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Opinions Needed!!!


Guest drnittler

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Guest drnittler

I need the following questions answered:

     Is there a best time of year to sell and antique car (or two) in today's market?

 

     What is a good out side source of advertising to sell antique cars besides the club and this forum?

 

(The club would be my first choice but I never can get my pictures to load on this site)

Thanks for the help.

Edited by drnittler (see edit history)
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This forum reaches dedicated A.A.C.A. members,

but I don't think it has nearly the exposure of the

primary selling venues.

 

You didn't say what year and make of car you

want to sell;  magazines (and websites) of marque clubs

may be good for specific makes of cars. For example,

if you're selling a 1955 Studebaker, a Studebaker club

would be one good place to advertise it.

Have a Marmon?  Advertise it through the Marmon Club.

 

The site www.prewarcar.com is good for 1942 and earlier;

the Horseless Carriage Club's website www.hcca.org

is good for pre-war cars too, especially 1920's and earlier.

 

Hemmings Motor News, and its accompanying website

www.hemmings.com, remain the foremost places for

buying and selling antique cars of all years and makes.

There are numerous other websites, all smaller.

 

And while more people may be interested in cars in the spring,

dedicated car fans (and antique-car dealers) may be

always on the look-out.  You need not wait to advertise!

Edited by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)
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I will say that the time between Thanksgiving and New Year's day is by far our busiest time of year. Why, I can't say, but one year is a fluke, two years is a coincidence, but five or six years in a row? That's a trend.

 

July-August-September is by far the worst time to sell, everything is flat. We had a good October, but most of it was in the last 10 days. Things pick up again in March.

 

However, there's no hard and fast rule, and I disagree that cars are worth more in the spring than in the fall. Some locations allow people to enjoy their cars year-round, and the time of year makes no difference to them. Some buyers are international and they don't care either. The car is worth what it's worth; don't think you can charge a premium because you have a convertible and it's the first sunny day of spring.

 

Venues? Hemmings is still the best, but you can't beat eBay for the number of eyeballs that will see your car. If you can weather the unending barrage of experts nit-picking your car and telling you that your price is crazy, maybe you can make a deal there. We don't expect to sell cars there (although I sold one with Buy It Now just yesterday) but if a bidder gets close enough, we'll open a dialogue and try to close the deal and that happens frequently.

 

This forum doesn't sell many cars, I'm afraid, unless it's deeply discounted relative to the market. Very few retail buyers here, sadly.

 

Craigslist? Don't. Just don't.

 

And if I may toot my own horn, I've sold more than 110 cars in the last 13 months. If you want your car to simply disappear and you cash a check a few weeks later, I can probably make that happen, too.

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Mixed feelings there but I rarely deal in mass market cars and all are personal (last bought/sold was over two years ago. The itch...).

1) Unless a giveaway or a pristine 1of1, forum members are usually hard sells. They just know too much about the cars. 

2) Best place seems to be auctions particularly well lubricated ones (bright, shiny...) Resto-mods done right appeal to high rollers. I don't understand the fixation on "patina".

3) California is different

4) Craigslist is good for inexpensive mass produced cars (over 20,000). Has the advantage of being local. Few like, everybody looks.

 

So the best place to sell depends a lot on what it is and where you are. Lots of pictures helps.

 

Graduation is a good time to sell somethng nice but avoid April 15th.

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Guest Skyking

In June I listed one of my Metropolitans with Sellernetworks.com and it was sold within a month. For a small one time fee ($299) they listed it until it sold on numerous publications and websites including Hemmings with as many photos and words that I wanted. They screened the clients before giving them your number. When the client called, you dealt with them direct. They didn't take any commission. I wouldn't sell a car any other way.

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My car is a 1950 Ford. I have two more listings on e bay without insertion fees. How does their best offer work? Thanks.

 

Can someone answer the question?  

I don't have experience buying or selling with Ebay--

I would NEVER buy a car that I or a friend had not examined--

but I'm sure plenty of people on this forum know all about Ebay.

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Ebay's "Best Offer" does what it sounds like it does. It allows an interested potential buyer to submit an amount that they are willing to pay for an item. The seller can then accept that offer, decline the offer, or submit a counteroffer. If they both agree on a price, then the auction ends and the item is sold at that price. 

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I think time of year and location in the country makes a difference.  What model 50 Ford do you have.  A 4 door is more than likely going to be a local impulse buy unless it's a crazy original correct survivor.  if it's a Convertible or Woody a national marketing strategy may yield a quicker sale.  Under price it and it will sell any time of year quickly.  price it at market (very hard to determine exactly)  and it will sell eventually unless it has something very rare to offer.  Overprice it and it may never sale.

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Guest Oldengineer

I just sold a fairly nice 48 Chevy Fleetmaster 2 door. I just ran classified ads in the local paper for 2 weeks. The first week I got only one call on the car. The second week I had 3 buyers wanting the car. The first one that showed up with $9K went home with it.  If you live in a decent sized city, you  might try this.

 

Regards:

Oldengineer

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I just sold a fairly nice 48 Chevy Fleetmaster 2 door. I just ran classified ads in the local paper for 2 weeks. The first week I got only one call on the car. The second week I had 3 buyers wanting the car. The first one that showed up with $9K went home with it.  If you live in a decent sized city, you  might try this.

 

Regards:

Oldengineer

If you live 30 miles from a major city no one will come. Although a half hour drive is common for country folks, city people will not make the trip.

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Guest drnittler

Thanks one and all for the thoughts. I am looking to sell a 1950 Ford Deluxe six cylinder, and maybe a 1929 Chevy Sport coupe; both real nice cars. I am keeping my 1961 Studebaker Lark, my first and favorite. ( I am wanting to make life easier) I live 82 miles from San Antonio, TX and 65 miles from Laredo, TX

Thanks

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Guest AlCapone

I have a rather large collection and I usually buy in the fall as I find prices are lowest. People. Don't want to pay storage for another season especially if the car was not used in the summer passed! I live in an area with sub zero temperatures and lots and lots of snow so the season for storage is underway. Wayne

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