How to Sell your 4×4 Online
Here are some tips for selling your used 4x4 on line.
Before you decide to go down this route, it's advisable to state that prices for 4x4's and SUV's are currently fairly low, motivated by the fact that the fuel economy is not that good generally for this class of vehicles. Also, some countries heavily tax these vehicles too. So, unless you are ready to accept what is probably a lower price than the one you were thinking of, don't sell it.
Well, you have bitten the bullet and decided that even though the residual price for your vehicle is most likely to be lower than expected, you still wish to sell it on line. The tips below will be of help to you.
Firstly, make sure you get the vehicle fully valeted, inside and out, make sure it is fully detailed. This needs to be done prior to carrying out the exercise that will most likely be the prime tool for selling your car, photographs. No matter what website you choose for selling your vehicle, and you can use more than one, you need to show the prospective buyer what they will be parting their hard earned cash for.
When taking the photographs, you need to plan ahead. Don't just take a picture of the vehicle in your drive, think of some dramatic location that will help to sell your vehicle. Obviously, somewhere in the country would be good, but dont choose a heavy background such as woods or forest, as this will most likely lose your vehicle in the picture. Offset against a nice sky outline will do it, preferably with one wheel up on a rock or something. You are trying to appeal to the adventurous side of the buyer, as this is probably how he imagines your type of vehicle. Make sure no one is in shot, and the viewer isn't confused by other vehicles visable either.
On a counterpoint to my last statement, if your 4x4 is a commercial vehicle, putting it in a working setting will also do the trick. Perhaps being loaded at a wood yard, or parked up prominantly at some road works or similar? Again, you are letting the buyer see the vehicle as he wants to see it.
You now need to work on your description of the vehicle. My suggestion is for total honesty here, but, make sure the pro's far outweigh the con's. Any inaccuracy will show up when the buyer comes to exchange his cash for your car, and although web sites state that the deal made on the site is binding, inaccuracies are the walk away clause for breaking the deal. The last thing you want to do is go to all the effort of listing your vehicle, only to lose the deal because you were less than truthful about something. And, if you then re-list your vehicle, prospective buyers may well have seen it the first time around and distrust your second listing, guessing that the first buyer found something you didn't mention in your listing.
Now choose your shop window. Ebay of course is a good place to look. It's a web site with a huge following and pretty much everyone knows how it works. However, do look locally too, as there is a good likelyhood that your local paper may well have an accompanying website with commercial ads. They are probably cheaper too, for the seller, and they also generally list your classified ad in the paper as well as on the web site, so you get two hits for the price of one.
One last thing to think about is the price you want to offer your vehicle for. Don't go overboard on this. Decide what the lowest price is, that you would be willing to let the car go for. This is your starting price. This applies to auction sites like ebay. For Classifieds work in the opposite direction and add a little on top of what you will let the car go for, to give negotiation room. You might want to have a look at similar vehicles for sale, on ebay and in the paper, so that you have a guide as to what to ask for. If you are very far out, you won't get any enquires at all.
Hopefully this will help you sell your car.
