eBay is one of the most used online car marketplaces, best known for its extensive reach and availability of selling options, giving sellers three options to sell their cars. Most eBay alternatives, including Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist, only give sellers one selling option, making eBay the best online car marketplace to sell your new, used, or classic vehicle. However, selling on eBay is not only about listing the car on the platform. Learning how to sell a car on eBay is essential in increasing your chance of making a sale. You need to understand the listing process and how to do it best. Additionally, understanding the pros and cons before selling helps you determine whether it's worth listing a car on eBay and how to use the advantages to your benefit and navigate the disadvantages.
Founded in 1995, eBay is one of the largest and most prominent online marketplaces connecting buyers and sellers and facilitating the buying and selling of various goods, including cars. Is there a difference between eBay and eBay Motors? eBay Motors is a distinct platform founded by eBay in 2000 when buying and selling cars online was starting to catch on due to internet advancements greatly influenced by the existing vast computer network. Sure, the computer network and internet at the time were nothing like we have today; they were considered revolutionary. There's no difference between eBay and eBay Motors since eBay Motors is more of a sub-category within eBay that allows sellers to sell vehicles. Submitting your car's listing on eBay will automatically publish it in the eBay Motors sub-category. In addition to motor vehicles, you can also sell automotive tools, supplies, parts, and accessories.
How does eBay work? Selling a car on eBay is just like selling any other item. You select the method you want to sell using, create a listing with the description images and specifications of the car, and let buyers do the bidding or buying. If you get a winning offer or bid, the seller pays for the item, and you'll arrange for delivery, collection, or drop-off, whichever works best for you and the buyer. It's a simple process, really, but there's more to selling a car on eBay.
Selling a car on eBay requires navigating through the account creation process if you're not a user and moving on to the listing options, learning the perks of each, and selecting one that better suits your needs. We'll guide you through every step and give tips that make your listing more appealing to buyers, thus guaranteeing you a sale. So, how do you sell a car on eBay?
If you don't have an eBay account, you can't sell on the platform if you are a non-user, so visit the register page and create a user account. You can register a personal or business account if you run a dealership and regularly sell cars, but you'll have to add your banking card information and connect your checking account. You can still sell cars with a personal account.
eBay offers three listing packages for vehicle listings: an auction-style reserve price listing, a no-reserve price listing, and A buy-it-now listing. The Reserve Price Listing allows you to set a reserve price, the minimum amount you will accept for the car. On the other hand, the No Reserve Price Listing doesn't require a reserve price, and it's up to buyers to offer what they feel the car is worth. You can choose to accept an offer that suits you best. It's not uncommon for buyers to offer trades plus cash, which might get you another good project or maybe a winter car. The Buy It Now Listing lets you set a price of how much you will accept for the car, and buyers determine if it's worth it. Set a price that aligns with the car's value and market prices, not one too high that will drive buyers away or one too low that will make you sell the vehicle at a loss. An awkwardly low price will also have buyers asking why the car is priced that low. How much does it cost to sell a car on eBay? For each listing option, eBay offers three payment packages: basic, plus, and premium. The basic package allows the listing to run for seven days and is charged at $19. It allows up to 20 photos and is limited to cars worth less than $10,000. The Plus package is priced at $49 and increases the photo limit to 30, the maximum vehicle price to $20,000, and you can list the car for up to 30 days. If you have a vehicle that you want to sell for $20,000 and above, the Premium package suits you best. However, the 30-day listing duration limit remains unchanged, but you can add up to 40 photos if you pay for the Premium package.
Aesthetic appeal is critical when selling a car on eBay. The vehicle has to be inviting to buyers, tempting them to break out their credit cards or call their banks to seek loan approval. It all boils down to a good wash and well-curated photos for this to happen. A light detail wouldn't hurt your pockets, so it's the way to go if you aim to make a quick sale. When taking photos, capture every angle: the interior, interior, rear end, front end, and, if possible, an aerial view of the vehicle. Also, get odometer readings, undercarriage, and engine bay photos and capture the extent of damage, if any. Try your best to make the images look inviting, keeping in mind the listing package you'll be using since you can't use all the photos. While taking the photos, you should also have a rough estimate of how much you want for the car, as this will determine the listing package. Check the car's market value and use online car valuators such as Parkers for more accurate value. Lastly, gather all documents and put them in order, awaiting a sale. Last-minute rushes trying to find the title would definitely put the seller off.
Selling a car on eBay presents several benefits, but it is also not without disadvantages. As mentioned earlier, understanding these advantages and disadvantages helps determine if it's worth selling a car on eBay. If you decide to go for it, you must know how to use eBay's advantages to maximize the platform's benefits. Also, understanding the disadvantages is equally as important. Here are the pros and cons of selling a car on eBay.
eBay offers three selling options, allowing you to choose one that suits your selling needs and one that will help the car sell quicker or for higher prices. Regular cars, nicknamed everyday traffic, sell better through the Buy It Now option. But for high-end vehicles or cars with desirable features or characteristics, the Auction-like options would sell quicker and for more with the chance of surpassing the market value.
When selling a car on eBay, you can expect a buyer to come from anywhere, including outside the United States. The platform boasts over 135 million global users, so if there's a better reason you need to sell a car on eBay, that's it. Sure, not every user is there to buy a car, but eBay's vast audience is reassuring that you'll get a buyer sooner or later.
No third parties are involved when selling a car on eBay; no salesmen, brokers, or consigners. Selling a car on eBay is basically doing a private sale and using the platform to advertise your vehicle. This means you control offer acceptance, car viewing, and negotiation.
Since selling a car on eBay is basically a private sale, you'll most likely get better offers than other means, for example, selling to a dealership or a company that buys cars. This ensures you get what your vehicle is worth or, if not, a payment you're satisfied with.
Compared to selling a car on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist, selling a car on eBay is costly. Selling a car on Facebook Marketplace is free, and on Craigslist, it will only cost you $5. On the other hand, eBay will charge you $19 to $79 and an additional 2.8% on the deposit if the buyer pays one and a final value fee if you mark the car as sold and paid for.
Selling a car privately through eBay exposes you to payment scams and frauds, especially when exchanging funds after a sale. This could happen in various ways, including being handed fake cash and checks. To protect yourself against such scams, specify that the only payment method you're willing to accept is a banker's check or a bank transfer.
Selling cars has never been easier, as it is with Exotic Car Trader. We provide listing solutions for all makes and models, including military vehicles, exotics, supercars, classic cars, luxury cars, and sports cars. Besides listing your car on Exotic Car Trader, we'll also list the vehicle on partner sites such as eBay Motors, CarGurus, Autotrader, Cars.com, CarsforSale.com, and even Facebook and Instagram for the most exposure. If you can't do a vehicle photoshoot, we'll do that for you and much more, including transacting the sale on your behalf and handling shipping, trade-in, financing needs, and more just in case you, as the seller or the buying party, require any of those services. So, why not sell your classic car with Exotic Car Trader?
Selling a car on eBay is the most budget-friendly option when selling a car privately. Sure, there are cheaper options, such as Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist, but eBay offers more beneficial advantages, including better listing exposure and multiple selling options. By grasping the tips and the knowledge of how to sell a car on eBay, you are guaranteed a secure and successful sale and a satisfactory transaction for you and the buyer.
Exotic Car Trader is the fastest growing marketplace built specifically for automotive enthusiasts. Click below to learn how you can sell your car with us.
LEARN MORE
