Automotive Auction Tips

Online automotive sales, including auctions at powerhouses like eBay Motors, are big business. But unless you know some insider tips, you may have big troubles later on. So here are some tips of the online auction trade.

1) Do the math. Before you even decide to sell your car, see how much auction listings costs, what fees there are for listings and for checking out, how much it costs to upload photos, etc. You'll want to build this into your selling price.

2) Some auction sites and companies offer a variety of software and online tools to help with your listings and checkout, like eBay Motors and Vendio where you can even use research tools to see what other makes and models similar to yours have sold for recently. See what average listing prices are and how to write the sales copy on your auction page.

3) If you are new to online auctions or are low on funds to finance one on eBay or another larger auction site, tire-kick first on classified sites and smaller, private auction sites. You can often get better, more experienced, helpful customer service reps, as they are often the website owners / operators themselves; whereas with the larger auction sites, you often get reps from an overseas outsourcing firm who have little, if any, grasp on the auctions and language itself, above minimal basics, to help you.

4) When you get to work on your auction listing, do read competitor sales copy and jump in there to compete. Don't just list two sentences and leave it at that, in other words. Tell shoppers what you would want to know:

• Why are you selling?
• What are the vehicle's main features?
• What condition is the vehicle in - -seriously? No lying!
• What is it's worst problem(s)? Nothing is perfect, and you will look more real if you share tidbits about dents (how's they happen), something that may need looked at, etc.

5) Learn how to add photos to your auction and add plenty. Again, refer to your competitors. You want to share outside and inside shots from both sides of the car, the front and back of it. Also get shots of under the hood, in the trunk, on top (it there is a sun roof, roof rack or other feature there).

6) Add info about shipping on there. Let shoppers know if you can deliver the vehicle, for instance. Tell which airport is closest to you.