eBay Buyer's Guide

It has recently become an increasingly hot topic amongst Canadians thousands looking to purchase their next vehicle. Ebay Motors Canada has been around for a number of years now but it hasn’t been until the past year or two since Canadians have become a serious part of the auto market on eBay. Part of the reason is the recent boom in online vehicle retailers with their items available to Canadian buyers, the other reason has been the lack of knowledge and help available, in the past, to the everyday Canadian eBayer like you and I.

In this guide I will attempt to explain the process of purchasing a vehicle on eBay. I won’t go over the process of Importing a car to Canada from the U.S. much, as that is already covered elsewhere on this website, however I will talk about things such as ebay search tips, picking the right vehicle, things to watch out for, and making the purchase.

First Things first…
If you haven’t already done so, you need to create a free eBay Canada account. Whether you intend to buy a car right away or if you’re just browsing, eBay Motors has some great user tools available to members for finding a great deal on the car you want. So take a quick minute to sign up, it’s free, quick, easy, and you’ll thank me later.

Next, you can proceed to search for a vehicle on eBay Motors Canada

There are a number of ways to search for the car you want on eBay Motors Canada.

First, go to cars.ebay.ca.

If you have a specific vehicle model in mind that you are wanting to buy the most accurate way to find a car is to select the vehicle make “vehicle make” dropdown box within the “Find a Car” box. Then type in the name / model in the “vehicle model” box just below it. If you are looking for a vehicle on eBay Motors Canada, but are not sure exactly what you want (perhaps you are just looking for a good price?) try typing in “(no reserve, nr)”. This will return a number of search results from all over USA and Canada that do not have a minimum price, and could potentially sell for cheap!

Another way to search for a car on eBay Motors Canada is to navigate your way to the category that the vehicle you are looking for is most likely to be in. This can be done by selecting one of the primary car categories such as “Jeep” or “Toyota” from the categories box. By doing this you will gradually narrow down the categories to something specific, where you will be able to browse through a number of vehicles that are likely to be of interest to you.

If you would like to limit your search results by price, or perhaps by location, or maybe there is a vehicle that you know you don’t want, and you would prefer not to see in your search results. In this case, the “advanced search” feature may be best suited to you. From the eBay Motors Canada homepage, simply click on the “advanced search” link beside the search box. You will be taken to a page where you can fill out any specifics that you wish to include in your search. If theres something you don’t need to fill out, just leave it blank.

Learn more about filtering your search results

If you are finding that the search results you are getting on eBay Motors Canada are not showing up in the order you wish to see them, or perhaps the vehicle you are looking for is buried under a bunch of crappy irrelevant search results, you can still filter out your search results in a couple of ways without having to go back and perform a new search.

On eBay Motors Canada, your search results, by default, will be listed highest price first. This is likely not the way you wish to search for a vehicle. To change this setting, simply select a different order of organization from the “Sort By” dropdown box above your search results. This will allow you to find the vehicle you are looking for in the most efficient manner for your needs.

Another way of filtering your eBay Motors Canada search results is by narrowing down the categories from which you would like to see search results by clicking on the desired category names on the left hand side under “Matching Categories”. You may notice that you can also filter your search in a number of other useful ways by selecting further options under the “Search Options” heading also on the left.

Tip: If you would like to see what others have recently paid for vehicles within the same search results, check off “completed listings” and hit “Search” just below it. To use this option however, you may need to be a member.

Soon you will start finding vehicles of your interest, which means you can start watching and comparing vehicle auctions.

Once you start finding some vehicles you are interested in, it is a good idea to add them to your “watch list” by clicking “Add to watch list” within the auction’s page. Whether you intend to actually purchase that vehicle or not, it will help you to see how much other people are willing to pay, and you can even begin to learn some bidding patterns which may help your bidding strategy for when you are ready to buy a car.

If you are thinking more seriously about purchasing a certain vehicle, now would also be a good time to find out more about the vehicle…

Of course, the very best way to take a look at the vehicle would be to drive on down to wherever the car is located and take a nice test drive, but unfortunately buying a car off eBay Motors Canada doesn’t always provide that luxury. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t get a really good idea of what it’s like. Here are some ways to make sure that the car your bidding on is in fact the car you want.

First, you should find out more about the eBay Seller. If they have a rating higher than 98%, they will have a little star beside their name. This means that 98% of their customers have been satisfied, which generally is a good sign, especially if they have been involved in a high number of transactions. Also, check into their feedback and see what other buyers have said about them. See if there are any common complaints that would almost absolutely be ‘deal-breakers’ for you.

Look for details on the vehicle’s condition and make your best judgement call from the available photos. Some eBay sellers provide detailed reports on the vehicle’s condition. Look for any information on how it runs and find out if it has any problems. If the vehicle is in the United States, now is a good time make sure it is on the RIV list of vehicles admissible into Canada. You also should make sure that you won’t run into any unexpected costs when importing it into Canada by getting a myBorderPro cost estimate. This will check your car to see if there are any duties or excise taxes on the vehicle and also give you a total cost in Canadian dollars after taxes, importation and conversion! (very handy tool!).

Now will also be a good time to get an AutoCheck vehicle history report. These are fairly cheap and should only run you about $19. A small cost when you consider the amount of stress this will relieve from deciding to make such a large purchase. An AutoCheck history report will tell you everything that has been documented about the vehicle from safety recalls, to title changes, to accident damage - anything that might set off some red flags.

If you will be needing shipping for the vehicle or if you will need a customs broker to take care of your importing paperwork, eBay Motors Canada recommends A&A Customs Brokers and DAS Auto Shippers Get a quote from either of this services that you will be needing either online or by calling them. Write these numbers down and add them to the price you got from myBorderPro - you will need them later.

If all is good so far, find out about the auction’s terms and conditions. Does the vehicle come with a warranty, or is it being sold as-is? Also, make sure there is nothing unexpected in the fine print. Next, you should contact the seller.

When contacting an eBay Motors Canada Seller, find out if they are a dealer, or a private seller. If they are a dealer, they may already have experience selling cars to Canadians and may already know the correct process and documents to provide you with in order for you to import the car to Canada.

Most dealers will have a phone number listed in which case it may be a good idea to give the dealer a call and make sure you are on the same page about the buying process. Don’t forget to ask any further questions you may have about the vehicle.

This may be one of the most critical steps you can take in the buying process. You may not be local to the vehicle, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have an experienced mechanic go take a look at it. Carchex.com specializes in Ebay Motors Canada inspection calls and can give a 155 point inspection on any vehicle almost anywhere in the U.S.A. A $100 inspection is your key to safe, smooth vehicle purchase and could save you thousands of dollars in the long run. It is inexpensive, easy and quick, just go to carchex.com.

If you get an inspection and everything is pretty much what you expected, you will probably want to start bidding on it, or formulating some sort of plan of attack! Every eBayer has their own bidding strategy that they swear upon, and If you already have one, that’s great. A beginner eBayer will typically bid small amounts throughout the auction and bid slightly higher amounts when the bid goes up. Although this can still win the auction like this, it’s not the most secure efficient way to bid - and if you already spent $100 on an inspection you’re going to want to win this.

I don’t claim to be a pro eBayer, but remember what I was saying about every eBayer having their own bidding strategy? Well heres mine:

If you have already done your research by watching other auctions and checking out the completed listings, you should know approximately what the vehicle you are purchasing will typically sell for. Although your first impulse may be to bid, don’t. Sit back and watch the chaos of other people bidding, and watch what is happening. In the mean time, think of the maximum possible amount you would pay for that exact vehicle. This is very important, so write it down. I stress again the MAXIMUM POSSIBLE amount. Remember the myBorderPro calculator? Now is a good time to recheck the final cost after duties (if any), taxes and importation if the price of the auction has changed. Don’t forget to factor in the shipping costs or the customs brokerage service quotes you got if you need either of those services.

The rest of this really depends on your skill level and what you feel comfortable with. Now, the only time I ever place a bid is within the last minute of the auction. In fact, I typically will only ever place a bid within the last 30 or even 15 seconds. So think about how comfortable you will be and decide a moment at which you will bid. Remember that maximum possible amount you wrote down? From the eBay’s auction page, enter that amount and click “Place Bid”. Don’t worry, it won’t bid for you yet, this will just take you to a “confirm bid” page so that all you will have to do is press the button. If your computer can handle a second web browser window that you can to refresh the auction page, that will probably help out a lot. When you’re ready, and the time comes, confirm your bid, hopefully leaving no time for other people to bid higher than you. If you have a slow internet connection, be sure to leave your computer enough time to send the request, or maybe just do this at a friend’s house with a faster connection!

Now is a good time to contact the seller again to work out some details of how you are going to pay for the vehicle. If you are picking the vehicle up, make sure the seller knows when so they can arrange to have the correct paperwork ready for you when you come to pick it up. Send them any details they need to know. If you are buying from a seller in the U.S. make sure you learn how to import a car into Canada and take the proper steps needed to do so. If you are shipping the vehicle or if you will need a customs broker to take care of your importing paperwork, eBay recommends A&A Customs Brokers and DAS Auto Shippers.

The rest of the process is basically paying for the vehicle, then either going to pick it up (and importing it to Canada if it is in the U.S.) or getting it shipped on home! For more information on importing a car into Canada, see the guides on importing a car into Canada section

Good luck, and Happy Bidding!