Do not expect others to do the same. When taking pictures, use a digital camera. Take your pictures in the day, when there is plenty of sunlight. Take pictures of the car exterior, interior, engine, and any highlights or special features.

DO write detailed descriptions. The more information you provide about your car, the better its chances are of selling. As with pictures, consumers don?t want to buy a car they know nothing about. To get started, include the year, make, model, transmission, cylinder count, and mileage. Then, describe the car features. What safety features or optional upgrades does the vehicle have? Finally, describe the condition of the vehicle. Has it been in an automobile accident? Are there scratches on the door? Not only provided detailed descriptions, but also accurate ones.

DON?T fall victim to common eBay scams. After creating your eBay auction listing by following their step-by-step guide, your for sale car will appear on the website. You should get bids and questions from interested buyers. Since you are new to selling on eBay, watch out for scams. Unfortunately, many scammers target eBay. When selling a car, it is best to opt for local pickup. You can give that person the opportunity to pay in cash. If they opt for check or money order, do not handover the car or the title right away. Wait until payment clears. Honest and legitimate buyers will understand this.

DO monitor your ?My eBay,? section for questions. As previously stated, some interested buyers will contact you with questions. You can access these questions through the ?My eBay,? section on the eBay.com website. Some scammers send look alike emails from eBay. The goal is to get you to sign into a fake account. Once you do, they now have your login information. If you get one of these emails, close out the page. Open a new internet window and type in eBay.com. If an interested buyer really did ask a question, answer it.

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