Selling your car on eBay: what you need to know

Written by Paula Cullington Published: 26 August 2025

eBay has one of the largest audiences on the web, making it one of the best places to market your used car for sale. It’s also a user-friendly platform that’s flexible and reasonably priced, though there are no cost-free selling options when selling a car on eBay.

For older used cars it offers the ability to give detailed descriptions and images that you can change whenever you want, and a safe trading environment that means you don’t have to hand out your phone number right away.

With such a wide audience it means you get serious buyers, chancers and people who don’t really understand what they’re looking at. How you approach selling on eBay very much affects your experience.

How eBay Motors works

eBay was once an auction-only platform with low fees and little interference in sales but it’s now a global company that seems determined to treat sellers as if they’re suppliers and buyers as if they’re customers of eBay, not the seller. A sort of crowdsourced Amazon rival, if you will.

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There’s one exception to that approach, though: eBay has wisely left the ‘motors’ section alone. For most other types of goods, eBay expects them to be posted or couriered to the buyer and requires postage information on the listings.

Sellers aren’t allowed to talk directly to customers, either. None of that really works when selling a car and eBay recognises as much, so selling a car on the platform is much easier than a smartphone or games console.

Selling a car on eBay: the basics

1. Decide how you want to sell

Before you list your car, you’ll need to choose which type of eBay listing works best for you. Each format has its own pros and cons depending on the type of car you’re selling, how quickly you want to sell, and how much control you want over the price. eBay offers three main ways to advertise your car, each with different costs and levels of flexibility:

Classified adverts – Flat £19.99 fee, runs for 28 days, and no final value fee. Buyers contact you directly to make an offer, so it’s the least hassle. Good for mainstream cars where you want time to negotiate.

Buy It Now (fixed price) – £14.99 to list, plus a final value fee of £25 or 1% (capped at £45). Listings run for 30 days and can renew. Best for cars where you know the value and don’t want the uncertainty of an auction.

Auction – £59.99 to list cars worth over £450, plus the same final value fees as Buy It Now. Auctions can run up to 10 days, with extras like reserves (£9.99) or a BIN option (£5.99). Only worth it for rare, unusual or specialist cars where bidding competition can drive up the price.

Auction – £59.99 to list cars worth over £450, plus the same final value fees as Buy It Now. Auctions can run up to 10 days, with extras like reserves (£9.99) or a BIN option (£5.99). Only worth it for rare, unusual or specialist cars where bidding competition can drive up the price.

Here’s a full break-down of eBay’s listing fees.

2. Prepare your car

First impressions matter, even online. A well-presented car will attract more interest and can genuinely boost the final price, so give it a thorough clean inside and out before you take any photos. If you want to go the extra mile, a quick detail or polish can make even an older car look fresher (see our guide to car cleaning and detailing for more tips).

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It’s also worth pulling together all the paperwork in advance — your V5C logbook, MOT certificates, service history and spare keys. Having a complete record not only reassures buyers but also makes the handover much smoother.

Finally, be honest about your car’s condition. Highlighting scratches, dents or mechanical quirks upfront builds trust and helps you avoid awkward disputes later on. Buyers expect used cars to have a few flaws, but they don’t like surprises.

3. Create the perfect listing

Creating a listing is a straightforward process that can be done from a desktop computer or the eBay app. The tools for making the listing ‘pretty’ are limited but most buyers just want the basics first, then you can ‘sell’ the car in more detail in the description. Before you hit the keyboard, check out our guide on writing a classified ad.

Photography – First of all, photograph your car following our guide to photographing your car for sale. You can use up to 12 images, which allows for a general view and some extra detail to support your listing. Save yourself some time and take pictures on your phone, and edit them before putting them on eBay. If you take pictures in the eBay app, it often gets the rotation and crop wrong. Using software you’re familiar with will avoid some frustration.

Title – Think like a buyer: they want the basics at a glance. Include the year, make, model, trim and mileage. For example: 2016 Ford Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost Zetec, 65,000 miles. Avoid flowery claims like “immaculate” or “best on eBay” — buyers search by facts, not adjectives. Stick to the essentials, and you’ll get the right eyes on your car.

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Description – In the first paragraph of the description, state the condition of the car. eBay defaults to phrases like ‘Condition is used’ but don’t leave that in place – write something more helpful to the buyer. A good rule of thumb to guide you is ‘does it work, does it have an MOT, are there any mechanical issues, are there any cosmetic issues’.

In the next paragraph, list the features that you think make your car worth buying. Include things like unusual interior colours, upgraded stereos or navigation, a comprehensive service history. You don’t need to list all of the car’s specification as most buyers know the basics. But it’s your opportunity to really sell the car.

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Finally, list any issues the car has so potential buyers don’t show up and find fault with it. Some common sense applies. If it’s a three year old luxury car, it’s worth mentioning if a heater control button is worn, or a seat is unusually creased. But on a 15 year old car, you can probably stick to disclosing things that you would want to fix yourself.

Item specifics – Then fill out as many fields in the Item Specifics section as possible – that helps your advert show in as many searches as possible, so specify any features it has such as an automatic gearbox or leather seats. eBay is very keen on making listings easy to browse and presenting collections and getting the details of your car right is an easy way to ensure your listing is seen.

Price – Getting the price right is key to a successful sale. Start by looking at similar cars on eBay and use the Parkers valuations tool to set a fair, realistic figure. Pitching too high can put buyers off, while going too low risks leaving money on the table. Don’t forget that eBay charges listing and final value fees depending on the format you choose (usually capped at £45), so it’s worth factoring this into your asking price.

Timing also plays a big part in how well your listing performs. Auctions that end on a Sunday evening usually attract the most attention, as that’s when more buyers are browsing. Try to avoid listings finishing during working hours or over holiday periods when fewer people are online. And if your car doesn’t sell first time, don’t panic — refresh the photos, tweak the description, adjust the price, or even switch formats from Auction to Classifieds to improve your chances next time.

4. Closing the deal – making sure your sale completes via eBay

As a private seller, you want payment by bank transfer or in cash. PayPal isn’t a huge risk, but it’s sometimes possible for funds to be reclaimed after a sale so we advise avoiding it unless you really trust your buyer. But it is useful for accepting deposits, particularly if you’re kind enough to offer a refundable deposit to buyers.

Classified adverts are the most straightforward. Buyers can call, text or email, and eBay won’t block offers or requests to speak directly. If an offer seems genuine, arrange a viewing and treat it like any other sale. Once the car’s sold, you can end the listing without extra fees.

Auctions are trickier. eBay discourages pre-sale contact, but if your car sells, message the buyer straight away to arrange payment and collection. If they don’t show, you’ll usually get your final value fee back (but not the listing fee).

Fixed-price listings can, on occasion, end with a buyer hitting Buy it Now then disappearing. For the most part, once an offer is accepted or BIN selected, they function like auctions. You can limit the chances of a no-show by not accepting offers without talking to the buyer first, and selecting ‘immediate payment required’ when creating the listing.

Whichever route you use, never allow unaccompanied test drives, always check insurance, and don’t hand over the car until you’ve been paid in full. Finally, make sure to transfer keepership when the buyer collects.

Avoiding wasted eBay auctions

You can set buyer requirements on a listing such as no negative listings, unpaid items, or low feedback. It’s worth doing for auctions listings as it prevents people creating new accounts with no track record to mess with the bidding or contact you.

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