Dear All,

Advance apologies for cross-posting; I've had my Octy in the For Sale section for over a week now, and not even a sniff of interest :(

I just wanted to ask other Octy II owners if they have had any success selling through this forum, and if not, what do you think it my best bet? I've seen an L&K that I quite like, and all I want to realise on mine, is something sensible because it seems all of the dealers are p*** takers when offering prices - but then I wanted to see if I am being unrealistic.

First car that I have sold, so I thought I'd canvas an opinion. I did take the car back to South Essex where I live, and put it up for sale in a local paper; but there are no Skoda dealers for miles around, you don't seem to see half as many Octy's as you do in south Wales, where Skoda dealers are rife..

Should I just put it on eBay? That seems full of dealers now?

Any ideas welcome.

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/152945-octavia-16-fsi-ambiente-54-plate/

Best

Gavin

x posting :no: :no:

Looking at your advert you haven't actually stipulated a price, always something a buyer wants to see

And a week isn't really a long time, especially for a (no offence) less desirable model.

Good luck with the sale but I would suggest stipulating a price and posting your best piccy rather than a link to flicka.

Edited 23 February, 201016 yr by postmanpat

Here are my thoughts; If this is the only place you are advertising your car then you are restricting your market too much. Your advert does not 'sell' your car to a potential buyer at all. If you want my advice you should carefully craft your advert to make the most of the car and to include all the information that propsective buyers may wish to know - service history (full details), options, price etc together with some good photographs. Be honest, if there are any faults list them.

I would also be tempted to put it on ebay as a classified ad with best offer. Provided the advert describes your car car well and is backed up with shots and is listed at a competitive price I am sure you will get some serious enquires.

Good luck.

Edited 23 February, 201016 yr by peterg1965

Dear All,

Advance apologies for cross-posting; I've had my Octy in the For Sale section for over a week now, and not even a sniff of interest :(

I just wanted to ask other Octy II owners if they have had any success selling through this forum, and if not, what do you think it my best bet? I've seen an L&K that I quite like, and all I want to realise on mine, is something sensible because it seems all of the dealers are p*** takers when offering prices - but then I wanted to see if I am being unrealistic.

First car that I have sold, so I thought I'd canvas an opinion. I did take the car back to South Essex where I live, and put it up for sale in a local paper; but there are no Skoda dealers for miles around, you don't seem to see half as many Octy's as you do in south Wales, where Skoda dealers are rife..

Should I just put it on eBay? That seems full of dealers now?

Any ideas welcome.

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/152945-octavia-16-fsi-ambiente-54-plate/

Best

Gavin

You cant really go wrong with trying to sell a car on e-bay,if you have a reserve price which any potential buyer cant see you have nothing to loose i have sold my last 3 cars all on e-bay the last one a Nissan Pathfinder for £1300 more than i paid for it!!.

Dear All,

Advance apologies for cross-posting; I've had my Octy in the For Sale section for over a week now, and not even a sniff of interest :(

I just wanted to ask other Octy II owners if they have had any success selling through this forum, and if not, what do you think it my best bet? I've seen an L&K that I quite like, and all I want to realise on mine, is something sensible because it seems all of the dealers are p*** takers when offering prices - but then I wanted to see if I am being unrealistic.

First car that I have sold, so I thought I'd canvas an opinion. I did take the car back to South Essex where I live, and put it up for sale in a local paper; but there are no Skoda dealers for miles around, you don't seem to see half as many Octy's as you do in south Wales, where Skoda dealers are rife..

Should I just put it on eBay? That seems full of dealers now?

Any ideas welcome.

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/152945-octavia-16-fsi-ambiente-54-plate/

Best

Gavin

Hi Gavin

Please don't take this the wrong way, I only offer this advice/comment as someone who has bought/sold many cars over the years and who grew up with a motor trader in my immediate family.

The dealers trade in price merely reflects the desirability of the car you are trading in (and their willingness to sell they car you want to buy!). Although the Octavia is a good sound car, the model you are trying to sell/trade in, is, with the exception of the rarely seen 1.4, probably the least desirable model (the colour also doesn't help). Petrol octavia's (with the possible exception of the vRS and newer TSi's) aren't seen as good news in the motor trade, and therefore tend be priced accordingly, i.e. a long way behind the equivalent diesel model.

That said the mileage adjusted bottom book for the car is just less than £3K (Glass's). Factor in a smart repair on the bumper / pre sale service and 6 months warranty (due to the sale of goods act) and I'd imagine most traders would be allowing around £2750 - £3K part ex. They would then look to retail the car up around £4995.

Ebay is a bit "hit and miss" in my experience. The best way I've found of selling a car in the past is an ad in the back window (free advertising), word of mouth and/or autotrader.

I agree with the previous posters also. A good, clearly worded ad is essential. Include details such as service history (emphasise main dealer history), number of previous owners (unless this is a negative), MOT/Tax satus and selling price. A professional pre-sale valet may also be neccesary, dependent upon the cars condition.

Bear in mind a private sale price should be comfortably above bottom book trade money, but somewhat less than on a forecourt. £4K in a private sale for your car sounds about right to me as a private sale. Give it time and it should hopefully go soon. I do understand how frustating it is when the car you want is right there in front of you though.

Good luck

pinkpanther

Edited 23 February, 201016 yr by pinkpanther

I wouldn't worry too much after a week. It took me 3 months to sell wifes Mitsubishi recently. I had it on Pistonheads/Ebay/Autotrader. Ebay seemed to generate the most interest. Most were timewasters & insulting offers though!. After 3 months I took some new pictures, increased the price from £5500 to £6500 & sold it for £6000 2 days later!. Chap drove down from Wales with his son, paid cash & drove it away..

Because it's an engine that no one wants. Sorry!

I am going to suggest washing it before photographing it.

You cant really go wrong with trying to sell a car on e-bay,if you have a reserve price which any potential buyer cant see you have nothing to loose i have sold my last 3 cars all on e-bay the last one a Nissan Pathfinder for £1300 more than i paid for it!!.

I think it's worth telling this story here. A friend advertised his wife's car on ebay. The advert listed the relatively minor faults.

The car sold for a low price which was paid via PayPal, and ebay/PayPal indicated that the money had been paid. The buyer came with his father, inspected the car and took possession. Hands were shaken and all was sweetness and light. A day or two later, PayPal reversed the payment, taking the money back from the account, giving no clear explanation.

It appears that the purchaser defaulted on some other PayPal deal, although the info about this is still confused with ebay quoting data protection.

The purchaser was contacted and said that he couldn't return the car as he had sold it on. In later discussions he started raising the small faults ( things like some parts of the aircon being faulty, I think), saying the car was worth less than the few hundred he paid for it, and that he could return no money as he had none.

I think the police were involved, and have lost track of what happened after that. All I know is that the friend won't touch ebay with a bargepole ever again.

I've had very successful dealings via ebay, but think I'd be very wary with a higher value car. I think what got the friend mad was not so much the actual deal going wrong - this can happen outside ebay - but the hassle and difficulty in talking sense with anyone inside ebay.

Ebay say they have recently overhauled their complaints procedure. It would be interesting to know whether it really has improved.

Good point about Paypal, a lot of horror stories out there, same with 'dodgy' bankers drafts.

Cash & BACs (when cleared) are the only way to go!

Cash. Always cash!

Cash. Always cash!

Paid in 1p pieces, no one bothers to forge them

Never, ever, ever pay for a car on eBay with PayPal.

Maybe pay a small deposit via PayPal to secure the car if its advertised elswhere but cold hard cash on collection is the only way.

Any buyer who opens a PayPal dispute will always win and be refunded in full unless the seller can prove delivery of the item, all well and good for a jiffy bag through the post sent recorded delivery, much more difficult for a car!

Otherwise eBay is a great venue to sell a car, huge audience, easy to list and competitive fees.

I wanted to part exchange my BMW 320d SE against a Scout last summer and was offered £3,000 :S

Listed it on eBay and got £5,500! :yes:

I am a fan of Bankers Draft - as good as cash, if you carry out a few checks.

1. Telephone the issuing Bank and confirm the Draft Number and ask what the amount it was for.

2. Always sell the car when the Banks are open.

A better way is to go, together, to the Bank and transfer funds there and then - sorted.

Yes, I've always had no probems with eBay either. Always insisted on cash or drafts with a small Paypal deposit to secure. Sold an Audi A3 in late 2008 for £6750, best px offer was £5000. Also sold a BMW 320d for £4695, best px offer was circa £3500.

a wash would help :p

yup another for ebay but make sure its paid for with cash DO NOT except paypal for a car or any item that is being collected in person.. also autotrader is very good i have sold 2 cars thru it lately the first went in 40 mins from advertising it (online) and the second went within 24 hrs..

Hi Gavin,

I hope what I have to say helps. You come across as a genuine guy, but if I'd been reading this when I was looking then I'd never have answered your ad either.

(On the plus side, you do come across as a genuine guy. Otherwise I wouldn't be trying to help you. )

The finer detail's crucial to get people's interest. Post:

• price
  
• mileage
  
• service history
  
• when the cambelt was changed
  
• how long the MOT is
  
• the brand of tyre. "Mid range" isn't enough.
  

In addition, you have to think how your car (and you) appear to people looking at your advert.

Please, please get that dent repaired on the tailgate. A SMART repair should be 150-250 quid. Even if you meticulously maintain it, it makes it look like you didn't- that'll put a lot of people off- they'll wonder "If you didn't bother repairing the dent, what else didn't you bother fixing with the oily bits?" and they'll walk away.

Spend a fiver on a car wash!

(Don't bother with any small scratches though- they'll cost more to put right than you'll see back.)

Be happy with any inspection. Let the seller see your home. If I were buying privately, I wouldn't let you bring the car to me. I'd want to come to you, and make sure the V5 matched your home address and utility bills. If they didn't, I'd make my excuses and leave. (Like I said, you come across as being an honest guy, but *being* honest isn't enough. You have to *be seen* to be honest to earn a buyer's trust.)

Thanks for all the feeback folks, I really really appreciate it. The car is in Mid Wales at the moment (I live between a rented flat in Cardiff and the family home in Mid Wales) so I'm not going to be around to sort this out for a fortnight or so; but when I get back up there, I will take all you have said on board, probably get the smart repair done, and come back with a better advert!

As an aside, does anyone have a "Glass's" book to hand?

Babs has suggested...

You need a Glass's price, not Parkers, not What Car, not Car Spotter. Glass's.

I think I am going to price to sell at £3800, or £4000 if I get the smart repair done for £200ish. Someone on one of the threads said a dealer would put it up for £4999 or something like that... they are all offering me insulting cash for trade in; so I'd rather see someone off here get a bargain than put money in a dealers' pocket. It will probably go on eBay / Autotrader when I get some decent pictures, but after the Paypal horror stories will stipulate COD.

Yes, it's nothing flash and nothing desirable in the way of spec or engine, but it's a nice enough car - I suppose this is a forum of enthusiasts where everyone knows the ins and outs of Skoda Spec and we all want L&K's or VRS's, but if someone just wants a nice reliable car with A/C and a decent stereo then I think it would be right up their street.

In the meantime, if anyone wants to make an offer then send me a PM

Be happy with any inspection. Let the seller see your home. If I were buying privately, I wouldn't let you bring the car to me. I'd want to come to you, and make sure the V5 matched your home address and utility bills. If they didn't, I'd make my excuses and leave.

My mum and I bought a guest house in Mid Wales; I live in Cardiff in a rented flat, which is where the car is registered, the car is in Machynlleth at the moment as it is SORN and we have a big driveway there where it doesn't take up space (hence I said if anyone wants to travel to see it we can put you up for the night!!!) - in Cardiff it is only on-street parking and it's a tight narrow road. If you want to check out that this is the case then my picture is on the website (www.plas-llwyngwern.co.uk) - hope it's not a problem that it is a commercial link - it's nothing relevant to Skoda's.

(I've bought mine now thanks Gavin, so I'm no longer in the market. Sorry.)

No worries Gavin- if you've got a legit reason then fair enough, but make sure you can prove it without a buyer worrying that there's something dodgy going on. Otherwise you'll put them off.

Have you considered getting 6m road tax? You'll need it for anyone to test drive it anyway, and it'd be a great sweetener in the advert you're going to write.

Edited 25 February, 201016 yr by thinkblueskies

its also easy enough to change the address the car is registered at, and you should get the v5c back quiet quickly as well.