Discussion
Currently selling a car on Ebay , an eBay auction that ends in 5 days. What is the best practice for a handover? Is a bank transfer the best way to transfer funds over? Also paperwork , do I just complete the V5 with the new drivers details on it? Also is it worth making a word document stating sold as seen , date and signature from us both?
Don't have much experience with car sales so any advice is appreciated. Want as smooth transaction as possible.
I.e don't want the guy turning up 2 weeks down the line saying there's faults and wants a refund(or to pay for repairs) , when there wasn't any at the point of sale or under my ownership.
It isnt for a massive amount of money (around £4k)
Cheers
Don't have much experience with car sales so any advice is appreciated. Want as smooth transaction as possible.
I.e don't want the guy turning up 2 weeks down the line saying there's faults and wants a refund(or to pay for repairs) , when there wasn't any at the point of sale or under my ownership.
It isnt for a massive amount of money (around £4k)
Cheers
Personally I wouldn't sell via an auction, in my experience one of two things happen once it has finished.
1)The winning bidder ghosts you.
2)They contact you and say can you wait until pay day. If you agree they will email you every few days telling you how excited they are. On the night before collection you will get a message saying they are really sorry but they can no longer collect the car as their mum's cat died the night before.
You will then realist the car and all the time wasters who emailed you with a massive list of questions previously will email you again saying "what happened, thought this was sold?"
I would list it as a classified ad, ignore any people who message you with a sob story about their dad being in hospital and they need a car to visit him, or transport for their disabled children and can you sell it for half price.
As mentioned above you will get the people who think they are buying a Ferrari and send you a list of a million questions asking how many people have sat in the back, why was the service in 2019 50 miles late, what the dot code on the tyres are and if the bulb advised in 2020 on the Mot was changed at a main dealer. If you bother to reply they will say "thanks, got a few to look at"
Watch out for a certain group of people who like to turn up mob handed, squirt oil in the header tank and try and convince you the head gasket has gone.
Or the people who buy the car, claim it broke down on the way home and needs £1000 of work and "what are you going to do about it?"
Having sold lots of cars in the past, the thought of doing it nowadays just makes me feel sick.
1)The winning bidder ghosts you.
2)They contact you and say can you wait until pay day. If you agree they will email you every few days telling you how excited they are. On the night before collection you will get a message saying they are really sorry but they can no longer collect the car as their mum's cat died the night before.
You will then realist the car and all the time wasters who emailed you with a massive list of questions previously will email you again saying "what happened, thought this was sold?"
I would list it as a classified ad, ignore any people who message you with a sob story about their dad being in hospital and they need a car to visit him, or transport for their disabled children and can you sell it for half price.
As mentioned above you will get the people who think they are buying a Ferrari and send you a list of a million questions asking how many people have sat in the back, why was the service in 2019 50 miles late, what the dot code on the tyres are and if the bulb advised in 2020 on the Mot was changed at a main dealer. If you bother to reply they will say "thanks, got a few to look at"
Watch out for a certain group of people who like to turn up mob handed, squirt oil in the header tank and try and convince you the head gasket has gone.
Or the people who buy the car, claim it broke down on the way home and needs £1000 of work and "what are you going to do about it?"
Having sold lots of cars in the past, the thought of doing it nowadays just makes me feel sick.
I've sold over 20 cars and a dozen motorbikes in the 23 years I've been on there. Never been ghosted, never had a buyer fail to turn up. Only one tried to 'negotiate' after winning an auction.
I've used a classified if there's no hurry, and an auction if I definitely want it gone. Comprehensive description (you can add 24 photos and a video now) an up front about any issues avoids sales falling through. Mine tend to be bit 'war and peace' so I get barely any questions, certainly never had ludicrous ones. If I'd had the experiences above, I wouldn't still be using it. Sold a 2003 CLK yesterday.
Bank transfer is the easiest way, most people with a smart phone know how to do this. Cash to a small amount; I once sold a bike for £3500 and one of the 20s was fake.
Very embarrassing at the bank, and the buyer despite saying he'd send another, never did. I wouldn't accept that much in cash again/
I've used a classified if there's no hurry, and an auction if I definitely want it gone. Comprehensive description (you can add 24 photos and a video now) an up front about any issues avoids sales falling through. Mine tend to be bit 'war and peace' so I get barely any questions, certainly never had ludicrous ones. If I'd had the experiences above, I wouldn't still be using it. Sold a 2003 CLK yesterday.
Bank transfer is the easiest way, most people with a smart phone know how to do this. Cash to a small amount; I once sold a bike for £3500 and one of the 20s was fake.
Very embarrassing at the bank, and the buyer despite saying he'd send another, never did. I wouldn't accept that much in cash again/Definately get them to sign something with the time and date of handover. State on it: "Private sale. Vehicle is sold as seen and no warranty for any faults that exist or may develop, buyer has inspected vehicle".
Do NOT write no faults or anything subjective such as excellent condition. Just basic information, name, date, time vehicle reg and model, amount and the above statement.
Do the V5 transfer online there and then. It will only take a couple of days to process and send out the new one as it is all automated. If you fill it in and post it, it will take weeks as someone will have to feed it into the system by hand.
Do not give them the full V5, just the new keeper slip.
Agree with the above, bank transfer is the best option and for the amount you are selling for will/should be instant/almost instant. If accepting cash, I have previously gone to the bank to pay the money in with the buyer - when they ask if you will take cash, agree subject to them coming to the bank with you to pay it in.
Do NOT write no faults or anything subjective such as excellent condition. Just basic information, name, date, time vehicle reg and model, amount and the above statement.
Do the V5 transfer online there and then. It will only take a couple of days to process and send out the new one as it is all automated. If you fill it in and post it, it will take weeks as someone will have to feed it into the system by hand.
Do not give them the full V5, just the new keeper slip.
Agree with the above, bank transfer is the best option and for the amount you are selling for will/should be instant/almost instant. If accepting cash, I have previously gone to the bank to pay the money in with the buyer - when they ask if you will take cash, agree subject to them coming to the bank with you to pay it in.
Edited by TriumphStag3.0V8 on Saturday 9th November 10:59
Over the years I have sold 6 cars on ebay. Never been ghosted or had a buyer not turn up. I have had plenty of dealers offer silly money and then spend the next half hour telling me who ever is bidding won't turn up or will try and bid me when see it. Then telling me their offer is the best i will get. I just tell them to bid and we will see if they win.
Brilliant info , thanks for that.
Regarding bank transfer which seems the safest , is there a way of them stopping the transfer once they have taken the car? or is it once the money has landed in my account there is no way for them to get it back?
I didnt realise you could sort the v5 out online , that sounds like a great thing to do with the buyer.
The other thing is , what do you recommend for test drives as i have seen a few adverts where they say you need proof of insurance before you can test drive the car. Dont know if its worth following that too ?
Regarding bank transfer which seems the safest , is there a way of them stopping the transfer once they have taken the car? or is it once the money has landed in my account there is no way for them to get it back?
I didnt realise you could sort the v5 out online , that sounds like a great thing to do with the buyer.
The other thing is , what do you recommend for test drives as i have seen a few adverts where they say you need proof of insurance before you can test drive the car. Dont know if its worth following that too ?
Once the money is in your bank they can’t recall it.
With regards insurance I’ve pointed them to the Cuvva App which allows you to take insurance by the hour. They can literally get cover there and then for a test drive once they’ve happy with the car for circa £20.
I used to drive people to the local industrial estate and let them have a go, but these days with all the 3rd party liability, I’d rather they were insured if they wanted a test drive. However, I’ve sold several cars over the years where they’ve been happy without a test drive.
With regards insurance I’ve pointed them to the Cuvva App which allows you to take insurance by the hour. They can literally get cover there and then for a test drive once they’ve happy with the car for circa £20.
I used to drive people to the local industrial estate and let them have a go, but these days with all the 3rd party liability, I’d rather they were insured if they wanted a test drive. However, I’ve sold several cars over the years where they’ve been happy without a test drive.
JQ said:
I've used something similar from the RAC the last few times I have sold a car. For the last two the buyer turned up with cash and I swapped that for the keys!
Previous one transferred the money before collection - both ways worked for me.
The only trouble I’ve had with an auction is a prospective buyer turning up to inspect the car and spending ages trying to persuade me to sell him the car for the reserve (or it may have been the starting bid - can’t remember) because “that was obviously what I was prepared to let it go for”.
He didn’t win the auction.
He didn’t win the auction.
Nitro182 said:
Currently selling a car on Ebay , an eBay auction that ends in 5 days. What is the best practice for a handover? Is a bank transfer the best way to transfer funds over? Also paperwork , do I just complete the V5 with the new drivers details on it? Also is it worth making a word document stating sold as seen , date and signature from us both?
Don't have much experience with car sales so any advice is appreciated. Want as smooth transaction as possible.
I.e don't want the guy turning up 2 weeks down the line saying there's faults and wants a refund(or to pay for repairs) , when there wasn't any at the point of sale or under my ownership.
In my experience, the answers to your questions are as follows:Don't have much experience with car sales so any advice is appreciated. Want as smooth transaction as possible.
I.e don't want the guy turning up 2 weeks down the line saying there's faults and wants a refund(or to pay for repairs) , when there wasn't any at the point of sale or under my ownership.
- handover is best done at your home, where you feel relaxed and have familiar/reliable online connections
- if the buyer completes a bank transfer - not a problem for £4k - and it's shown as in your bank account, the car's theirs. The transfer can't be reversed.
- do the 'paperwork' online at the DVLA site, don't rely on posting bits of paper. However, be aware that the DVLA online services are only available from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., for some reason
- a Word document suitable for a private sale is a sensible step and there's several templates available online (the AA, for instance)
- as for subsequent demands for refunds etc., yes it does happen, but if you have been both honest and factual then you have nothing to worry about. Avoid saying the car is 'perfectly reliable' or 'faultless'; just stick to verifiable facts. If you do that, and post sale the car explodes 100 yards down the road then it's frankly tough luck on the buyer, however much they might complain.
I've advertised 3 cars on eBay as an auction. My success rate is 66%.
The first occasion I was selling a Rover 200 BRM. The winning bidder repeatedly ignored my messages and failed to contact me. Later that week he advertised another item on his account and made the mistake of including his mobile number. I rang him up (at 4am of course) to ask him when he was going to collect the car.
The other 2 occasions were with a Pug 306 GTI 6 and a Merc CLK. The winning bidders both turned up when they said they would, paid in full via bank transfer, and took the cars away.
The first occasion I was selling a Rover 200 BRM. The winning bidder repeatedly ignored my messages and failed to contact me. Later that week he advertised another item on his account and made the mistake of including his mobile number. I rang him up (at 4am of course) to ask him when he was going to collect the car.
The other 2 occasions were with a Pug 306 GTI 6 and a Merc CLK. The winning bidders both turned up when they said they would, paid in full via bank transfer, and took the cars away.
Edited by MrGTI6 on Sunday 10th November 13:01
Nitro182 said:
Brilliant info , thanks for that.
Regarding bank transfer which seems the safest , is there a way of them stopping the transfer once they have taken the car? or is it once the money has landed in my account there is no way for them to get it back?
I didnt realise you could sort the v5 out online , that sounds like a great thing to do with the buyer.
The other thing is , what do you recommend for test drives as i have seen a few adverts where they say you need proof of insurance before you can test drive the car. Dont know if its worth following that too ?
Proof of insurance can work in two ways Regarding bank transfer which seems the safest , is there a way of them stopping the transfer once they have taken the car? or is it once the money has landed in my account there is no way for them to get it back?
I didnt realise you could sort the v5 out online , that sounds like a great thing to do with the buyer.
The other thing is , what do you recommend for test drives as i have seen a few adverts where they say you need proof of insurance before you can test drive the car. Dont know if its worth following that too ?
- Do they currently have insurance which will cover them third party on your car? - meets the legal requirements but if they damage it then it could be an issue to get it repaired, or;
- Secondly, as has been said above - fully comp specifically on your car (generally a temporary cover arrangement).
Alternatively they enjoy a test drive from the passenger seat....
I don't let people test drive these days, regardless of whether they have insurance.
If they did crash - do you really want several months of waiting for some random temporary insurance company to get your car repaired - or worse, argue over the value if it's total loss?
Plus - you're not the policy holder so they may not talk directly to you much anyway.
Really not worth the grief
If they did crash - do you really want several months of waiting for some random temporary insurance company to get your car repaired - or worse, argue over the value if it's total loss?
Plus - you're not the policy holder so they may not talk directly to you much anyway.
Really not worth the grief
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