Special Guide On How To Buy a Vehicle on eBay Without Getting Ripped Off!
eBay Motors, which is the specialty automotive site within eBay, is the busiest automotive marketplace on the planet. They offer you the ability to research vehicles, make a selection, and to securely and confidently purchase vehicles online.
Consider the following statistics:
- Every 60 seconds, someone buys a car or truck, sight-unseen, on eBay Motors
- Over 2 million vehicles have sold to date
- Every 5 minutes someone buys a motorcycle on eBay Motors
- Every 32 minutes someone buys a Ford Mustang - every 55 minutes a Chevrolet Corvette
- 75% of all vehicles sold on eBay Motors are sold to out-of-state customers
- 11 million unique buyers shop on eBay Motors every month
Now those are pretty impressive statistics by anybody's standards!
What does this mean to you as someone who may be looking to purchase a used vehicle? Well, it tells you that eBay Motors is obviously a very safe and secure place to purchase a vehicle, and that conducting business on eBay Motors must be fairly easy to do. After all, 2 million people have successfully purchased vehicles on eBay Motors . . . they can't all be crazy!
Now, having said all that let me warn you that there are dishonest people lurking out there and you must be careful to protect yourself. Of course, this is also very true when purchasing a vehicle from a car dealer or from a private individual in your own neighborhood. You absolutely must take every precaution to ensure that you are dealing with a reputable seller.
eBay themselves are very diligent at protecting buyers, and they have many security precautions in place to protect you.
Following are some tips to help make your eBay Motors shopping experience as safe and stress free as possible:
Buying a Vehicle on eBay
The first thing you need if you want to bid or purchase on eBay Motors, is an eBay user name and password (the same one you use on the rest of the eBay site). If you don't have those already, register now, it's fast and it's free. If you want to bid $15,000 or greater, verification is required (credit card or alternative ID) prior to placing a bid. Your credit card will not be charged; instead, eBay uses it to confirm your identity; a safety measure to help protect both buyers and sellers from potential high-bidding fraud.
The next thing you need to do is go to CARFAX and sign up for unlimited vehicle reports for only $24.99. With this option you can run as many different car reports as you want for 30 days. Plenty of time to shop on eBay Motors to your heart's content.
Obviously, you want to run a CARFAX Report on each car you are considering. It will tell you if the vehicle has a clean or salvaged title, has been wrecked, totaled by an insurance company for being stolen, flood or storm damaged and the history of the ownership of the vehicle. It will also give you safety and reliability reports on the vehicle in question. Additionally, CARFAX offers a Buyback Guarantee that protects you from purchasing a vehicle with severe problems.
CARFAX Reports are an invaluable resource to have at your fingertips when shopping for a car on eBay.
OK - Time to Start Looking For a Vehicle
Look for listings of interest on eBay Motors by scrolling through the listings, clicking on the category of interest on the left side of the page or by taking advantage of our browse and search features. Whatever you are looking for you can specify the make, model, and year range.
Once you find a vehicle of interest read through the description carefully. The description is the seller's chance to elaborate on all the details of the vehicle, such as the condition, terms of sale, any guarantee, etc. The most successful sellers will be very thorough in describing the vehicle for sale, usually including many close-up pictures of the interior, exterior, under the hood, inside the trunk and the tires.
Also, a legitimate seller will have a picture of the odometer showing you the actual mileage reading. If the seller does not show a close-up of the odometer I would wonder if they are trying to hide something.
If you have a question that isn't addressed in the description, contact the seller by clicking the "Ask Seller a Question" link at the top of the listing. Don't wait until the end of the auction. Also, be aware that many sellers do not want to negotiate price (or reveal reserve price), but they do want to answer any questions regarding the condition of the vehicle that you may have.
Next Learn About the Seller
While you are gathering information about the vehicle, establish contact with the seller and review the seller's feedback rating on eBay. Many vehicle sellers include their phone number in their listings. If this information isn't available, you may request the seller's phone number via email. Sometimes a phone call is much more efficient than back and forth emails.
According to eBay policy, if you are unable to reach the seller during the course of the auction, you may retract your bid once it has been placed (up until the last 12 hours of the listing). If you can't reach the seller by phone or email, I wouldn't buy from that person. Retract your bid - if you placed one - and move on to a more reliable seller.
Check the seller's "Feedback Rating" for positive comments and to see whether the seller has sold similar items in the past. Keep in mind that the "Feedback Rating" reflect both items that the seller has sold and purchased.
Feedback is a critical part of buying and selling on eBay. It provides important information to buyers and sellers about the people with whom they are transacting. As such, it is one of the most powerful ways to build trust and a reputation on the site. For this reason, you should look at every seller's complete feedback history.
If a seller's "Feedback Rating" does not show positive in the high 90% range you should be wary. Also, if a seller only has a few transactions to their credit you should be wary of them as well.
Keep in mind that some sellers' feedback scores might be low, because they are just starting out on eBay and have received little or no feedback. If you are interested in purchasing an item from a seller who has a low feedback score, be sure to contact the seller directly in order to form your own opinion.
Arrange Your Own Financing in Advance Before You Bid
Before you begin the bidding process arrange your financing in advance to eliminate any delays in the buying process.
How To Know How Much To Bid
One good way to determine a realistic price is to look at final sale prices for similar items that sold on eBay Motors. This can be done easily by using the "Completed Items" option within "Advanced Search."
If an item is selling at a price far below fair market value, use extreme caution! Try to understand what may be contributing to such a low price such as damage, title issues, and so forth. If you have any doubts just move on!
Make Sure You Calculate Your Total Costs
Consider all potential costs such as title, registration, state taxes, and any shipping costs. Refer to your state's Department of Motor Vehicles Web site or contact your local license and title agency for guidelines on taxes, title transfer, and registration.
If the seller isn't local, make sure you know how you will pick up the vehicle or arrange shipping if you are the successful buyer. eBay has recommendations on their web site regarding shippers.
Arrange For a Vehicle Inspection
Arranging for an independent third-party inspection is a great way to validate a seller's claims about a vehicle's condition. This is a service that you will have to pay for, but it will go a long way towards giving you peace of mind that the vehicle is indeed in the advertised condition. eBay has recommendations for these services on their web site as well.
Don't Forget To Register
The one-time registration process at eBay is free and easy. You can register here now.
Some advantages to being a registered eBay user are:
- Watch auctions without bidding
You can request email notification for your watched items and bid when the time is right for you. - Save your favorite searches
eBay will also email you new search results. - Search completed listings
You can research completed listings to make informed buying and selling decisions. - You can bid or buy immediately
Bid or buy without delay when you find an item of interest.
Remember - When you place a bid on eBay Motors, you are entering into a contract with your seller. Make sure that you want the item before you bid or buy.
Reserve Price Auctions
Some auctions have a "Reserve Price" - a hidden minimum price for an item. A reserve price is the minimum price a seller is willing to accept for the item. As a buyer, you are not shown the reserve price, only whether or not the reserve has been met.
When you're bidding in a Reserve Price Auction, bid as usual, entering the maximum amount that you're willing to pay for the item. Watch the label next to the current price to see whether the reserve price has been met.
Until you see that the reserve price has been met, there will be no successful bids in the auction. Once the reserve has been met, the item will sell to the highest bidder when the auction closes.
Buy It Now Option
With "Buy It Now," you have a special opportunity to purchase the item immediately without waiting for an online auction to end. If available, click the Buy It Now button at the bottom of the item page. In some cases, a seller may require immediate payment or deposit with PayPal. In this case, it is important to complete your purchase right away, as the item will remain available for purchase until your payment transaction has been confirmed. Communicate with the seller to work out the details.
Watching An Item
If you are not ready to bid or buy, try watching an item. When you find a listing that you'd like to watch, click the "Watch this item" link on the item page. Items that you are watching will automatically appear on your My eBay page in the Items I'm Watching section. You will also receive an Item Watch Reminder email with a daily list of all items in your watch list that will end within the next 36 hours.
Buying a car on eBay Motors may sound like a daunting task, but if you spend a little time familiarizing yourself with eBay you will find it's a fairly simple process to purchase a vehicle there. eBay also has a very detailed Help Section where you can find answers to all your questions.
There are many bargains to be found on eBay Motors. Start looking, have some fun and become one of the 2 million plus people who have successfully purchased a vehicle on eBay Motors. And be sure to check out the new and used Honda Accords for sale on www.lovemyaccord.com.
