Comments on: Selling your Car on eBay

By: JEn

JEn — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 09:56:35 +0000

I listed a car on eBay ten days ago and it went in 10 minutes on buy now, which made me think I undersold. But the buyer keeps stringing us along now about coming to collect it and pay for it. How long do we have to give him?

By: Mr Butterscotch

Mr Butterscotch — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 21:08:13 +0000

Hi Rachel,

You’re better off seeking specialist legal advice on this matter. Generally speaking, some items (including vehicles) can be ‘sold as seen’. However, you’re in potentially litigious territory if you can’t prove that you did warn the buyer regarding a lack of oil. For the record, a car auction close to where I live offers a ‘sold as seen’ which comes with a 48 hour protection. After that, on your own!

By: Rachel

Rachel — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 15:27:37 +0000

I recently sold a car on eBay for less than £1000 the buyer bought the car without coming to look at it or test drive it or check it out. They collected it about a week later, signed paperwork and drove it away, 48 hours later they phoned to say it had broken down and thought it was the head gasket and wanted their money back, I advised them when they collected it that it needed oil (which I had intended to do myself and then forgot) they obviously did not put oil in it and the engine must have siezed. They want their money back, where do I stand on this, does anyone know?

By: Mr Butterscotch

Mr Butterscotch — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 20:10:53 +0000

Hi Mark,

Thanks for the info. I do know what you mean about the reticence to buy on ebay – I do the same when looking at cars. Then again, I’ve no doubt that there are plenty of bargains to be had on there.

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 12:37:33 +0000

Just sold a Citroen Picasso on ebay – I put a starting bid of 1459 and a buy-it-now of 1699 – it sold within a day at the buy-it-now price. I know the buyer is getting a great deal, although they paid without seeing the car – not something I would personally do, but there you are. I think if you’re fair and honest it’s ok as a selling platform and like the article says, provide a lot of pictures and honest information. Mine had a broken wing-mirror mounting on one side so I bought a brand-new mirror and included that free in the sale – saving the buyer more hassle.

As a buyer I’ve spent probably £8-9000 on goods on ebay over the past 8 years or so (we also have run an online business for 9 years so I’m used to buying and selling online) but I would be wary of buying a car on eBay. Don’t know why, really – but the warning signs of any seller are those who get shirty when you ask questions. If that ever happens on any intended purchase, I just walk away. It’s a sure sign that something’s not right. As a seller I’m happy to answer ANY question, however silly it seems or however often I have to answer it.

Out of interest, in years of trading online (several thousand transactions in my online store) I have never been defrauded. As long as you’re careful you shouldn’t ever worry about selling or buying.

By: Mr Butterscotch

Mr Butterscotch — Wed, 14 May 2008 17:55:16 +0000

The real bargain I found was because the guy apparently wanted a quick sale (no HPI and the car was fine so it looked above board). Ebay should be good for that sort of deal too.

By: Dan

Dan — Wed, 14 May 2008 13:35:26 +0000

One of the reasons why you so sometimes see a ‘bargain’ is that sellers haven’t put enough information to inspire confidence in bidders. eBay relies on sellers inspiring trust in buyers and that’s done by giving them the information they need.

Of course many sellers put in a lot of time and effort (it’s interetsing to see videos from vzaar.com being used more and more) but those that don’t risk losing out.

By: The Van Man

The Van Man — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:16:41 +0000

With regards to the ‘bargain’ aspect I think if you have a few thousand to spend then bargains are there to be had if you look carefully (people wanting a quick, no hassle sale is one reason). However if you are at the lower end of the scale (under £1000) then you are competing with more knowledgable who look to tidy a car up and flip it for a quick sale.

By: Mr Butterscotch

Mr Butterscotch — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 18:42:25 +0000

I’m not sure if it’s ebay that’s fooling people, or the people themselves. It was a long time ago when the true bargains were to be had on ebay – these days it’s the hidden gems that you have to look out for.

I’ll explore a little bit more of what ebay has to offer – but from what I’ve seen (and read) it looks to be a genuinely viable purchasing platform. Most impressive given how uneasy ‘live’ car auctions can make people feel.

By: Fraser

Fraser — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 10:09:45 +0000

Interesting to hear that you’ve spotted some genuine bargains. I sometimes wonder if ebay fools people into thinking they are getting a bargain when in fact prices are comparable with other places.

An ‘ebay from the buyers point of view’ article should definitely be worth a read.