Costs of Selling a Car Online – Part 4

(i) Listings

The cost of an online car listing varies from free to £20 or £30 depending on the detail, length of advert placement, and the number of visitors the site receives. This works out cheaper than printed adverts, where every bit of space costs money.

Most online listings have a very high word limit, meaning that you can fit in a large number of details without having to pay extra for each word you use above a certain point.

” it is almost always worth including a photo”

(ii) Photos

The majority of online listings include the cost of a photo (or more than one in some cases) in their prices. Some charge a small extra amount to have a photo as part of the advert, but it is almost always worth including the photo as it greatly increases an adverts’ effectiveness.

There are sometimes restrictions on the dimensions and file size of the photos, these vary from site to site, and may require you to adjust your photo before an advert is placed.

If placing an advert in a magazine, the cost will rise depending on the printed size of the picture and text. The more space you take up, the more expensive the advert; but the better the likely response rate.

(iii) Time

The amount of time your advert appears for varies from one site to another. Some sites charge you for two weeks, some for three weeks, and some for an unlimited time (i.e.: until the car is sold).

This greatly affects the value of an advert as the longer it is displayed, the greater the chance of selling your car.

If you are advertising in a magazine, then the costs normally only cover a single weeks’ edition, and once that has passed, the advert is gone. By staying online for a longer or indefinite period, you can be sure of exposing your advert to as many people as possible for a much better value cost.

(iv) Dual Adverts

A small number of websites (that are linked to magazines) offer a joint advert service. This is where you get the magazine advert at a discounted rate by buying the online advert (or visa-versa).

“magazine adverts are more expensive than the online adverts”

The magazine adverts are more expensive than the online adverts, but the cheaper rate that most of these dual adverts offer allow you to get the benefits of both forms of advertising, for less than their standard costs.