eBay Motors
eBay Motors has sold over 3,000,000 cars – they know what they are doing and this is a great place to buy a used car/truck.
I buy and sell lots of stuff on eBay; well cars can be bought and sold on eBay too. Over 3,000,000 cars/trucks have been sold thru eBay so pay attention to what I’m covering here.
Lots of folks sell their car/truck on eBay Motors, at any-one-minute there are thousands of cars/trucks for sale. eBay has gone out of its way to make buying and selling used cars a snap. Cars can be sold as an auction or a classified ad.
Vehicle Purchase Protection:
This is VERY important – this is what makes eBay Motors work – read and understand this!
In order for buyers to feel comfortable, eBay created the eBay Motors Vehicle Purchase Protection (VPP) program. Most cars qualify for VPP and it provides protection to the buyer up to $50,000; this is nice. It has limitations and it will not let you back out of a deal, but your local used car dealer, or private seller, can’t come close to this protection for you.
- You paid a deposit, or the whole purchase price and you never got the car
- You got a different car than the one you bought
- The title is messed up (water damage, junk, lemon, etc) or tied up in liens (loans), court decisions, things like that
- Undisclosed damage exceeding $1,000 for the body, frame, or transmission, to repair.
Here’s a list of things NOT covered:
- Damage to paint or surface rust that is just cosmetic- every car is sold with fantastic photos or you can have the seller take more photos just for you.
- Normal wear-and-tear to tires, battery, muffler, etc – you know the normal stuff
- You backing out of the deal with all kinds of normal tricks
- Damages less than $1,000
- Title screw-up’s like the seller not signing it – just call the seller and work it out
Guys, eBay has gone thru this 3,000,000+ times – it’s pretty foolproof.
Let’s go thru the various tabs in an auction:
Seller’s Description
Check the make, model, and year, the mileage, and where the car is located.
Vehicle Information
VIN: Every eBay listing has the VIN and next to it is “Get the Vehicle History Report”; that’s the CarFax – click it and check it out. See my article on how to read a CarFax report.
Inspection: If you see “Inspected” then the seller has paid for a vehicle inspection – ask to see a copy of it.For $99.50 you can have SGS go to the car’s location and do an inspection for you. Ask the seller to pay for this; it will help sell the car. Click here to see a sample inspection Click here to see the 150 point inspection.
Warranty: Existing for none
Vehicle title: Clear or has problems – double check with the CarFax or AutoCheck
Condition: Used
For sale by: Dealer, private, etc.
Features, Options, Power Options
Check the list carefully – if you have any questions ask the seller
History Report
This can be a CarFax report – refer to my “How to read a CarFax report“, or an AutoCheck report – refer to my “How to read an AutoCheck report“.
If the seller did not pay for a report I suggest using AutoCheck. I suggest Title Guard and Unlimited Reports.
If the seller has not run the report contact them and ask that they pay for it – if they won’t then run your own AutoCheck – half the price and better report. If the seller won’t pay for it make sure you deduct the cost in your bid.
Shipping
If you need the car delivered click Shipping and get 4 quotes. Also, type in “auto shippers” (With the quote marks!) and do your own shopping.
Financing
If you plan to finance the car click this tab or click my preferred lenders on the left/right columns of this page.
Payments
Follow the directions in the listing – most sellers want $500 or so in 24-hrs, and the rest in 5-7 days. If you need to finance a car get pre-approved by the lender and then buying is so much simpler.
Good luck…
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