How to use eBay to sell more vehicles

Almost everyone is familiar with eBay and how it operates. For those who don’t know, a seller lists an item on the auction website and lets consumers bid on the item for a predetermined amount of time. The person who bids the most wins the item and the seller then arranges to distribute the item to the winning bidder. The seller can also opt to feature a Buy It Now button where consumers can purchase the item at a set price. Traditionally, eBay featured products from small businesses and individual sellers and was a great way to build their businesses, but the automotive industry quickly realized eBay’s potential and eBay motors was formed.

Many dealerships are hesitant to use eBay as a sales tool for their vehicles for many reasons. They fear that consumers will not want to purchase a vehicle sight unseen, they fear it will take up too much of their time, or they fear that they can only sell used vehicles on the site. All of these fears can quickly be disputed. Some eBay dealers report that 70% of their sales are to consumers who have not physically seen the vehicle. If dealerships take care to appoint an eBay employee, the process can be very quick and easy. Dealerships are also reporting good sales of new vehicles on eBay as well as used with companies like LotVantage helping them. The great thing about eBay is that it has a global reach so you can get in front of a larger consumer audience.

Here are some of the reasons that dealerships fail when they attempt eBay: Lack of Understanding on how to use eBay, Lack of Process at the dealership, Lack of Accountability, and Lack of Execution. How can your dealership remedy these issues? Train their employees on how to properly use eBay Motors. There are several sales tools on eBay Motor’s site that can help your employees understand how it works and to build a process for your dealership to succeed. When an effective eBay selling process is in place the following should be identified: What selling activity will be done? When the selling activity should be done. Who will manage each selling activity? What are the performance standards for each selling activity? When your dealership has a clear eBay selling process, it is a very successful outlet to reach millions of customers.

What should your eBay listing include? Photos are probably one of the most important features of your listing. Although stock photos are a great start, it is even better to have multiple quality pictures of the actual vehicle. Include both interior and exterior photos. It is also recommended that along with the Year/Make/Model and VIN, that a full vehicle description is listed in your post so that the consumer has as much information as they need in one spot. Include mileage and all options that are the vehicle are equipped with.

If you are new to eBay Motors selling, it is recommended to start with 10-20 vehicle listings so that you can easily maintain the inventory as well as see what is working for your dealership. You can then tweak the listings if needed to make them more effective. When you have figured out what works, you can slowly increase the inventory. It is also recommended that 50% of your inventory be made up of your new vehicle franchises brand, and 50% competitive make or conquest brand. The recommended amount of days to list vehicles on eBay is 7 to 10, but they can be listed for longer.

When you follow eBay Motors very detailed steps on how to sell vehicles on their website, you can have great success. There are several training tools on their website, and they hold various trainings that your dealership can sign up for. There are online webinars as well as physical trainings that your dealership personnel can attend to get a better understanding of how to use eBay as an effective selling tool to increase your dealership’s bottom line.