Why hasnt it sold ?

marwayg

marwayg

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Hi all,

posted my car to sell on ebay, but ive been having trouble... had it as a classified ad for £5500 (best offer) for 28 days.
It didnt sell even with 8 watchers and 1000+ views....

Now i put it as auction for 10 days and as £4600 start off price.... nobody has bid but i have 24 watchers with 450 page views.
Nobody has up to now... and there is 6 hours and 30 minutes left! :(

The link is below..

eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace

any idea why this isnt selling?! :(

Cheers all!!
 
Because you've painted your wheels black.

Seriously though, cars are slow to sell atm and a 3.2 isn't the easiest to shift with fuel prices. Many people are after the "big grill" model too and seem to dismiss the early 8Ps. Your wheels will affect some people's decision though, including mine as it gives a naff image and makes you think "what else has been modified". You probably think it looks the ******** but to me it makes me cringe seeing people paint nice silver alloys dull dark colours and wipe £££ off the perceived value of their car, the otuside views the car just shouts "dodge" to me. Just being honest.

Your interior is gorgeous, I think it's the nicest trim available for the A3 and beats full leather any day.
 
The description is not great, you don't really tell a 'story' about the car.
 
Last edited:
Also oil cap on back to front! Shows a lack of care??
 
as above its a 3.2 twin grill and id same over priced
they have been goin for as cheap as 4k in the past few months
with the way it is at the min ppl are saveing where ever they can thats insurance petrol etc
 
oh and the wheels do look ****
id get them back to how they were
 
yeah, the wheels put me off if I ever went for a 3.2, kinda says racer and so its been ragged to me.. also people aren't wanting a 3.2 due to petrol and insurance and its an 8P1 like previously stated.. The add is very informative but too bulletpointy.. Need to write some other stuff really..
 
Simply you are asking too much. 1000 views and no one thinks its worth a bid..
I reckon start it at 3.5k and let it roll.
If I was you Id get the wheels painted back to Silver aswell.
 
Bit of advice mate, remove "Beautiful car to own and drive, first to see will fall in love".
Any quotes like this or "first to see will buy" will automatically make people think why has it not sold yet, especially as you have had it up for sale for so long.

Also as others have said, people are trying to save on petrol, road tax, insurance etc, as it seems you are trying to do tge same more or less as stated in your ad.

And definitely change the colour of them wheels back to standard as it is not helping.

GLWS mate, hope it goes in the end.
 
Thank you for the comments guys!
I will be putting the alloys back to originals after tonight and changing the description a little.
Less than 4 hours to go before the bidding ends.
Ive genuinely not ragged the car, and has been thoughrouly looked after, but i can see how the description and the pictures (especially the alloys) give the impression that it has been a boy racer!
Refurb of alloys will cost £150 and ill re-list after for 10 days starting at £4000
 
and start it at £1 with a reserve
and get rid of previous owners (so well looked after) dont mean a thing
i know a 50 yo doctor he kills all his cars
 
marwayg said:
Thank you for the comments guys!
I will be putting the alloys back to originals after tonight and changing the description a little.
Less than 4 hours to go before the bidding ends.
Ive genuinely not ragged the car, and has been thoughrouly looked after, but i can see how the description and the pictures (especially the alloys) give the impression that it has been a boy racer!
Refurb of alloys will cost £150 and ill re-list after for 10 days starting at £4000
Click to expand...

You want to start it at £1500, because the car is only worth £4k , it is nearly 9 years old and like it or not it's the "early" model which dates it...
 
Ops almost bid on it,

Looks quite tidy and your write up isn't too bad. Got to start at a low price to suck them in, then it will find its level with bidding. Remember a lot of people don't bid until the last hour
 
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Very true!! well, i guess we will see what happens tonight!! ill tel you all the result tonight :)
Ive never done this sort of selling before, was a trial and error for me.
Once again, thanks for the replies guys! appreciate it
 
If it doesn't sell at the end of the auction, change the wheels, give it a good wash, polish and tidy up (engine bay and tyres :icon_thumright: ), put some paper footwell mats in so it looks like you just had it valeted, take it out to the country somewhere nice and get someone to take some decent photos of it. The whole thing just looks dismal and grey, and the only bits of colour are the rear lights and the plug leads. Full shot photos of the car and some background to show the car in its best. Photos like this...

A3.jpg


...don't show me anything but the reg number. Take a look at this one (just a random I found in a similar colour) and you get to see a lot more of the car with some depth of colour in the background. Much easier to see.

So if you relist it, make the advert as different as possible to the original, blank out the numberplate to hide its identity, change it as much as possible and then you'll lose the people who sit there saying "That Audi's back on again. I'll watch it and see how much it goes for this time." Make it a new advert and give it some cracking pics to do some work. And as said, start it low with a realistic reserve and generate some interest from the start.

And please, avoid the somewhat irrational idea that photos like this...

A3-1.jpg


...make it look cool. Hold the ****** camera straight, it's a sales pitch not an artistic exercise.

Just my thoughts. No offence intended.
 
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put the wheels back silver, ive had black rims on my last 6 cars and every person that i sold cars to didnt like the black wheels, i personally like them but i think 99% wont and they will assume its been abused
 
Now is not the time to be shifting cars like this.

I struggled selling my E46 330d Sport. Which is less to run, probably insure, and maybe tax (215) than yours. Also more of a motorway / family car etc, but less of a sporty car.
I had 1 guy view it, in over 3 weeks, it was on Auto Trader, Gumtree, Pistonheads. Luckily, he bought it. I dropped the price twice as well.
 
Add my 2 cents...

Wheels are the biggest put off for sure. Painted black and also the style too. It's quite an old looking style with the big spokes. If you're having trouble shifting it after tonight still then consider trying to swap yours out for some newer ones. Someone might just fancy your style in the black and do a swap.

Write up is a bit bullet point heavy. Lose previous owners comments and make the FSH from Audi clearer as buyers love that (for some strange reason, dealers suck imo). Something like:

Car has been very well maintained and retains a Full Service History from Audi Dealerships.

Also mention that everything works 100%, electrics, buttons, etc etc. If there's any little wear and tear marks mention them, people appreciate the honesty and any scuff marks and worn areas.

Oh and fresh pics on a good camera out in a nice rural setting couldn't hurt. Good luck getting some sunshine though at the moment.

Good luck with the sale!
 
Good price,good car but maybe its 3.2 that's why many people are not interest in it. Insurance will be mad on it :))
 
i beleive you are a private seller and not a trader so try to remove this extract from your advert (good example = mk4 golf GT TDI 1.9ltr) Got something else you would like to part/full ex? Try me.)
dont make it look like the car is being a pain to maintain.
you need to concentrate on the absolute attributes you made just to this car and not what your future car plans are.
 
I am working in cloud cuckoo land and cannot get to the bank. I want this car for me son so can I pay by PayPal. I will gives you £6000 for it and you can ships it to me up where i belong. My son needs this car as he likes the big 3.2 vroom. I live in the last shack on the left before the big pot hole on the road. You know the one that everyone drives over. If yous send me paypal details I will inform shiiping company to come get it.

Sorry mate couldnt resist......was having a chuckle on another post about dodgy buyers. lol
 
I wouldn't change the wheels, paint them silver but as they are the period Sport wheel it will be fine in silver and I personally think they're a nice looking wheel.

The car is a great "base" car, with a simple big grill bumper swap it would bring it up to date. That and 3.2 quattro plus leather/alcatanra (which I think you should put more emphasis on in the advert) it's a very nice spec car.
 
Small thing but it might put people off or is it just me being pernickety. If the car was 1st reg on the dec 2003 then does that not make it an 2003 and not a 2004 as you said in your ad.
 
A little bit of offtopic.... This is insane... This kinds of cars go for around 13000€ here in Slovenia... that is around 10500 pounds... There is actually a lack of them. The only problem I see is, that you drive on the wrong side of the road ;)

Sry for offtopic...
 
Really just echoing most of above here.

I am actually looking for a new motor, and would happily consider a 3.2 A3. But I'll tell you what puts me off it.

For starters, its the twin grill front. I personally would only be interested in the single grill front as it freshens the look up no end (I have had a twin grill 8P before).
3 doors (this is obviously personal choice, but having had a 3 dr last time, I would much prefer a sportback).

They are the things that put me off, and there is nothing you can do about them in all honesty. Apart from that, I think its a pretty good ad, and has pretty much the spec I would want. So the thing that is holding you back is the price really. You are asking too much when these are going for less.

Black wheels wouldn't put me off, if they were the right size. But standard issue 16's / 17's in black would. To me it suggests you didn't have the money for 18"/19" wheels, and if you didn't have the money for that, what else would you not have the money for?

If it was me selling, as said previously, get her all nicely polished up, then waxed, and out into some scenery with a decent camera. It doesn't necessarily need to be on a hilltop with a view, although that wouldn't hurt. But even a nice urban setting can make all the difference.

So with completely new pictures, completely change the ad, different wording, emphasise the interior, make mention of running costs, like the actual mpg you get, as well as how it isn't the scary 450 quid for tax. Its amazing how soooo many people think that applies to motors such as this. Don't mention previous owner proffessions, but the low number of owners isn't going against it certainly.

Wouldn't mention horsepower, or "flappy paddle" myself, just DSG gearbox is enough. I would mention the light scuffs or other parts that annoy you, as honesty always helps with these things in my opinion. Bin the first to see will.... trap. NEVER use the word immaculate. Your immaculate and my immaculate are likely to be different. I also wouldn't add all the detail about things that are taken for granted as standard on these cars. ABS, power steering, window wipers etc... Unnecessary. And spellcheck the ad.

That should all help. But realistically, the reason it hasn't sold so far, is that its not priced competitivley, despit being well specced and low miles. If you are putting it back on ebay, 1p start, 3500 reserve. If you make more than the reserve, bonus. If you don't, it still doesn't sell. Simples.
 
"Minor age related marks consistent with a car of this age and originality.... Can rectify on agreement on price and receipt of a deposit...etc"

"Desirable DSG Transmission..."

Defo change the wheel colour.

From recent experience selling a car privately (320d) its tough and cars are simply not achieving what you might think.
I reduced mine by £2000 in the end and still took a bid £500 below that. In fact the price it sold at was the same as what high miler low spec equivalent cars were advertised at, so I would use this logic. ie establish the cheaper end and pitch it just above that.


Viking pretty much nailed it with his comments, some sound advice there IMO.

Good luck
Paul
 
Hard to shift juicy cars at the moment, need to research similar cars spec/mileage/age wise to yours and price appropriately and be prepared to be patient. Or if you need to sell quick undercut them all.

Completed listing search in the advanced search area on Ebay can give you a good idea as to how much items are actually selling for.

Took 6 weeks to sell my V6 4Motion Golf, was priced cheaper than others despite having a better spec. Played the waiting game and it sold eventually.
 
Yep. It is a tough market out there. I forgot to mention, I had my S4 for sale for 18 months before it went. Nobody wants these thirsty motors really. Mine was advertised as the cheapest, sub 100k example in the COUNTRY and still took 18 months, and dropped almost 3k in that time.

In the end, I was lucky as a young 21 year old lad managed to get an amazing insurance quote for it, and I had to be willing to take a part exchange with it too. Worked out okay though, the part ex sold within 2 days, and that was a reasonably well modded mk4 1.8T, with high miles, and rough bodywork. In the end though, I only ended up with 100 sheet less than the S4 was advertised for, so it was a bonus. If it had been a cash sale, as said above, I would have expected 500 quid to have to be knocked off.
 
Hi all, thanks for the advice!!

UPDATE: it didnt sell :sadlike: *no suprise*

I will be taking everybody's suggestions and relist once ive taken some good camera shots of the car.

Question

£3999 auction start? (FOR 10 DAYS (max listing time))
or
£4500 'best offer classified ad' (FOR 28 DAYS (max listing time)) ???
 
99p auction start, £3000 reserve. That's if you really want to sell it.

Thing is, all the others are sitting there at similar or more money, so it's not just yours that isn't selling. There's plenty not selling. If you're happy to sit on it and wait for someone to want yours then go with the best offer option and invite silly offers. You can always say no or counter with a higher offer and negotiate.

If you really need it shifting then auction, but expect it to go for less than your expectations to get it gone. I wouldn't advocate getting a mate to bid it up slightly if someone shows interest though. That's called shill bidding and is against Ebay policy. :yes: Know what I mean...
 
marwayg said:
Hi all, thanks for the advice!!

UPDATE: it didnt sell :sadlike: *no suprise*

I will be taking everybody's suggestions and relist once ive taken some good camera shots of the car.

Question

£3999 auction start? (FOR 10 DAYS (max listing time))
or
£4500 'best offer classified ad' (FOR 28 DAYS (max listing time)) ???
Click to expand...

Its too much money mate! Start it at £1 or £1500 and put reserve on it of £3500 otherwise your just wasting your time. R32 golfs are around £4k-£5k now and some even less and they are more desirable just to give an idea.
 
and if you start it at £1 then everyone who is outbid will have it on their list at the top, and i'll be prepaired to bid up to £1000 for it ;)
 
Without a doubt its the wheels, just don't do it for me i'm afraid. Refurb them back to original silver and in that condition and mileage should attract more serious buyers looking for that type of car.
 
im getting the alloys sorted as we speak :)
 
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Yer i think its priced to high, yes its in good condition and mileage is not extremely high but for that price and spec its a bit much. There are alot of other cars which buyers would more like to pay for even though yes they are not audi's but if someones willing to pay for a performance car they would look more towards a turbo petrol Leon cupra r/ MK5 golf GTI for a bit more.

Or a MK4 R32 as they come specced regardless, Or you have the japanese cars like a civic type r and corolla t-sport all which are less than your asking price by a fair bit and are alot more economical.

Price it realistically, Sort the wheels out get some decent photos and im sure you will have people bidding.
 
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