The online auction site eBay like many other online auction sites is becoming a more and more popular way to buy, and is now a serious alternative to scouring the small ads of your local paper or wandering around a car showroom. Online sites can be a great way to buy your car, as the range of choice is far greater than in your local paper or at your local garage, and there is always the chance you will find yourself a bargain!!
When buying a car from a showroom or car dealership it is easy to see what you are considering spending your hard-earned cash on; with online auction sites, however, it's not quite that simple. Before even thinking of parting with your money we can take any worries you have away by providing you with a first class service including full detailed inspection (including digital images of the vehicle and any concerns found e-mailed to you instantly) to allow you to make the right decision and offer. We can also negotiate with the owner on your behalf. You don't even need to have seen the vehicle personally!
If you're thinking of buying your next car on eBay or other auction sites, here are some points worth keeping in mind:
Before you start bidding you must register with the site - this is the usual name, address and telephone number. You also normally need to choose a User ID and password. Once this has been accepted you will receive an e-mail confirmation; then you are ready to start bidding.
To find the car you are looking for will require you to either browse the car categories (the various categories are listed on the main page) or perform a search. You can either do a basic search, which will bring up all the listings which include the word you have entered, or an advanced search. This allows you to be a bit more selective, as you can choose not only the specific words you want to search for but also things such as price range, auctions which accept PayPal, and even words which you want to exclude from your search.
When you have found a car you are interested in don't go straight in with a bid; you need to do a bit more work first. One of the most important things to check is the seller's feedback rating where available.
Feedback is shown in two ways: the total number of feedback entries a seller has, and the percentage of positive feedback the seller has received. I recommend only buying from a user who has a positive rating of 98% or above. You should read the feedback that has been left for a seller, as this can give a good indication of the person you are dealing with and the goods you are likely to receive.
Bidding for the car you want can take one of two forms: placing individual bids, where you manually enter each bid you want to make while watching the auction; or proxy bidding, which means that you settle upon a figure that is the highest you would be prepared to pay, and you enter this one and only figure. Most of the sites do the rest of the bidding for you, beginning at the starting bid. This doesn't necessarily mean you will pay the full amount that you bid, as the sites only bid just enough for you to win. Your maximum bid may be £500 but you might win only having paid £400, if the other bidders give up.
It is important not to get carried away with bidding; only bid what you are realistically willing to pay, otherwise you may end up spending a lot more on a car than you had planned, which may not even be worth the price you paid. Our engineer will give you an idea of what the value should be.
Once you have been successful with your bid there are a number of ways to pay a seller online, but not all of these will be suitable for the purchase of a car. PayPal, which is owned by eBay for example, simplifies a transaction. When buying a car, however, the chances are you will have to pick it up from the seller yourself, so you may wish to pay with cash. The seller may also accept a cheque or bank transfer and allow you to pick up the car when it has cleared, but unless you can be completely sure that the car will be there when you go to collect it do not use this method of payment.
Once you have paid the seller they should leave feedback for you if the site allows this, and you should leave feedback for them. This is a chance for you to let the seller, and other potential buyers, know how you think the transaction went, good or bad. Only leave negative feedback if you feel it is really necessary. The risk of negative feedback from either side helps to keep everyone honest.
So go on…. If you are thinking about buying on Ebay or similar auction sites and have already found a vehicle you like then give us a call today on 0800 248 9048 for more information or alternatively e-mail us at enquiries@eliteinspections.co.uk.
