Latest news with #selling
The Drive
15-07-2025
- Automotive
- The Drive
This Auction Site Gives Dealers 2 Hours to Compete for Your Car
The latest car news, reviews, and features. Selling a car is a pain in the butt. If you're listing privately, you have to deal with strangers and flakes. If you're trading in at a dealership, you've got to go up against a professional negotiator in a high-pressure environment. The idea behind Bidbus is to bypass that by letting sellers post their vehicles to a private auction system where dealers and wholesale buyers can compete against each other for the best bid on the car. Bidbus was formed in 2022 by 'former auto dealers, brokers, and wholesalers,' according to a press release. It landed on my radar today because it just announced a big private equity investment to improve its functionality. The core concept makes a lot of sense: Sellers can quickly make a listing with basic car specs, set a reserve price (the least amount of money you'd accept to sell), and then the car gets put into a dealer-only marketplace where dealers get a two-hour window to bid on your car. If it car sells, a $300 fee gets deducted from your price, and you get paid. I ran my F31 BMW 3 Series' VIN through the first stage of its listing system and got an estimated sale price of about $17,000, which, yeah, is about what I'd expect the car would fetch at a wholesale dealer auction. I'd hope to get more for it selling privately, but again, that would come with the considerable headache of fielding questions and test drives from random people. The interface is slightly clunky—not sure why '4D Sport Wagon' is listed as the 'Drive' while the model name is listed as the 'Transmission.' Bidbus In theory, Bidbus should be a lot more efficient than bouncing around from dealer to dealer or checking Carvana, CarMax, and every other wholesale buyer's site individually. It seems like a cool idea. Unfortunately, it's only active in Southern California right now. But according to the PR company promoting it, the investment today will help Bidbus 'expand to other geographies' in the near future. Bidbus essentially pitches its value proposition as 'fast selling' for car owners and 'big inventory to shop from' for dealers. Bidbus also shared a statement from Kraig Coomber, dealership owner and Bidbus CFO and co-founder: 'Traditional auctions might have thousands of cars, from rental companies and leases, but only a handful are worth buying. Our team built Bidbus after years of experiencing the frustration of sourcing inventory as dealers. We built a platform where quality comes standard and where every car is worth a bid.' Having worked in the automotive wholesale world myself, I can provide some context to Coomber's comment and why dealers might be into this arrangement. Typically, when you trade your car in to a dealership for something new, they don't put it on their lot and resell it. They'll shunt it into a colossal private auction system that can only be accessed by other licensed dealers. In the U.S., there are two main auction houses for this: Manheim and ADESA. Both run similar programming. This is just a fraction of the cars that run through a standard wholesale auto auction every week. Adobe While fancy high-dollar auction outfits like RM Sotheby's or Barrett-Jackson sling cars like fine art, a Manheim or ADESA sale is more like a livestock auction. Hundreds of cars (good, bad, and ugly) roll through multiple lanes simultaneously, with other dealers bidding in person and online via webcam. I'm not making the livestock comparison derogatorily—it's just that buying a batch of used cars to sell on your lot is a commodity acquisition, not an exciting purchase. As a buyer, you have to work very quickly, inspecting and valuing a car in minutes to decide what your bid ceiling is. There are complex social dynamics to navigate in a very Mos Eisley spaceport-style setting, too, but that's probably a blog for another day. Anyway, there's a trickle-down situation here. Mid-level dealers buy clean off-lease cars from big reputable dealerships, smaller dealers buy the stuff mid-level guys are liquidating, and bargain shoppers get the dregs. Being able to bid on cars directly from consumers cuts out much of the above. And a two-hour buying window is an eternity compared to what wholesale buyers are used to. I'm still skeptical of anything that claims to be 'AI-powered' or 'AI-assisted,' as Bidbus claims to be. However, at a minimum, buyers could probably pre-configure parameters like year, make, model, and mileage, and get alerts when cars that fit their criteria are coming down the pike. It wouldn't be that much of a stretch to have a program even bid for you based on historical data of what cars have sold for in the past. On paper, it seems like a good idea that could help used car dealers source inventory and help consumers unload used cars painlessly. It's been a long time since my days of sprinting around Manheim facilities in Massachusetts trying to buy dozens of cars at once, and I'll tell you what, I do not miss it at all. Had any good or terrible trade-in experiences? Tell me about 'em at
The Sun
14-07-2025
- Business
- The Sun
ULTIMATE guide to buying and selling on eBay – how to make £50,000 a YEAR and little-known can of coke listing trick
FROM the can of coke trick to button super sellers always use, how many eBay buying and selling rules do you know? We spoke to super sellers to get their tricks, whether you're keen to make some extra cash or want to find a new income, we explain. 4 4 Sellers on eBay make on average £716 a year, according to Post Office data - but some have turned their side-hustle into a full-time business and make £1,000s a year. And you can start doing it from your sofa. Button that speeds up listings The key to making a listing attractive is to provide as much detail about your item as possible, and upload clear, well-lit photos. Super eBay seller Danielle Raine, 37, who earns about £2,000 a year from selling on the site, always uses a white background. "As a buyer myself, I wouldn't like it if there's clutter in the background, if it's on dirty carpet, or if there's feet in there," she said. Set a price that is similar to other items - and look at what their posts look like. Once you've found a listing with lots of detail about the item, there's a super handy trick you can do to easily lift the information and include in yours, said Holly Jay-Smith, a money saving blogger who runs the bargains blog Coupon Queen. "Click 'Sell Similar', which fills in a lot of the details for you and gives your listing a better chance of selling because it's based on something that already worked," she said. Once you've sold an item and it has been delivered, funds will land in your eBay account within two days after delivery is confirmed. Then, it can take up to four days for your money to land in your bank account after you've requested a transfer from your account. Exact time to list your items 4 The eBay algorithm rewards frequent uploads, because it will push your listings to more buyers - which means your chances of bagging a sale are boosted. So if you have five items to sell, consider spreading them out over the week, and not uploading them all in one day. The day of the week you are uploading as well matters, said Holly. "Sunday evenings are a really popular time for people to browse, so try to have your listing go live or end then," she said. "Always use keywords that someone might actually search for – think like a buyer, not a seller." The button all super sellers use The key to building a group of loyal buyers who will return to your profile to buy in the future is to turn on the "Best Offer" option on your listing. Instead of letting people bid on your item, this option allows buyers to directly negotiate the price with you. Holly uses this button on her listings. "Some people just love to haggle," she said. "You stay in control, but they feel like they're getting a deal." Buyers who think they're getting a fantastic bargain will be more likely to buy from you again. In a hurry to sell? Check out the "Buy It Now" button. This allows buyers to purchase your item at a fixed price. It's a great way of speeding up the process. 'I ditched my job and now I earn £50,000 a year from selling on eBay' LUKE Warder has made so much money from re-selling on eBay that he's ditched his day job to make it a full time career. The 30-year-old from Hertford, made £50,000 selling clothes on the auction site last year. Four years ago he quit his job to start selling on eBay full time. Luke shares his tips on his YouTube channel, @WardersClobber, and hosts a live podcast on the channel each Wednesday to his 1,300 subscribers. "It became so addictive and fulfilling, and I thought I could definitely do it full time," he said. Luke got into selling on eBay after watching YouTube videos of American re-sellers buying items from "garage sales", which is the US version of car boot sales. He thought he could use their tactics by going to car boot sales, buying bargains, and selling them on for a profit himself. At first he started buying items that he had a personal interest in, like gadgets, video games and golfing equipment, but realised that the best strategy was to buy clothes. "If you know what brands and labels to look for and have in-depth knowledge, you can find some great stuff," he said. He ALWAYS goes to car boot sales on a Sunday, which is where you get the cheapest deals compared to hunting in charity shops or on apps like Vinted or Depop. Recent finds are a designer Brunello Cucinelli linen suit for £40. The same style suits have been sold recently for £1,000 on eBay. He said: 'Last year I bought a Irvin sheepskin flying jacket for £20 and sold it for £600 - that was pretty cool.' He also paid £60 for five pairs of Levi 90s jeans, which sell for between £120-£150 each on the online marketplace. For a tenner, he bought a Chelsea football kit that he sold last week for £150. "Sundays are the best day - the car boots are gigantic, and bigger than on Saturday," he said. "You have to get up crazy early though." The key is to give as much information as the product as possible. Luke takes at least eight pictures of each item, including tags, and states measurements. "Customers want to know exactly what you are buying, so if you give them all the information, it's a more seamless process," he said. The biggest trick he has to flogging items quick is to regularly list items. This is because the algorithm favours sellers who are listing daily, Luke says, which he thinks helps push his items to buyers. "When I was listing two items a day, I was selling two items - now I'm listing 12 a day, and I get eight to 12 sales a day," he said. He makes sure to deliver items as quickly as possible, which is a big selling point to buyers. He advertises "same day dispatch" on all his items, which means that he must send the item by the end of the same day. "For me, the most important thing is to increase your knowledge of the items you' want to buy're planning to buy to sell on," he said. "Selling is a thrill." The can of coke trick It's really important to give as many details as possible to sellers so they have enough information to make a judgement on whether to buy your item or not. The more information you can provide, the better the chances are of getting a buyer to make an offer. That's why Holly always does the "can of Coke" trick when listing items. "If the item is something small, I usually put a can of Coke next to it so people can see the size properly," she said. "Not everyone understands measurements, so giving that kind of visual reference helps." It might seem silly, but it really can be the pushing point for buyers to make up their mind to make an offer, she said. Factor in the cost of packaging, as this will eat into the profit you make. How to turn your side-hustle into a job Flogged all your old junk and have the eBay selling bug? You can level up and start re-selling more seriously. To do this, start hunting through car boot sales and charity shops for bargains and re-sell them on eBay to make a profit. Look on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook to see what the latest fashion or tech trends are. A good way to do this is to follow your favourite celebs, or influencers who post about these trends. For example, super seller Kieran Barnett previously told The Sun that when Nicki Minaj wore Crocs on her tour, the price of these shoes increased on reselling platforms. Look out for limited edition items, like football kits or clothing collaborations. These can often increase in value over time, as demand for these rarer items grows. Watch out for fake items though. If you spot a dsigner t-shirt from Gucci being sold at a car boot, for example, make sure to check the quality of the item, and take pictures of stitching, tags, and details. You can upload these pictures to special eBay reselling groups and ask other buyers if they think the items are genuine - these communities are usually more than happy to help fellow sellers out. Which? has a good guide for spotting fake items if you're unsure. Everyone has a "trading allowance" of £1,000 a year. This means you can earn up to that amount from side hustles or sales without paying tax on what you have made. However, anything earned over the trading allowance threshold will be taxed at your marginal rate. You'll need to pay this by completing a self-assessment tax return. 4 Four steps to finding bargains as a buyer Now you know how to sell on eBay, it's worth considering our four steps to becoming a bargain buyer too. Why location is key If you're looking for a bigger - and usually more expensive - items like furniture, garden toys, TVs and more, there's a trick to getting the cheapest deals. Make sure you filter the results for items listed close by to you, Holly said. "A lot of people list big or heavy items as collection only, and most buyers won't travel for them. "But if you're nearby, you can often grab something amazing for really cheap just because no one else wants to make the trip." Type in the item you want to search in the search bar, then click on the "advanced" search option. Sort your search to "nearest first", and filter the results so the item is listed within a short distance - the lowest is 10km - away from you. For example, we spotted a three seater sofa bed from Muji listed as £414.72 on eBay, located 5 miles away from an East London postcode. The same sofa bed from Muji being sold by a seller in Buckinghamshire though is listed as £720. MoneySavingExpert also has a tool so you can narrow down which items are near you that are listed as "pick up only" - visit the tool here. Your rights as a buyer or seller GET clued up on your rights before buying or selling on eBay. Here's what you need to know. Buyers Buyers are covered by the eBay Money Back Guarantee (EMBG). This means you'll be covered if your item doesn't arrive, is faulty or damaged, or isn't what was advertised. Complain to the seller first, but if you're not offered a refund in three days, escalate your complaint to eBay. You will be issued a refund if the seller doesn't provide a solution. If you're not happy with the item, check the seller's return policy. Some may not accept refunds - so take this into account before buying an item. Sellers You must ensure that the items you sell are of good quality and are as described. You can set your own returns policy and decide who pays for the return postage. If the item is returned damaged, you can deduct up to 50% of the refund to cover the lost value. Use eBay's own delivery service, or use a service like Royal Mail, to get tracked delivery service. EBay partners with Packlink, which costs around £13.19 for a 1-2kg parcel. When you upload valid tracking information about your item, and it is delivered as promised, you are protected if a buyer claims the item has not been received. Take pictures of you packaging and posting the item, so you can prove that the item was sent safely. The haggle button you NEED to use There is an option where eBay lets you "watch" an item. This allows you to keep track of the product you are interested in, and is a great way of indicating to a seller you are seriously considering buying. If a seller wants a quick sale, they may come back to you with an offer if they know you are watching an item. This means you can negotiate a cheaper deal. Another trick is to search for unsold items that have been listed for a while and making an offer yourself by clicking the "Make Offer" option. "Try sending the seller a polite message - they may be more than happy to accept a lower price just to get rid of the item," said Holly. Little-known way to get items even cheaper Did you know you can buy brand-new or refurbished items from your favourite brands from a little-known section on eBay? This is where big brands like Dyson, Currys, Oliver Bonas and M&S flog customer returns, end-of-line stock and refurbished items at low prices. Sometimes, the items on here are even cheaper than what is being sold by eBay sellers. We spotted a refurbished Dyson cordless vacuum cleaner for £219.99 on the outlet store. But a private seller is flogging one for £302.32 - nearly £100 more. A brand new HiSense 40 inch TV is going for £151 on the outlet store - but a private seller is flogging a pre-owned version for £187. Hunt for spelling mistakes Sellers may make spelling mistakes when uploading their items. This can be a fantastic opportunity for buyers to grab a bargain. Jenny Keefe from MoneySavingExpert said: "Wrongly spelled products attract fewer bids because many people miss them." You can use tools like Bidkit and FatFingers to see which items are being advertised on eBay with spelling mistakes in them. We spotted a private seller who has listed a Dyson Air Wrap as DysonAirwrap" on eBay. It's listed for £260 and is only being watched by one person - so it could be a perfect opportunity to make a lower offer and see if the seller will accept the offer.
The Sun
11-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
I've made thousands selling on eBay as a side hustle – it takes no time but you must follow my 10 rules
SUPER eBay seller Danielle Raine has made thousands selling items on eBay. Over the last 21 years, the 37-year-old, from Preston, has sold everything from Lipsy dresses to food processors and even cardboard boxes. 4 4 She works full-time as a buyer but her eBay selling nets her about £2,000 a year on the side. The 37-year-old says she has a 'one in, one out' policy for her clothes so she'll often try to declutter by selling on eBay before buying new items. Whether you're looking to make a profit or you're just wanting to declutter like Danielle, these are her tips on making more as an eBay seller … Don't upload everything all at once If you're doing a big clear-out you might be tempted to blitz everything all in one go. But Danielle says it actually pays to spread out when you're uploading items on your profile. That's because the eBay algorithm rewards frequent uploads. So if you have 10 items to sell, it might be best to upload two items a day over five days rather than all 10 in one day. If you're a frequent uploader then eBay will push what you're selling to more buyers, Danielle says. Know when the best times to upload are It's not just about how often you upload items - it's also about when you do it. Danielle says she always uploads items in the evening because her listings get more attention. CHANGES AT EBAY 'You get more people looking because they've come home from work and they might be chilling in the evening,' she says. If you're selling your items using eBay's auction feature then you should also set the auction to end in the evening so people will be available to place bids. Danielle reckons that about 7pm is the sweet spot for posting. She also tries to upload more items at the end of the month near pay day as people are likely to have more money to spend. On a typical week she sells about two items but near pay day it increases to about 10. Use the Buy It Now feature If you've used eBay you'll know that some items are listed as auction-only while others can be bought instantly through Buy It Now. The auction-style feature means items can increase in price dramatically as bidders fight against each other for them. But Danielle says she always lists items as Buy It Now because shoppers have got used to fast delivery services like Amazon Prime and 'want things now'. Research how much similar items have sold for If you're not sure what price to set your items at, it's worth looking at what other items have sold for. Danielle says she always does this before selling an item. When you go to search for an item, you can filter it by sold and completed listings only. 'Usually if it's selling for about £10 then I'll put mine up for £7 or £8 because then I think it might sell a little bit quicker,' Danielle says. Make your listing more attractive One of the best ways to catch buyers' attention is to take good photos of what you're selling. Danielle says she takes pictures on a white background, such as against a doorframe, and makes sure there isn't any clutter visible. 'As a buyer myself, I wouldn't like it if there's clutter in the background, if it's on dirty carpet, or if there's feet in there,' she says. She tries to take as many pictures as possible to show off the item - and she'll make sure the description has plenty of detail too. For example if she's selling clothes she'll often put the exact measurements in rather than just the size. She also makes use of eBay's AI description writer. 'I don't use that as the only description, I use it to add to mine, but I think that helps with keywords,' she says. Don't skimp out on the packaging Danielle says you should take extra care with packaging anything you've sold. 'I send quite a few things out in a box because you don't know how things are going to happen in transit and then at least you're covered if anything goes wrong,' she says. She also buys mail bags which she says look nicer than sending an order in a carrier bag, and can mean you might get better feedback from buyers. The 37-year-old says she buys packs of 100 mail bags for £5. You can also get cardboard boxes for free if you pop to a local shop, or you can keep hold of any boxes your own online purchases are sent in. Post promplty Shoppers expect their buys to arrive quickly, so Danielle says you should post as soon as you can to get good feedback. She always aims to post by the next day. You should look out for Royal Mail lockers near you as these are open 24/7 so you won't need to wait for your local Post Office to open or have to join a queue. Protect yourself against dodgy buyers Danielle takes several steps to make sure she's covered if a buyer makes a false claim. She says some buyers will 'try their luck' and try to claim an item hasn't arrived so she always chooses to track the postage. Recently a buyer said their parcel hadn't arrived but when Danielle phoned up eBay's customer service they told her not to worry as she had got tracking on the item. Some sellers also film or take photos of themselves packaging up any expensive items they're selling as proof they've been packaged securely, in case someone claims their purchase was damaged in the post. Danielle also avoids negative feedback from buyers by being upfront about any imperfections on the item and including pictures in the listing. 'So if anybody disputed anything, I can say, well, it was already in the listing,' she says. Challenge any unfair feedback Danielle says it helps to have good feedback from buyers as it will make you look more reliable and trustworthy. But sometimes buyers can leave unfair feedback that damages your overall rating. You don't have to put up with this though - you can have negative feedback removed if eBay decides to side with you that it's unfair. Danielle says she recently had neutral feedback removed after a buyer complained that their item wasn't the exact dimensions they wanted. But when Danielle contacted eBay's customer service team, they agreed to remove the feedback as she had been clear in the item's description that she had given 'approximate' dimensions. 'eBay's customer services are very fair. So they will look at it. It's not a bot looking at it - it's a real person who will evaluate it,' she says. You can either contact customer services by phone or by web chat. Invest in a label printer If you're going to be selling frequently, Danielle recommends getting a label printer to print out your postage labels. She says this has made the process much easier and saved her money in ink and paper. Although there was an upfront cost of £75, she says she's made her money back because of how much she was spending on ink and paper for her printer previously.
Bloomberg
10-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Europe's Mega-Rich Pocket $1 Billion in Stock Sales Spree
European billionaires are cashing in recent gains as the region leads the world's best-performing stock markets this year, reaping about $1 billion in a rare selling spree of their listed holdings. Spotify Technology SA co-founder Martin Lorentzon filed in late May to sell 1 million shares worth about $660 million in the audio giant, the most stock he's offloaded at one time since the Stockholm-based company listed in 2018, according to data compiled by Bloomberg from regulatory filings.
Forbes
27-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
When You Should Be Selling Your Investment
Making a choice to buy or sell an investment One of the most common questions I get is, 'Is now a good time for me to sell?' While the question is simple, the answer depends on several factors, including your liquidity needs, your risk tolerance, and your current portfolio's allocation. The answer does not, however, depend on the current market price of the investment. This is when you should be selling your investment. When I am asked the question of when to sell, I often ask them what they think. Many times, they'll come back with one of the following answers. Often, investors tell me the best time to sell their investment is when the price is high. Unfortunately, a market high is something that can only be observed in hindsight. Several years ago, I was talking to an investor who had 95% of his net worth concentrated in a single position. He had originally invested around $10,000 and the security was worth a couple million dollars at that point. One might argue that it was a high point and the investor should sell. He didn't think so. Now, that investment is worth about a third of what it was then, and he finally opted to diversify. Usually, fear and greed are much more powerful emotions than we give them credit for. While many investors intuitively know what someone should do, they often fall victim to cognitive errors when judging how they themselves should be investing. This is a similar answer to the prior answer, except it assumes you have hidden knowledge that is not already priced into the market. I observed this a lot in the last few years. Investors tell me things like, 'All of this COVID-19 supply chain stuff is really going to tank the market,' The high inflation is going to drive things down,' or 'These policy changes are going to lead to a trade war and the economy will go under.' Contrary to what some might think, the market is largely efficient and prices in all current information, particularly in widely observed indexes like the S&P 500. Even with this great wealth of information, the direction of the market in any day, week, month, or year can be incredibly difficult to predict, with most analysts at major banks and funds predicting incorrectly by orders of magnitude. When investors should sell their positions is much simpler than trying to run models to see if your investment is at a high or if the market will be going down. Yes, it's that simple. If you need the money for cash flow, for a major purchase, or for any other reason, you have a liquidity need. A major purchase need can include anything from a home, to a remodel, to a wedding, to a car, to a business. Your tolerance for risk is a combination of your time until you need the money, your ability to take on risk, and your feelings toward taking on risk. Let's return to the investor who made the $10,000 investment that went up significantly. At the time he made the investment, he had no spouse, no child, no mortgage, and considered himself to be a speculative investor, meaning that he would be okay if the investment went down to $0. Years later, the investor gained a spouse, two children, a mortgage, and some financial goals that dictated he could not afford for his investments to go to $0. This calls for a reassessment of his risk tolerance. After reassessing, he found his portfolio should be allocated toward a growth objective and in a diversified portfolio of 80% stocks and 20% fixed income. Your risk tolerance can also change to become more aggressive. I've come across investors who were fearful of investing in stocks early in their savings journey, but as they got more comfortable with investing, their tolerance for risk increased. In this case, they would sell cash or fixed income securities to gain more equity investments. Setting a portfolio allocation is not just a one-and-done thing. The other day, I ran into a 69-year-old woman who set her allocation based on her risk tolerance 20 years prior. She hadn't bothered touching her allocations in all that time. In the last 20 years, stocks have beaten fixed income investments by a wide margin. Because of that, over time, the portfolio became skewed. While she originally had 60% in stocks and 40% in fixed income, her portfolio was now 90% in stocks and 10% in fixed income, accidentally putting her into a new risk category. Rebalancing a portfolio involves looking at the portfolio allocation how it is now versus how it should be invested for your risk tolerance. If stocks have gone up, you will sell some to purchase more fixed income and keep your portfolio consistent with your risk tolerance. If stocks have gone down, we will do the opposite and purchase more. In a retirement account, because there is no taxation associated with rebalancing, I usually recommend my clients rebalance quarterly. In a non-retirement account, because there are taxes associated with transactions, I usually recommend my clients wait a year before rebalancing to make sure they are minimizing taxation while still maintaining an appropriate allocation. Investors should sell their investments based on personal financial needs rather than market conditions. Key reasons include needing liquidity for major purchases, changes in risk tolerance due to life circumstances, and portfolio rebalancing to maintain desired asset allocation. Emotional factors like fear and greed can cloud judgment, emphasizing the importance of sticking to a strategic plan.
