Listing a car for sale on ebay

[Buckeye]

Has anyone ever listed a car for sale on ebay? Just wondering if I should be expecting bizarre requests from foreign locations.

I just listed my mom's (actually, I have title) Saturn for sale on ebay. The car has very low mileage but the ebay listing does a check and verifies the mileage. Their Autocheck function also verifies there has been only two owners, no accidents, and that it has a clear title. The car was also scored and got a 57, well above the average score of 37.

A 7-day listing is free but I paid $2.00 to be able to upload additional pictures. The posting has been up for less than an hour and I've had 24 page views already.

My terms of sale were cash, in person.

 

[Midpack]

Never listed a car, but I sold 65 items on eBay, highest value was $500. Every ad I ran stated in "Sorry NO international sales, US & Canada only." If you don't want "bizarre requests from foreign locations" - you can discourage them if you wish. You may still get the occasional foreign request, but including a statement like the above will cut down on foreign traffic dramatically.

 

[Buckeye]

I did put US sales only.

I just received an email from someone who wants to fly down from MO, pick up the car and drive it home. I have to think about this one.

 

[aja8888]

I have sold several cars on eBay. Painless process as long as you have the CLEAR title and the buyer has cash or does a direct deposit to your bank or a deposit through PayPal.

Remind the buyer they will need temp tags to drive it home. These usually can be obtained from his state's DMV. Have the seller bring required title transfer paperwork.

 

[Buckeye]

I have the clear title in hand so no worry there.

We have a PayPal account but don't transactions have an XX% fee? I'm inclined to deal in cash since I'm only asking $5,900.

 

[NW-Bound]

I did put US sales only.

I just received an email from someone who wants to fly down from MO, pick up the car and drive it home. I have to think about this one.

Why should it be a concern if the buyer is from out of state, I wonder?

 

[Buckeye]

Why should it be a concern if the buyer is from out of state, I wonder?

No good reason other than paranoia!

I just realized there are other fees involved with ebay. I did not do enough research and they did not make things clear as I was posting the ad. Hmmm. Looks like I might get screwed by ebay and I was worried about some buyer trying to scam me!

 

[Kaufmanrider]

I have the clear title in hand so no worry there.

We have a PayPal account but don't transactions have an XX% fee? I'm inclined to deal in cash since I'm only asking $5,900.

Yes, there is a fee, PayPal and Ebay. They have both increased over the years. Looks like you'll be hit with a $125 fee from EBAY if it sells.

I have sold many items, but not a car. I did buy a Harley off EBay and I'd do it again. In my case the seller was in Oklahoma City, I was in Dallas. It's not uncommon for people to travel and pick-up then drive a vehicle home. That's basically what I did, I rode with a friend just in case of any SNAFU's.

I paypal'ed a $500 deposit at close of auction which the Seller required. I contacted the seller as I was officially the winner and we arranged payment and to drive up and inspect the Harley prior to exchanging money. I obtained a Cashiers Check from USAA and the buyer was OK with that method. He didn't make me wait for it to clear. I did offer to let him call USAA to verify the check was legit. We did our transaction on a weekday so they were open and available. But he opted not to. I guess i seemed trustworthy in person.

I provided him a copy of my Texas Drivers License and we signed a bill of sell. He gave me the Title, then I rode off across the Red River and the rest is history. That was three years and a couple trips to Sturgis ago. I was very happy with the experience and so was he.

Good luck.

 

[Bestwifeever]

Has anyone ever listed a car for sale on ebay? ...

DS sold his car on Craigs List to someone two states away. I do not know many details but he had no complaints.

 

[Buckeye]

Yes, there is a fee, PayPal and Ebay. They have both increased over the years. Looks like you'll be hit with a $125 fee from EBAY if it sells.

I have sold many items, but not a car. I did buy a Harley off EBay and I'd do it again. In my case the seller was in Oklahoma City, I was in Dallas. It's not uncommon for people to travel and pick-up then drive a vehicle home. That's basically what I did, I rode with a friend just in case of any SNAFU's.

I paypal'ed a $500 deposit at close of auction which the Seller required. I contacted the seller as I was officially the winner and we arranged payment and to drive up and inspect the Harley prior to exchanging money. I obtained a Cashiers Check from USAA and the buyer was OK with that method. He didn't make me wait for it to clear. I did offer to let him call USAA to verify the check was legit. We did our transaction on a weekday so they were open and available. But he opted not to. I guess i seemed trustworthy in person.

I provided him a copy of my Texas Drivers License and we signed a bill of sell. He gave me the Title, then I rode off across the Red River and the rest is history. That was three years and a couple trips to Sturgis ago. I was very happy with the experience and so was he.

Good luck.

If I'm reading their information correctly, I think I have to pay the $125 if anyone even makes a bid. I don't have to sell the car.

I upped my minimum bid from $5,000 to $5,500 which will block bids from all but the most serious buyers. I have a request for call into ebay.

 

[Buckeye]

DS sold his car on Craigs List to someone two states away. I do not know many details but he had no complaints.

I listed on Craigslist but no bites. Tons and tons of vehicles listed in our area. My listing is immediately buried over 100 entries deep so something a day old is way, way down in the pile. I guess they'll find me doing a search. My listing price is at the top end right now so I'm not too surprised at the lack of traffic.

 

[KB]

My son was looking for a specific car a few years ago and flew to that town to check the car. The seller picked him up at the airport and they drove to my son's bank. That was the test drive. The sales transaction was done there and he drove home. He paid cash but got the money for the seller in front of him, so there was no question.

As long as you file the change of ownership paperwork with your DMV right away, if it is re-registered out of state it shouldn't matter. You just need to release yourself from the liability in your state.

 

[Buckeye]

My son was looking for a specific car a few years ago and flew to that town to check the car. The seller picked him up at the airport and they drove to my son's bank. That was the test drive. The sales transaction was done there and he drove home. He paid cash but got the money for the seller in front of him, so there was no question.

As long as you file the change of ownership paperwork with your DMV right away, if it is re-registered out of state it shouldn't matter. You just need to release yourself from the liability in your state.

Yes, I had a good talk with a very helpful woman at the DMV about making sure I filed the release of liability ASAP after the sale.

She also reminded me that I need to immediately remove the plate from the car. She said that what the buyer does after that (puts on another plate that is not properly registered to that car or drives without a plate or actually does the deal at the DMV and gets new plates before driving it) is of no concern to me but that I need to immediately file the release of liability form.

 

[Buckeye]

If I'm reading their information correctly, I think I have to pay the $125 if anyone even makes a bid. I don't have to sell the car.

I upped my minimum bid from $5,000 to $5,500 which will block bids from all but the most serious buyers. I have a request for call into ebay.

I talked to someone from ebay and he said the fee is due if I sell through a contact made by my ad on ebay. I have to be careful with terminology because of the difference between a bid and an offer. If I was auctioning the car, I would have to pay if there was even one bid on the car.

Because I listed a price for the car and OBO, I could get offers below or above my asking price. In this case, receipt of an offer does not trigger the fee. Only a sale.

Have to be careful not to interchange the words bid and offer.

 

[Buckeye]

Can someone explain the significance of have people "watching" my listing? My listing has 9 watchers.

 

[aja8888]

Can someone explain the significance of have people "watching" my listing? My listing has 9 watchers.

They have your listing saved in My eBay under a watch list. When the auction nears the end time, the watchers will be automatically notified.

 

[Buckeye]

Well, someone name Linda said she is interested in the car and wants to take a look tomorrow. She also said she had recently been approved for a loan. I suggested a meeting with DH and me at a local CVS tomorrow morning.

Hmmm. No offer made. No purchase (or loan) amount mentioned. Am I going to get the "but my loan is only XX dollars sob story?"

She says she lives in Clearwater so it's no big deal for her to see the car. I understand why she would want to see the vehicle prior to making an offer but I'm not holding my breath that her offer is going to be acceptable.

A really good thing about ebay is there is enough information in the ad and confirmation of my listing data for a bank to actually make a loan on my specific vehicle.

It will be interesting to see what happens tomorrow.

 

[Buckeye]

They have your listing saved in My eBay under a watch list. When the auction nears the end time, the watchers will be automatically notified.

Do I assume the "watchers" are interested in the vehicle? Or are they just curious?

 

[KB]

I sometimes watch things that I want to compare. Sometimes I'm really interested and sometimes I'm sort of interested. Often times I delete them from my watched list and move on. But, sometimes I buy the things that I am watching.

And ebay does email the watchers before the auction ends to remind them that it is ending soon. Sometimes it's 2 days before the auction ends, but obviously the email is to prompt them to buy before it is too late.

 

[aja8888]

Do I assume the "watchers" are interested in the vehicle? Or are they just curious?

What KB said....

 

[Buckeye]

Well, someone name Linda said she is interested in the car and wants to take a look tomorrow. She also said she had recently been approved for a loan. I suggested a meeting with DH and me at a local CVS tomorrow morning.

Hmmm. No offer made. No purchase (or loan) amount mentioned. Am I going to get the "but my loan is only XX dollars sob story?"

She says she lives in Clearwater so it's no big deal for her to see the car. I understand why she would want to see the vehicle prior to making an offer but I'm not holding my breath that her offer is going to be acceptable.

A really good thing about ebay is there is enough information in the ad and confirmation of my listing data for a bank to actually make a loan on my specific vehicle.

It will be interesting to see what happens tomorrow.

She made a formal quote of $5,700 through the ebay system which I accepted. She will be paying with proceeds from a loan so I guess I might have to make a trip to her bank. Not sure of the logistics yet. I could see by her profile that she is a seasoned ebay user and had 100% positive feedback.

If it all works out, it was about 12 hours from my initial posting this morning to the time the buyer's offer came in this evening at $200 under asking price. Wow!

I had done some initial price research on Edmunds that told me the selling price was closer to $4,000. I then went to USAA where there is tool to price a car and actually list it. The selling price from that tool was much higher.

The detail guy asked me what I was going to list the car for. His recommendation was at least $6,000. I figured $5,900 sounded much cheaper than $6.000 so I listed it there. A little extra research netted me an additional $1,700 and the feedback of the detail guy gave me the confidence to list the price as high as I did.

 

[Buckeye]

The buyer's address came through when I accepted her offer. We live 3 blocks from each other.

 

[KB]

Glad its all working out for you.

 

[Bestwifeever]

The buyer's address came through when I accepted her offer. We live 3 blocks from each other.

Really funny subtle commentary on modern times. Had you tried to sell the car locally the old fashioned way, with a "for sale" sign in the car window or a notice on the grocery store bulletin board, your neighbor might never have seen those efforts. But an international site like eBay? Easy peasy.

 

[Buckeye]

Really funny subtle commentary on modern times. Had you tried to sell the car locally the old fashioned way, with a "for sale" sign in the car window or a notice on the grocery store bulletin board, your neighbor might never have seen those efforts. But an international site like eBay? Easy peasy.

The problem with selling locally is the car rarely goes on the road to get any exposure. I didn't want to drive the car just to give it some exposure because of the additional risk of damage. Currently, the car's status is "never been in an accident" and I don't want that to change.

I did put collision and comprehensive coverage back on when I found out how much it was worth.