Pub. 11 2012-2013 Issue 3

N E W J E R S E Y C O A L I T I O N O F A U T O M O T I V E R E T A I L E R S 29 new jersey auto retailer W W W . N J C A R . O R G M oreover, these buyers do not restrict their online car shopping to local dealers or residents—they will consider vehicles located anywhere across the nation. In the second quarter of 2012, for instance, 75 percent of vehicle sales on eBay Motors were interstate transactions, which entailed sellers deliv- ering vehicles or buyers picking them up by crossing state lines. Clearly, although these buyers have confidence in online shopping for suchmajor transactions, that trust extends only so far. The buyer must feel that the seller is dealing fairly with him and that he has access to as much information as possible about the vehicle. As a retailer, you can help reassure prospective buyers and build trusting relationships with them by taking a professional approach toward your online vehicle listings. The following five tips can help you es- tablish a mutually positive connection with potential buyers, ensure that transactions proceed smoothly, and ultimately accelerate sales. 1. Determine what themarket indicates your vehicle is worth. Rarely is your vehicle’s make and model the only one of its kind on the market. More likely, you will be competing against many dozens of other retailers and individuals trying to sell the same type of car or truck. So it’s important to spend some time to find out how those other sellers are pricing their similar vehicles. It’s also important to discover the average transaction price for those that have sold, giving you a guide to an appropriate price range for your listing. 2. Furnish an honest and complete vehicle description. Your listing should also include not just your vehicle’s positive features, but also its dings and deficits. Full disclosure should be your byword. Certainly you should enumer- ate all the positive features in the vehicle—its power, technology, Five Ways to Make Online Vehicle Sales Easier and More Successful BY CLAYTON STANFIELD, EBAY MOTORS Consumers increasingly prefer to use their computers, tablets and smartphones to buy everything they need—including automobiles. Even though they may not see and touch the actual vehicle they purchase online, drivers have found e-commerce and mobile commerce to be so convenient that they trust these channels for major purchases, like their next car or truck. FIVE WAYS  continued on page 31