Even if you’re not new to eBay, buying or selling a motor vehicle on eBay can present a unique set of complications and challenges that may be unfamiliar to the typical eBay trader. If you’ve decided that it’s time to try your hand at selling on eBay motors, here are some quick tips to help you along.
Pre-listing Preparation
Especially if you’re selling an actual vehicle of some kind, it’s important for you to take some time to make preparations before you actually attempt to sell the vehicle.- Complete eBay’s checklist. Download eBay’s motors checklist, print it out, and use it to help you collect information about your vehicle. eBay’s motors selling form will ask you questions about each item on the checklist, and for the best possible sale price and circumstances it’s important that you supply accurate information to eBay.
- Give your vehicle some basic care. Even if you’re not hoping to get much for the vehicle in question, spend half an hour to an our getting a basic wash and cleaning out its insides. If you’re selling part(s), clean them up and make them as presentable as possible.
- Take lots of photos, inside and out. Vehicles are high-value items that are extremely durable—that is to say that they cost a lot and buyers will typically use them for a long time. It is thus essential for buyers to feel comfortable with what they see if they are to be encouraged to bid. Take the best photos you’re able to take from multiple angles, inside and out, focusing in later photos on features that are likely to be important to buyers of that type of vehicle—the dashboard in the case of a car, or the stove and bathroom facilities in the case of an RV or motorhome, for example. Select the best and most representative photos for your listing.
- Take care of any legal loose ends. Particularly if you’re selling an entire motor vehicle, ensure that you have a copy of the title and that the vehicle is free and clear of all liens and other legal entanglements. If you’re selling a late model vehicle and selling it as being in running condition, ensure that registration and any applicable fees and taxes are current in your state to demonstrate to buyers that the vehicle is in good operating condition.
- Have sales receipt ready. For most titled vehicle sales, documentation is required of the transfer of ownership. In most states this can be as simple as a letter signed by you that says "I, So-and-So, hereby sell my vehicle to the below mentioned party as of Date X, Year Y for $Price Z." Such a letter must also usually give the make, model, year, color, and VIN (vehicle identification number) of the vehicle in question when applicable. You should check with your local motor vehicles division for detailed requirements or sample documents, and be prepared before you list your vehicle for sale to co-sign such a document with your buyer, keeping one copy for your records and delivering the other copy to them.
Listing Your eBay Motors Item
Once all of your initial preparation has been completed, it’s time to actually post your listing on eBay Motors, whose link to the selling form can be found in the typical place for the eBay website—at the upper-right of any page under the word “Sell.” As you post your listing, keep the following in mind.- eBay Motors fees are different! The fee structure for listing items on eBay Motors is considerably different from the fee structure for regular items. See eBay's table of fees for eBay Motors to find out how much it will cost to list your vehicle or item.
- Detailed and accurate descriptions are key. In addition to the features, mileage, make, and model information you submitted to eBay, any other information that you as the owner can supply about the vehicle should be supplied. “Hard to start on cold mornings,” “small rust spot spreading on right side of hull,” or even “missing spare tire and rim” are all the kinds of information that you should be careful to supply to avoid any liability issues later.
- Note any aftermarket changes or non-stock parts. On a related note, because of the restrictions to which such items can often be subject from locale to locale and also with respect to manufacturer warranty issues, you should also note any aftermarket or third-party improvements or alterations that have been made to the vehicle, anything from rim sizes that have been changed to a remodeling of the interior. Note if possible the specific make/model/configuration of the alteration and the date of installation.
- Note contact and test-drive information. If you are amenable to having interested parties come to where the vehicle is located in order to inspect it, say so in your auction listing and check your email once your listing is posted for related queries from prospective buyers or bidders.
- Remember “shipping” complications. In most cases, because vehicles and many vehicle parts are extremely bulky items, restriction to “pick up” or “drive away” transactions is in order. If you are willing to ship and/or deliver the vehicle or item in question, state so clearly and give limits, if any, to your delivery range. If the items is available only on a “pick up” or “drive away” basis, state this clearly in your auction listing as well.
- Consider setting a reserve price. eBay Motors auctions, like regular eBay auctions, are binding contracts between seller and winning bidder. If there is some minimum price below which you don’t want to sell the item, be sure to enter a reserve price for the item or vehicle, since you’ll be expected to sell your item to the winning bidder at the auction’s closing price if there is no reserve or the reserve is met.
