Tips_Tricks

TIPS & TRICKS:

Vehicle Description

Before writing your vehicle description, realize your customers may not physically see the vehicle before buying it. Considering that, think about the kind of information you'd prefer if you were in their position.

Thorough, descriptive, easy-to-read – fully disclosing any wear and tear.

Gaining the trust and confidence of the "sight-unseen" buyer is easily the most important factor in becoming a successful eBay Motors seller. From the VIN to your Terms of Sale, make sure each potential customer knows exactly what he or she is bidding on.

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Honesty and full disclosure lead to more sales and greater profits.

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The vehicle description is your opportunity to really sell the car, truck, motorcycle, powersports, boat or other vehicle as if you were talking to a buyer in your showroom. Using the Sell Your Vehicle Checklist for reference, make sure you include all options, aftermarket parts, and a full description of the vehicle's history and current condition.

Vehicle Condition
Leave no details out, including imperfections — dings, faded paint, scratches, mechanical defects, interior damage, title issues or anything else the buyer would discover by taking a test drive.

Full disclosure helps win the trust of buyers and may actually help your listing rather than hurt it — some buyers view imperfections as "opportunities" for favorable prices.

If you leave something out, a buyer will discover it upon delivery and could leave you negative feedback or arbitration. And positive Feedback is critical to a dealer's success on eBay Motors.

Digital Photography

Nothing sells a car, truck, motorcycle, powersport vehicle, or a boat like a great series of photographs. In fact, people buy vehicles on eBay ect. all the time without driving them — but not without seeing them. In fact, buyers who feel confident they're seeing the true condition of a vehicle buy more, pay more and tend to be more satisfied with their purchase.

With a digital camera, you'll create the type of virtual "walk around" of your vehicle that will build that level of confidence. Following a few basic steps, you'll put together a professional presentation in no time:
Prep the vehicle.
Follow simple but effective photographic techniques.
360° Coverage – Shoot the entire vehicle, inside and out.
Upload and edit your photos ASAP.

Prep the Vehicle
You want the vehicle to look its best before photographing it. Wash it. Wax it. Vacuum it. Polish the chrome. Wipe down the dash, seats and other surfaces.

Photographic Techniques
Taking photos for your eBay Motors listing is simple and straightforward. Following a couple of pointers about composition and lighting will dramatically improve your shots:
Composition:
The vehicle should fill the frame of the picture.
The background should make it easy to see the vehicle — dark backgrounds for light vehicles, light backgrounds for dark vehicles.
The background should be "un-busy," with no distracting patterns.
Lighting:
Shoot early or late in the day when the sunlight is generally best; mid-day light, when the sun is high, makes for "flat" photographs with less definition.
Shoot with your back to the sun and watch for shadows, including your own.
Shoot every exterior shot at the same time – with the same lighting – for consistent vehicle appearance and photo quality.
Use a flash for interior, engine and trunk shots.
The key to creating a consistent-looking listing is to get every shot you need at relatively the same time. In fact, it's wise to shoot more than you'll need, realizing you can edit your shots down when you post them.

If you're not sure if you took a good picture of a particular angle or feature, shoot it again, even a couple of times, making sure you "cover the shot."

360 Coverage
The "showcase" of your listing, the photo gallery you create of your vehicle is probably the single most-compelling sales tool you'll have. Make sure you take shots from several angles, creating a virtual "walk around" for the online customer, including:
Every angle of the exterior.
Shots of the interior, highlighting the seats and dash.
Odometer and Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).
Engine.
Trunk.
Any special add-ons, accessories, or features denoting trim level.
Close-ups of any dings, dents, stains or other damage.
Wheels and tires.
Motorcycle gas tank
Boat motor
ATV engine and suspensions

Make sure you shoot at least 12 to 15 clear, well-lit pictures, circling the vehicle for a 360° view. In addition to straight-on shots of the front, back and sides, include "3/4" shots showing the vehicle from multiple angles. Also, do the best you can to avoid showing your own reflection in the car panels, chrome or hubcaps.

Interior
We suggest you use a flash when shooting interior shots. Buyers find photos of the interior very important and insightful, but shadows and bad lighting can make pictures very difficult to see online.

Also, make sure to shoot all the vehicle-specific, interior details buyers really want to see. Especially items that help identify optional equipment, trim level and condition.

Engine Compartment
Buyers like to know that the engine has been maintained and is in stock condition. This is especially true of older and collector vehicles. Two shots of the engine compartment – one of the whole area and one close up of any details – are usually enough.

Damage
Top Sellers don't try to hide problems — they fully disclose all information. Notable issues that should be disclosed include: dents, rust, interior damage, missing or inoperable parts, rips, tears, faded paint and scratches.

A considerate, helpful touch when shooting dents and dings is to place a ruler or dollar bill next to the flaw to provide perspective on the size of the damage.

Uploading and Editing
We recommend that you upload your digital photos before building your listing. This will give you an opportunity to edit them, choosing the clearest shots to create the type of detailed, accurate view of the vehicle that customers expect.

Other Related Links And Info

Follow the steps to start your own car inspection business.

CarFax: NOT a crystal ball- How to buy a used vehicle

Creating Listings

Wholesale selling online

Indeed, buying vehicles is only one part of the equation for some dealers. These online vehicle wholesaling companies can offer another convenience for dealers and shave time off the vehicle turn time, be it from a slow moving unit that just needs to go, or customer trade-ins that don’t fit the dealer’s inventory mix.

Most dealers have an inventory turn time, whether it is 45 or 60 days, whatever. The benefit of the online tool is that dealers can quickly post and sell these non-moving vehicles.“And the exposure they get online is significantly more than the dozen or so guys standing in the lane at the auction. Example, a Lexus dealer who gets a Chrysler in trade. He’s probably not going to have a place for that and will need to get that vehicle off the lot ASAP.

The online selling function also reduces a dealer’s transportation fees to and from the physical auction. He says it really just offers another convenience function when a dealer doesn’t have the time or interest to take the vehicle to the auction.

Like a snowball, as this online buying and selling technology is explored by more and more dealers, the potential group of buyers and sellers for vehicles continues to grow at a significant rate.

For the most part, online auction companies charge very similar buy and sell fees as their physical auction counterparts. As for the mechanics of the online buying and selling process, dealers can generally set a “buy now” firm price or have the vehicle go through the traditional bidding process like a typical auction. As mentioned, the service providers can handle most necessary paperwork, inspections, arbitration, and transportation, and look for further integration with dealer DMS systems in the near future.