Auctioning on eBay Motors

Consider using eBay's CARad service to actually create and post your listing. For just $9.95 per vehicle, this tool is a fail-safe way to create a complete, professional looking listing, including the posting of a much larger number of photos than are allowed on just a basic eBay listing.

Get your listing right before you click "submit" to post it to the eBay Motors site. Once you get a first bid, you cannot change your listing or add photos. Note that eBay Motors' fee structure is different from that on the rest of eBay. The basic listing fee is $40 for a car, truck or other passenger vehicle. There is no final value fee on eBay Motors, but a $40 transaction fee is charged when either you receive your first bid or bidding meets your reserve price, if you've set one.

Tools of the Trade
To instill further confidence in prospective buyers, have your vehicle inspected by a third party. eBay has partnerships with both SGS Automotive and Pep Boys, both of which have a nationwide network of automotive specialists who can perform a complete mechanical and cosmetic inspection (for a fee) wherever the vehicle happens to be.

You can also participate in the Condition Guarantee by Seller Program. The purpose of this program is to provide buyers with confidence that the vehicle's condition is as described in the listing and protects buyers if the vehicle's condition is materially different. For certain vehicle purchases, this program covers up to 50 percent of the vehicle's purchase price (with maximum coverage of $10,000.)

Decide whether to set a reserve price, or minimum price you would accept for the vehicle. Reserve prices are not published for buyers to see, but an auction will indicate whether the reserve has been met or not. As a seller, you are not obligated to sell the vehicle if the reserve price has not been met. If, during the auction, you are concerned that your reserve price is too high, you can lower it at any time.

You may also consider including a "Buy It Now" option in your listing, giving buyers the opportunity to circumvent the bidding process altogether and purchase the vehicle immediately at a set price.