posted on February 14, 2001 11:54:24 AM new
In the past, I have listed several autos for salle on ebay for a dealer. I charged $200.00 upfront plus all of the fees and 30% of the profit. I realize that this sounds excessive, however it is your feedback that you are risking plus you will not believe all of the emails that you receive asking questions about things that are covered in the description. Plus you also get a lot of pranksters. I also charged an extra 10% of the entire sale if they used my MC & VIsa merchant account for the deposit. Good luck.
posted on February 14, 2001 01:10:39 PM new
The weirdest thing that I sold was a sort of vehicle--a friend had been trying for months and spending a fortune in $$$ on classified ads without success to sell a small blacktop paving roller machine. He paid the listing fee and FVF, and we split the money over a certain $$ amount.
Now, I knew this guy and knew he'd follow-through on the sale, especially since we set a reserve at his minimum acceptable price. If you don't know the other fellow at all, try to figure out some way to be sure he will indeed sell the vehicle to the high bidder. Be sure he has clear title in his name. Also, I would suggest collecting your listing fee and any other incidental expenses up front from him. It's much easier to collect now, rather than later, especially if you get no acceptable bids. Also, consider how it might affect your tax situation--if the money is paid directly to you, make sure you have adequate proof on hand that you turned over the seller's portion.
I don't particularly like selling things for other people, but it can be profitable I guess. Mayer's suggestions are great.
posted on February 14, 2001 01:23:03 PM new
Executive Girl,
We are a company that specializes in selling high-ticket items for other companys (ie construction equipment, cars, jewelry etc..) Because we establish contracts with our clients for multiple items, our prices are considerably lower than Mayers. We charge $50.00 plus fees for listing the item, and then we receive 5% commission if it sells. You probably want to include an e-mail or phone number in the item description for the person you're selling the item for. That way the prospective bidders can contact them directly instead of going through you. Make sure the person you are selling the item for will follow through on the transaction, and include a disclaimer on the auction to protect yourself in case they don't! (Quite frankly, if you don't know them... it's a bit of a risk to sell the item) Also, make it VERY clear in the auction that you are selling this for some one else. It's always best to avoid confusion. Good luck!
posted on February 15, 2001 11:14:49 AM new
Thanks for starting this thread! My cousin is going to ask me to sell his very unusual sportscar (I think there are only something like nine in the world) on eBay, as he has had little luck trying to sell it locally. I've been worried about how to handle the sale, how much (if anything) to charge, etc.
One thing that concerns me...how does the vehicle get from Point A to Point B? Does eBay offer a transport service, or does the buyer arrange this separately, or what?
How do you handle accepting payment? This car has been professionally appraised in the five-figure range, and I'm not about to take a PayPal payment or personal check for that amount.
posted on February 15, 2001 11:35:34 AM new
I sold a caddy for someone this summer. The buyer flew in from Wisconsin (car was on Long Island, NY). Went and picked him up and drove him to car which he then drove home. Was told I was too nice, should have charged him for pickup, however, felt that was the way to go - if he was willing to fly in, the least I could do was pick him up. The whole experience was so positive and fun, eBay, I believe, charged a flat rate FVF - it is there somewhere in the site. The buyer paid the listing/FVF fees and I took 11% of the total. </p>While I did have a number of calls and emails about the car, for the actual time that I put in, I was very pleased with I what a got. The sellers were impressed enough with my results that they asked me to list their million dollar home! Unfortunately, while I did get a couple of people to look, I didn't sell it - we'd agreed upon 1/3 percent if I found buyer.</p>Ended up selling all kinds of things for this couple 99% of which were just too big to ship, the buyers came every time to pick them up. Met some great people and really enjoyed doing it. Good luck.
posted on February 15, 2001 05:25:02 PM new
I have done a few at $50.00 + 15% of the final price but I would not do less than a $2,000 car.
Do everything in writing with a signed contract that promises you will not have the car sold on the side while you are listing it without giving you time to cancel the auction AND still get your fees.
Make sure title passes from the present owner to the new one and you are just an agent not an owner so you do not owe taxes or need a dealer's license.
