On or around Thu, 13 Jul 2006 17:52:58 +0100, "Paul" <
[email protected]>
enlightened us thusly:
>anyone know the trade in price for a tidy N reg 1995 300 tdi manual 95000
>miles. no rot in usual places, waxoyled by before'n'after last year. been on
>autotrader for 3.5k not one call.
I go with the eBay suggestion... from personal experience as both buyer and
seller:
[this is turning into "selling your truck on eBay 101" - ignore it if you
want]
Pictures:
take at least 20 photos and select 10-12. Make sure you show all 4 sides,
and 3 interior shots (front, middle, rear) plus under-bonnet and I reckon a
shot of the dash showing the mileage is a good idea. That leaves you 2 or 3
shots left over which you use for detail shots of any problem areas. If
you're stating, for example, "small patch of rust on rear wheel arch" then
take a close-up of it with something in the picture to give scale. By the
same token you can take a shot of anything good, like "recent pro repair to
rust on wheelarch" with a closeup of it all shiny and nice.
Description:
Make sure to include *all* the details. it's not enough to say "good
engine." describe fully, make sure you list any mods or repairs (e.g.
"recently had track rod ends replaced for MOT" or "cambelt changed 3000
miles ago"). Avoid loud showy coloured capitals, I for one am immediately
suspicious of them. List anything you can think of, like "rear fold-up
seats with original lap belts". Don't assume that buyers know *anything*.
It's not too silly to list actual tread depth on tyres, or to list the
approximate mileage they've done.
Pricing and Reserve:
There's a good argument for starting under 100 notes (lower listing fees)
and not putting a reserve on. If you do put a reserve on, don't put a
buy-it-now on as well - it puts people off. They see your listing with BiN
at 5000 quid and reserve not met and assume that the reserve is set at about
4500, so they don't bother. Personally, I do put a reserve on vehicles just
in case, although in recent months I've seen very few really big bargains on
what I've watched, so I reckon there's some truth in the thing that it's
fairly safe not to bother with a reserve, just I lack the nerve to do so...
Setting reserve:
Study the market on eBay for similar vehicles for a few days and see what
the bidding goes to, which ones sell and which ones don't make reserve. Your
reserve price is one of the following: 1) The absolute minimum you'll sell
for, or 2) The amount that similar vehicles have been bid to recently. Which
it is depends on how badly you want the vehicle moved on. If you need it
gone this week, then you choose the latter as that will likely get it sold.
If you've a mind to sell it but aren't bothered if it hangs around for a
month or two, try a higher reserve. But too high a reserve will reduce
bidding: people coming in towards the end of the auction may not bother if
the bidding hasn't hit reserve and has almost reached their personal
maximum.
Here's a recent one of mine to look at:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290003248471
which sold for a reasonably good price based on what other, similar vehicles
had been going for. not long ago 2 similar ones were bid to about 1650 and
didn't make reserve. Mine had a reserve of 1600. Once they hit reserve,
people know they can actually win it, and thet seems to revive the interest.
You can drop the reserve during the auction but there are limitations, so
check first.
--
Austin Shackles.
www.ddol-las.net my opinions are just that
Blue: The sky is blue for a reason. Blue light is a source of strength
and harmony in the cosmos. Create a blue light in your life by
telephoning the police
from the Little Book of Complete B***ocks by Alistair Beaton.
