Understanding Local Car Auctions

by Marc Lindsay

Buying cars from auctions can end up in a profit or a loss depending on your understand on cars and how the car auction process works. It is always good place to get a bargain because when you buying a car at an auction you're not paying dealer prices; neither is you paying for a guarantee. What you see is what you get is the theory behind car auctions. So you should have some knowledge and experience with motor vehicles before you attempt going to a car auction let alone buying one. On the end hand, what you do need is a good attention to detail, wiliness to learn and great observation skills. Once you can master the technique of buying good low cost cars you'll be able to sell them for profit. There are two types of car auctions. The traditional local car auctions and the online car auctions. Local Car Auctions When entering a local car auction you will need to pre-register upon entering. There should be staff on hand to explain to you how to register and how to make your bids and general rules of the auction. Make sure you don't just bid on everything because if you win you bought it. You should inspect the cars that you're interested in. Make sure you do a through check to ensure it's a good buy not a dud. If you want to inspect the car closer you may have to ask for permission from the staff on hand. It's wise to check up on the cars you want to bid on and make sure you set a bid limit otherwise you will be another victim of overbidding. When placing your bids ensure that you signal the auctioneer clearly to avoid any miscommunication. If you're in luck you might just walk away with a really good price on a car or cars. Each time you win a bid talk to the block clerk and tell them you want to settle your accounts. One of the staff on hand should be able to walk you through the payment process and the exchange of title. Before you settle you have to also do a final check on the vehicle. You're also allowed to take the car for a test drive before settling on the accounts. This is a way for the auction to ensure you the buyer that you didn't buy a broken car and that it's functioning properly. At last settling your accounts. Most auctions allow you to pay by credit card and check and of course CASH! You might be asked if you want to have a third party finance the car for you. Here's a tip, if your going to do finance make sure you get your finances organised outside of the auction. Third party financing at auctions usually come with a higher interest rate. Once you have settled your accounts you can either drive away or ship it to your destination. If you need to ship your newly bought car ask the car auction manager for a good rate on shipping. They will usually give you a better rate. Online Car Auctions Offline car auctions are a little different. You don't get to inspect the cars in person however you can request images of the car. If you're interested in online car auctions make sure if you do buy one inspect the car as soon as it arrives and if there is anything wrong with contact the online car auction site immediately. About the author: If you are looking for car auctions or car auction information then http://www.carauctionscritic.com can help you.

Selling on Auction Sites

by By Stephen Bucaro

Reprintable Article: Permission is granted for the following article to forward, reprint, distribute, use for ezine, newsletter, website, offer as free bonus or part of a product for sale as long as no changes are made and the byline, copyright, and resource box is included. ---------------------------------------------------------- Selling on Auction Sites By Stephen Bucaro It seems like just about everyone on earth has purchased something at, or at least visited, eBay. There must be a hundred books out there titled something like, "How to Get Rich Selling Useless Trash on eBay". Well, if you believe that, I have a bridge that I’d like to sell you. The people that I know who sell on eBay spend many hours tracking down items to sell. Then they have to spend time entering auction information, reviewing the status of their auctions, communicating with buyers, and packaging and shipping the item. If they counted the number of hours used relative to the revenue earned, I’m sure they are working for less than minimum wage. Many people are asking the question, "What sells best on eBay?" The answer is antiques, collectibles, and memorabilia. If you don’t have a continuous supply of this type of material, it is difficult to make money on eBay. Lately, there has been a market for "garage sale" type items such as used baby clothes and children's toys. But who has a continuous supply of these? Along with the time invested in locating items to sell, they have to pay $1.00 to list the item (whether it sells or not). If it sells, they pay an additional $1.25 and 2.5% of the selling price. If the buyer pays through an electronic payment service like Paypal or Billpoint, then they pay an additional $0.30 plus 3% of the selling price. Who pays the shipping charges? The seller may think that the buyer is paying shipping charges. But because the buyer considers it when evaluating the purchase, in effect, the seller pays the shipping. Why do people keep working eBay if they are not making money? The fact is that these people just love scouting out antiques, collectibles, and memorabilia, or used baby clothes and children's toys at garage sales and swap meets. They get excited about posting it on eBay and watching the bids come in. Hey, everybody needs a hobby. To sell on eBay, you have to register by providing your name, email address, and a credit card number (for paying auction fees). Then, with your user ID and password, you can log in. To list your item for auction, click the "Sell" link on the "Welcome" screen. This takes you to a very long form. The first thing you have to do is choose a category and sub-category for your item. Choosing the correct category is essential. When choosing a category consider your target buyer. Next, enter a title for your item (45 characters max). Your title should consist of carefully selected keywords. Buyers use keywords to search eBay. At the end of your title, you might want to enter the letters "NR". This stands for "No Reserve" and means that you are actually willing to sell your item at the price you enter as the minimum bid. Next, enter a description of your item. Fraud is a concern on all auction sites, so make bidders feel at ease by giving as much information as possible. Then enter your City and State. Next enter a "Minimum bid". This is the lowest amount you are willing to accept for the item and the amount you require to make the minimum acceptable profit. Then set the "Auction duration", the number of days that you want your auction to run. For best results, your auction should end on a Sunday. If you don’t want to actually sell your item at the minimum bid amount, then enter a "Reserve Price". This is a price higher than the minimum bid, at which you are actually willing to sell your item. Buyers can’t see your reserve price, they only know there is a reserve on your item. Buyers don’t like reserve price auctions, so you might want to leave this entry blank. Next, you can select many optional features for your auction, such as prime product placement, double category placement, a small picture in eBay’s Picture Gallery, and so on. But these options are costly. Next, set checkboxes to select the types of payment you will accept; checks, money order, etc. Then enter any shipping, handling, insurance, and sales tax charges. Next, enter your return policy. If you don’t want to have to refund money to a buyer, enter "No Returns". Then set the radio button for "I will not accept escrow." For an expensive item, you might accept an escrow. Escrow is when a third party holds the buyer’s money until he receives the item. Then, if the item is acceptable, he gives the escrow company permission to release the funds to you. Next, unless you want to ship overseas, set the radio button for "Will ship to United States only". Then select the checkbox for the shipping payment method; "seller pays shipping", "buyer pays actual shipping cost", or "buyer pays fixed amount". This is a lot of information to provide on a form. If you sell many similar items, you can set a checkbox for eBay to remember your preferences so that you don’t have to fill out the entire form each time. Next, click the "Continue" button. You are then given an opportunity to review your listing and correct any errors before submitting. After reviewing your listing, click the "Submit" button. Your item will be posted for auction. Now that your item is listed, you can login to eBay at any time and click on the "my eBay" link to get the status of your auction. If your item is sold, you will be charged $1.25 plus 2.5% of the final sale price. If the final sale price is $25.00 or less, the fee is 5.0% of the final sale price. That’s the basics of selling on eBay. If you feel you need to pay good money for a book titled "How to Get Rich Selling Useless Trash on eBay", then meet me on eBay, in the "Bridges" section. ---------------------------------------------------------- Resource Box: Copyright(C)2002 Bucaro TecHelp. To learn how to maintain your computer and use it more effectively to design a Web site and make money on the Web visit: http://bucarotechelp.com To subscribe to Bucaro TecHelp Newsletter Send a blank email to bucarotechelp-subscribe@topica.com About the Author Stephen Bucaro is the webmaster at bucarotechelp.com

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