Ebay motors advice

I need advice from anyone with experience selling an automobile on Ebay. I have been trying to sell my truck through all the normal free outlets with absolutely no luck so I thought I would try Ebay. (BTW if anyone wants a 2001 F150 make me an offer) I know it says that you will only be charged a successful listing fee if the vehicle sells for your reserve price but if it does not sell what am I looking at paying? Also what other fees am I looking at getting charged that they might not tell me about in the frequently asked questions section. Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated.

Ebay's fees are pretty straight forward as described. I have not experienced them being deceptive, but make sure you read the fine print.

There are insertion fees and listing fees. You will pay the insertion fees whether or not the item sells, but it is a nominal amount.

Include a reserve price, and make sure you are actually prepared to sell it for that. If no bid is received beyond the reserve, you will not pay the listing fee. I am of the opinion that it helps to reveal your reserve in the body of the listing, and that there should not be an enormous spread between your opening bid and your reserve (I would say no more than a couple hundred dollars). It pisses people off to start bidding on something and never see the reserve go away (like if the opening bid is $50, but the reserve is $1000). However, the reserve should be a pretty good deal for the buyer. It's an auction. You need to be prepared to sell it for less than you hoped, but try to generate a buzz in the hopes of getting people bidding.

While you are creating the listing, let Ebay nickel and dime you a bit. They will charge you a small amount for more pics, larger images, etc. Spend this money. It won't be much. LOTS of pics are VERY important.

Clean it first. No, REALLY clean it. Including pressure washing the engine bay, including gloss detailing spray on the engine components. Pictures sell on Ebay. Period. The better the pics, the better the sale. Take pics in good sunlight, make sure you pay attention to the background. No junky cars, leaning porch roofs, etc.

Then, expect to put a lot of energy into the listing. Respond to EVERY single question as openly and publically as you can. Don't be afraid to revise the listing to clarify something, add pics, etc. DO NOT let it sit idle for several days. This back and forth active and open response is appreciated (and rare) on Ebay, and will generate attention. I generally expect to respond no less than twice a day. I have also learned that people are pretty smart. I have had dummies asking questions that were addressed in the body, or offering to buy it offline. I don't hesitate to point out (respectfully) that the answer was already addressed, or that their request is against Ebay policies. Other bidders notice, and appreciate the honesty.

Also, cross reference the listing on related websites. Find a Ford site, a truck site, etc and post links to your Ebay listing. Don't forget GRM!

Good luck!!

One other thing-

I think Ebay is a pretty decent company, but the policies are written to favor BUYERS. Just be aware.

On cars, a bid is NOT a legally binding contract.

Kind of annoying, but the deal is not complete until the buyer pays you, receives title, and leaves with the product.

If they fail to complete the deal, Ebay is pretty fair in their re-listing policies, but it is frustrating.