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Weissach/PcarMiami (if you are indeed 2 different people): well, I can either sell my cars on Autotrader, Cars.com, Hemmings, Craigslist, or Rennlist and wait for weeks to months with a POSSIBLITY of selling it, or place it on eBay or BaT and have it POTENTIALLY SOLD within 7 days.
eBay: wider audience, no penalties to MIA winners
BaT: smaller but more knowledgable audience that can help/damage a car's value, 5% CC fee to winners regardless of if they go through with buying the car
BaT is not 100%, not even close, but I will bet the % of completed transactions are much higher than eBay, and the seller will know if his cars sell within a week (auction length). No more waiting for the next scam email, flaky low ballers, and frankly bizarre interactions.
As a person with chronic/frequent car buying sickness (branching out to other cars now), I can tell you I would only be serious when a seller put his confidence behind his car and list the VIN (so I can check for salvage titles from flood or thief) and have people chime in on their cars. If you are a dealer who sells cars that you cannot stand behind, I understand why you would want to hide behind the anonymity of other selling sites/means. I would advise people who are in for a quick flip and wanting to "pull a shade" over bidders' eyes to avoid BaT. If one is honest and open and knows their cars, BaT is the best forum to get one's cars sold.
Your frequent put downs on BaT is well known and is getting old. It's like you're trying to warn us about CL scams (military transport, "I will pay you for more than you asked for...") that everyone already knows, but in this case, I disagree with you. Many Rennlisters had sold their cars on BaT and have likely better than 50% completed transactions (2/2 for me, many for dmhager, and I know of 2 BaT that didn't have completed transactions), so put up some personal numbers.
BTW, since you have bought and sold more than 40 928s, where do you advertise them and have them sold?
Last edited by hlee96; 03-06-2018 at 02:14 PM.
Reason: spelling
I've sold three cars on BaT.
My sell through is 100% and payment is quick.
However, while its true that value is what someone is willing to pay at that moment, I always felt that I didn't get the full price I would have if I had just advertised them in the usual routes.
I've sold MANY cars with standard ads and have always gotten a price that both the buyer and I were happy with.
Disagree with one fact. Your just acquired silver '78 will be 25-30% MORE THAN what you possibly paid for if it was on BaT. Guarantee it. European (more German) buyers would've bought it in no time and likely reach mid-30's and probably $40s.
Originally Posted by TJsBeer
I've sold three cars on BaT.
My sell through is 100% and payment is quick.
However, while its true that value is what someone is willing to pay at that moment, I always felt that I didn't get the full price I would have if I had just advertised them in the usual routes.
I've sold MANY cars with standard ads and have always gotten a price that both the buyer and I were happy with.
Disagree with one fact. Your just acquired silver '78 will be 25-30% MORE THAN what you possibly paid for if it was on BaT. Guarantee it. European (more German) buyers would've bought it in no time and likely reach mid-30's and probably $40s.
BaT would never let me set a reserve that high.
So its a roll of the dice.
At least with Ebay it's up to me what my reserve is.
Bingo Nate. In fact, the truest test for market value of a specific car at any point in time is what it hammers for in an open, public auction, especially one like BaT that has a nationwide (if not global) following. Whethe the sale subsequently goes through or not is immaterial to the value determination.
I don't agree with your last sentence. The definition of market value presumes a sale.
Well speaking of everybody's favorite ( ) auction site, here is the next 928 up for debate. '87, black over burgundy, 928 auto with a nice list of recent mx.
I don't agree with your last sentence. The definition of market value presumes a sale.
In the regular world, that is true. In the auction world bid history is very important. It's not unheard of for collectors to "shop" a car around to various venues with a ridiculous reserve guaranteeing it will not sell. The goal is building up a bid history before the car goes across the auction block at a much larger more recognized venue.
"Something is only worth what someone is willing to pay" - I've never fully agreed with this. Such a statement assumes all possible interested parties were aware of and involved with the sale. The fact is, selling something is 90% marketing trying to get the item in front of the correct eyes. I always shake my head when someone complains their car isn't selling & they only have it listed in one place, and often times not well represented.
A friend of mine who brokers a lot of Corvette's has taken the same car to Mechum, B-J, other random auction houses etc... trying to "fish" for the right buyer. Many times the end game is a losing one, should have taken the first sale. But often enough they find that right set of buyers & the final hammer price is significantly more than the first go-round.
Wholesale dealer auctions are the fun bottom of the barrel in this world. Many occasions I've followed the same car between the 5-6 different auction houses I'm registered with. Selling dealership hoping to get more with each go-round. This must work often enough or they wouldn't keep doing it. Or they just keep running it through the same auction house week after week hoping "this" time someone will pay their reserve.
I followed the same red BMW 3-series for two months before it finally disappeared from these auction houses. It went across the block every week for two months.....I can only assume they eventually took it to an auction house outside of those I follow.
In the regular world, that is true. In the auction world bid history is very important. It's not unheard of for collectors to "shop" a car around to various venues with a ridiculous reserve guaranteeing it will not sell. The goal is building up a bid history before the car goes across the auction block at a much larger more recognized venue.
All that is just marketing, trying to get the highest price... can't fault a seller for that.
Dennis' next offering on BaT. '90 S4, silver over blue. Dennis brought this one by my house when he first picked it up. It was a solid car then and looks pretty incredible now, especially the interior.
This here is one of the nicests S4s I have seen. 32K mile, '87 Marine Blue over Blue. Love that exterior color. Wheels have the correct finish. Original radio. Near perfect interior. Heated seats. LSD. And jump post sheild and cover. Wow.
Weissach/PcarMiami (if you are indeed 2 different people): well, I can either sell my cars on Autotrader, Cars.com, Hemmings, Craigslist, or Rennlist and wait for weeks to months with a POSSIBLITY of selling it, or place it on eBay or BaT and have it POTENTIALLY SOLD within 7 days.
eBay: wider audience, no penalties to MIA winners
BaT: smaller but more knowledgable audience that can help/damage a car's value, 5% CC fee to winners regardless of if they go through with buying the car
BaT is not 100%, not even close, but I will bet the % of completed transactions are much higher than eBay, and the seller will know if his cars sell within a week (auction length). No more waiting for the next scam email, flaky low ballers, and frankly bizarre interactions.
As a person with chronic/frequent car buying sickness (branching out to other cars now), I can tell you I would only be serious when a seller put his confidence behind his car and list the VIN (so I can check for salvage titles from flood or thief) and have people chime in on their cars. If you are a dealer who sells cars that you cannot stand behind, I understand why you would want to hide behind the anonymity of other selling sites/means. I would advise people who are in for a quick flip and wanting to "pull a shade" over bidders' eyes to avoid BaT. If one is honest and open and knows their cars, BaT is the best forum to get one's cars sold.
Your frequent put downs on BaT is well known and is getting old. It's like you're trying to warn us about CL scams (military transport, "I will pay you for more than you asked for...") that everyone already knows, but in this case, I disagree with you. Many Rennlisters had sold their cars on BaT and have likely better than 50% completed transactions (2/2 for me, many for dmhager, and I know of 2 BaT that didn't have completed transactions), so put up some personal numbers.
BTW, since you have bought and sold more than 40 928s, where do you advertise them and have them sold?
I have always used the auto trader, deal directly with the buyer. I also noticed those that commonly defend BAT have interests in it, like selling their cars there. Everyone has a system when selling, some are just plain shady in my opinion.