Would you pay...

[Big Jim]

...for someone to sell your car properly?

I see some really naff adverts when, lets face it, apart from your house, selling a car is probably one of the biggest 'sells' Joe Public is likely to make. Badly written adverts accompanied by badly taken photographs really don't do the seller any favours.

I'm thinking professional photographs - exterior, interior, engine bay, then some scenic/arty ones (all hosted free of charge). The price could also include a written description of the car etc. which will then allow the chap selling the car to list it on autotrader, pistonheads or forums as they wish.

So, is it a good idea? How much would you pay?

Cheers

Big Jim

 

[television]

I think that a good car sells itself, putting too much in the add kills it, I have never thought about using an agent to do the wording and pictures

 

[jibcl500]

On the other hand I offer a service where by I go out to see cars with the customer and then haggle the price and get a better deal, yesterday I went with a customer to see a 2004 SLK 230K paid cash and saved the customer £500.
My fee £50.

jib

 

[Big Jim]

I think that a good car sells itself, putting too much in the add kills it, I have never thought about using an agent to do the wording and pictures

I agree, but I personally wouldn't travel a long distance to see a car that has been advertised badly. I'm talking about a few fuzzy mobile phone pictures followed by a paragraph that usually starts 'Well here goes, I'm selling my pride and joy blah blah......'

 

[Big Jim]

Cheers chaps - some great points and stuff to be thinking about. Thanks for the Pms too. Don't worry this isn't personal. I'm doing an MBA through the Ou and I'm trying to combine a business project with something I love, cars!

Howard, I think your approach is spot on, sadly it only takes a few minutes searching autotrader or even this site to see pictures of the cars for sale cramped onto a drive or in a dark garage. If these sort of pictures put me off (and I'm pretty open minded) then I can imagine they put others off too. Making a 3, 4, 5 grand sale is a lot of money and yet people seem to give the car a quick wash and take a few mobile phone pictures of the car sat in the dirty water they've just used to clean it.....they then use the opening line 'The love of my live, totally immaculate, gutted to have to sell, new baby blah blah blah....'

In a nutshell I think the target audience are people selling cars in the 15k and above bracket. The business would probably have to be run locally for now with an option of travelling to clients @circa 40p/mile. I would also suggest meeting the Client halfway for some decent shots at a suitable location.

An advert would have to be punchy, specific, clear, impersonal and direct.

The photographs should contain a 'Wow' shot, then sides, front, rear, wheels/brakes, engine bay followed by another wow shot.

Current research suggests a £1500 price tag includes the detailing, all the advertising and all the selling (including dealing with potential buyers) - it would appeal to the busy, rich Client who doesn't want to deal with other people at his house and just wants the car sold.

Lower prices could be used to select different levels of service. I'm guessing just the photographs and advert would be in the region of £100 per vehicle. Then £150 for all the advertising and photographs etc etc etc.

Still work in progress......

...additional thoughts always welcome.

 

[Alex M Grieve]

I would, and I have.

I have bought and sold lots of cars. As Malcolm says, a good car sells itself but you have to weigh that against the costs of advertising, waiting, time wasters, insurance arrangements for demonstration (if you are "named only drivers) and the time the whole process takes, throughout which you must be available.

I sold a 190 to the used car guy in our village for as much as I would have got for a private sale - total time involved, 5 minutes.

I also sold two of my kids cars (Peugeot 106 D and 205 GRD) via the same guy. We agreed he would sell the cars and take either a fee (very similar to jibcl500) or if work was required on the car to achieve a sale, he would take the profit on the work as a fee.

Each sold within a week with no effort on my part at prices I would probably not have achieved.

It is not just the components of selling that matter - you have to get it in front of the right audience and this is where an agent can score for you.

 

[jibcl500]

I have friends that currently run such businesses. For example a well know pop star would contact my mate, the requirement to find a certain vintage of Lambo in the desired colours etc and this is what he would do.
He also takes the super expensive exotica from clients and then sells it to the highest bidder via the trade or private sale.

The one thing he has in his favour is 25 years in the motor trade, hes knows everything about every car priced over 50K and above, he has a lot of contacts in the business so if he has a car to sell he has a contact that can take it and that's the most important aspect of the business. Have a car for sale is fine finding a buyer is another.

Mr stock broker who earns £3.5 million a year and wants out of his F430 isnt going to give two hoots about the resale, if a broker sells his car within 7 days for £7k less than book he's going to take it.

This type of business needs to work on percentages not fixed price, £1500 and your have to advertise the car for 12 months, ive sold customers cars on the same basis, I take 10% on cars over 10K but tha problem is the customer, they want top price and selling an over priced car never sells.

Dedicated web site to the business provides free advertising, needs to searchable, people wont travel for a common car, rare cars they will, pics speak a 1000 words as you say.

best of luck.

jib

 

[The_Don]

No would sell myself