Teach me: Selling cars on evilBay

Our landlord's son/property maintainer told me I have to sell BOTH of my RX-7s in the spring and that I can only have one car at a time while I live on his property. He doesn't care that they both run and that one is registered and roadworthy, he says there's too many cars in the driveway. I'm trying to figure out how to keep the turbo FC. I tried selling my N/A FC shortly before winter began but got no offers (besides kids asking me to sell the car for $500-600, whom I cordially invited to pound sand). I advertised on CL, the GRM/Racing Junk classifieds, and RX7club.com, but none of the ads are current since no-one's going to buy a RWD sports car when there's 3-4ft of snow on the ground.

I may need to put the car(s) up on eBay. I hear horror stories here on the forums that make me reluctant to post on eBay, but I may not have any choice depending on what the landlord tells me. The N/A is in really nice shape and the turbo is a viable project so I def. don't want to scrap them, and I have no intentions of trading in the Speed3 yet so I can't use the FCs as trade bait.

So, anyone here want to let me know what the process is? Paperwork? How to deal with deadbeat payers? If I sell to an out-of-stater, do I need to get the car to a shipper's company myself or will they pick it up? I've never sold anything on eBay, so I could use a little hand-holding.

Is it in your renter's contract that you are only allowed to own one car the duration of the time you rent from him/them?

If not, i'd be telling HIM to go pound sand. Register the remaining one to cover your ass.

My apartment complex tried the same thing on me. Went back and looked at the contract, and the closest thing it said was something about "No derelict or unregistered vehicles." So... while i DO have 4 vehicles parked there, they all have current plates, and do run. (Well, one would with a jump.) Simply asked them where in the contract it stated a maximum number allowed, they couldn't find one, and i went on my way. Not like the lot is ever full anyways.

As for your questions... it's all about how you word it. I'd make shipping/transport arrangements the buyer's responsibility. The rest, not real sure on, but honestly, unless they're EXTREMELY nice, anybody picking them up will likely be there in person to take care of paperwork. I don't see people on the west coast having FC RX7s transported across the country to them.

I'll make sure to check the homeowner's agreement. The N/A FC is registered, titled, inspected, and roadworthy. The turbo is titled and registered, but I need to work on the cooling and battery/alternator systems or it won't get too far without overheating. I forgot to mention that we also have a 68 Oldsmobile Cutlass convertible in our garage that my uncle put there 20 years ago and never retrieved. This year is the year we sell it if he doesn't pick it up. Unfortunately, this winter has done a number on our house so we have more pressing matters to address than my cars.

Trust me, EVERYONE in this house would like to have words with the landlord's son. He was not involved one bit in the maintainence of the house for 20 years, he never even interacted with our family, and now he shows up and decides to "take charge" and bully my family around? berkeley that noise.

Does Junior A$$wipe have any concept that an empty property carries a financial burden even if there is no mortgage or loan on the property? He should pause and think that a portion of the rent goes to pay the property taxes (which have to paid whether the house is rented or not....) An empty house suddenly taking money out of Mom & Dad's (and his) wallet is a bitch !

as the son-in-law of a guy with lots of rental properties and a former landlord all I can say is that if I had a tenant make it to their 20th anniversary of renting with me I would buy them a RX-7 as a thank you.

While I thank everyone for putting up with my bitching about the landlord's son, it has nothing to do with the original questions. The N/A FC and Cutlass still need to be sold.

I will take the FC off your hands for real cheap if you want. Or just store it at my place,and I will take good care of it by auto-xing ,and other hoonage.

Chris

Rusnak_322 wrote: as the son-in-law of a guy with lots of rental properties and a former landlord all I can say is that if I had a tenant make it to their 20th anniversary of renting with me I would buy them a RX-7 as a thank you.

Exactamundo !!

Ask one of your co-workers or pals that buys or sells on Ebay for guidance...

I've been outa that loop too long...

A couple of tips re fleabay, mainly gleamed from selling (and buying) a bunch of vehicles on ebay UK:

• Make sure you have lots of good photos of the car. The number of auctions with crappy photos is unbelievable
• Be honest with the description and list all the faults. You might get less money for the vehicle but I've had a couple of shiny happy people try and back out because the vehicle supposedly wasn't as described when it turned out that they didn't read the description. That's not not as described.
• The buyer can go and arrange the shipping themselves and their shipper doesn't get to pick up the car until you hold the money in a form that they can't recall.
• The shipper doesn't get to give you a check for a little more money and takes away the difference, because the check he gave you will bounce sky high.

In the couple of cases that I sold vehicles from the UK to other parts of Europe and I the impression that the buyer was a nice guy, I occasionally offered to pick them up at the closest airport. YMMV on that.

Find out what the landlord likes bribe him and he will tell son to back off . Will you be changing your name if rx 7 s are sold ?

In reply to BoxheadTim:

Thanks, mate! THAT'S what I'm looking for!

In reply to Karl La Follette:

The landlord and landlady are very nice people and we've communicated the issues we've had to them ourselves. Their son is a general contractor which is probably why he has been put in charge/put himself in charge. He is also trying to work his parents into the same lather he is in, which is not helping.

And no, RexSeven stays. I did a lot of name-changing when I first signed up, that's what I'm know as here and elsewhere, and even if I'm forced to sell my FCs, that won't stop me from buying another rotary -powered car in the future.

Another note, set a deposit price with an "immediate payment" option if you set a Buy it now price.

Scammers will hit the buy it now and stop your auction and then try and scam you with one of the many old fake check tricks. If you require a $500 deposit through paypal as soon as they hit the Buy It Now button it will stop them from doing that.

JThw8 wrote: Another note, set a deposit price with an "immediate payment" option if you set a Buy it now price. Scammers will hit the buy it now and stop your auction and then try and scam you with one of the many old fake check tricks. If you require a $500 deposit through paypal as soon as they hit the Buy It Now button it will stop them from doing that.

+1. I sold my TR6 on eBay (and got WAY less than I was hoping for it, so it goes) but I required a $500 non-refundable deposit immediately upon auction end, with the balance due when the car was picked up. Things went smooth as silk. Otherwise, BoxheadTim's advice is spot on. If they want to pay with a check, make them walk into the bank with you to cash it. If it's a personal check, hold the title until it clears, and report the vehicle stolen if it fails to clear.

I've sold several vehicles and trailers on Ebay.

I think something people may ignore, but can make a big difference in success, is trying to search for your own ad. After completing your listing, sign out, and search using key words you think potential buyers will use. If it doesn't show up, edit and reword the ad until it does show up in a search. If you can't find it, buyers won't find it and that will reduce views and bids.

Like others have said, good photos and an accurate description go a long way towards a smooth transaction, and decent price.

The more accurate the description and photos of any "warts" will prevent any problems when its time for the vehicle to be picked up. You don't want someone to show up thinking they will drive the car they just bought home (possibly 100+ miles away), if it will overheat before they leave the zip code.

I wouldn't take a personal check or money order, only cash or cashiers check from a bank you recognize. Avoid taking more than a reasonable deposit through paypal to avoid having paypal take any more of your profit than necessary.

If they arrange for a transporter to pick it up, make sure you review and sign the bill of lading indicating any existing damage, or lack there-of, to avoid having the buyer blame you for damage that occurs in transport.

Unless you are into gambling set the reserve to at least the minimum you would want to sell it for, but start the bidding low enough that it is on the first page if someone sorts by price. If the reserve isn't met you can always make a second chance offer to any of the bidders and state the price you will take.

One final tip, review completed listing for similar vehicles to get an idea of pricing, and what the successful ads used for titles, dscriptions, and starting bids to help make yours successful.

Good Luck, Joe

I would make a serious effort to put the ad on craigslist. Do you really think that there is a lot of people nationally willing to travel to buy a non-running RX7? Unless your price is going to make it worth the effort, I would forget it.

Put lots of good quality pictures - you can use html to post more then the normal 4 small pictures allowed. (5 mins on Google will learn you how)

I would also put ads in area surrounding yours. You will have to make some changes to the add to do that.

I sold my Miata that way. I am in Cleveland Ohio and put the same ad in Columbus, Detroit and Pittsburgh.

Good description and good pictures along with a fair price will get the car sold.

+1 on trying to sell locally. In addition to craigslist, we have the option of a local "trading post" paper that works really well for older cars.

If you've never sold anything on ebay, your seller rating will be zero. That's going to give most legitimate bidders reason for concern.

sell me the cutlass

RexSeven What condtion is the Cutlass in? I would think it would be an easy sale. Then put the turbo into the garage. If the NA FC is titled and runiing I don't see how the son can foce you to sell it.

I have no advice for selling on ebay.

I've sold two cars on ebay, although both were sold as non-running parts-cars. One paid via PayPal, the other with cash when picked up. Selling as a parts car is much cheaper, although you have to be vague about the title. I refered to it as "includes all records and receipts" which seems to sneek through.

I tend to be terse in my ebay descriptions, much to my g/f's dismay, considering I tend to be rather wordy in my writing otherwise. She would smack me and tell me to re-write it. Max out the number of allowed pictures. For one of the cars, we hosted more pictures on a web page.

I've sold a few cars on ebay as well.

Your car is not as nice as you think it is, and not worth as much as you think it is.

Pictures. You almost can't have too many pictures. Make them clear and usefull.

Description, clear and concise. Not a story book, just a very clear thorough description of the vehicle. How it runs, work done, damage, etc.

While I agree with the deposit, understand it's through ebay and paypal (one and the same), and you the seller are not covered, they will rule against you almost always, and give the money back to the buyer. For that reason, I far prefer cash when the car is picked up.

There is no protection against those kids and trolls with zero feedback who bid and win and are never heard from again. Ebay loves them and protects them.

Seperately, put tags on the other car and keep it. Two tagged cars are almost certainly a go form the management perspective. Its the untagged status that's causing you trouble, change it.

Make sure that you specify a time in which the vehicle has to be picked up. I had a $1,000 Spitfire sit in my driveway for 3 months AFTER I sold it. Eccentric rich guy bought it, paid for it and promptly didn't care, which left me with little legal recourse. He eventually had it picked up, but it was a hassle.

I have sold several cars on Ebay, and bought a few. I have always had good luck selling if the car is something special that someone would be looking for. The RX7 and the Cutlass both fit that bill. Jus don't try to sell a Taurus on there no one will notice the car. As stated earlier have lots of pictures and a good description. If there is any rust show it in a picture, it shows you are honestly advertizing the car. Have the auction end in the evening of a week night according to sites I have seen, the bids tend to all happen at the end. I my experience the cars I sold on Ebay generally wnet higher than they should have and the buyer was always happy with it. Just be honest with yourself as to the value of the car and don't let someone talk you into ending the auction early. The selling price is almost always higher than the offers you get plus you still have back up bidders to offer a second chance offer to if the high bidder back out. This is my experience anyway, my Craigslist experience was not been nearly as good (people get upset when the parts car you are selling with no radiator interior or tires can't be driven home)

jstand wrote: I've sold several vehicles and trailers on Ebay. I think something people may ignore, but can make a big difference in success, is trying to search for your own ad. After completing your listing, sign out, and search using key words you think potential buyers will use. If it doesn't show up, edit and reword the ad until it does show up in a search. If you can't find it, buyers won't find it and that will reduce views and bids.

Exactly. When I bought my last Spec Miata, it was a fluke. I was the only bidder. Why? Even when I was told it was for sale, it took me over 10 minutes to buy it. In my case, I'd seen the car before, so I was comfortable with the "sight unseen" aspect. My first 3 or 4 searches yielded nothing, even though I knew where the car was, the year, the make, and the model. Crazy - but it saved me probably $2000. Don't be that guy.

The 2 times I sold vehicles on ebay, I had to relist multiple times (~3) which cost me each time. A bunch of people would "watch" the listing and I had far more people contact me weeks after the listing ended to strike a deal than I had people actually bidding on the vehicles.

I really didn't like the ebay experience although both vehicles eventually sold but it took a good month or so. I've had much better luck on craigslist.

Selling a non-running vehicle is tough. Really hard to get beyond the $500 range for a non-running FC when a running one can be found for $1k.

I'd do my best to get that turbo FC running and keep it. Those are hard to find in good condition.