Online Car auctions – beware before bidding

Everyone is going the Internet way, and are finding it easy to carry out their business or other transactions through the web world. this holds true even for car auctions, and today there are many Online car auctions  that offer amazing car deals, but they have their own drawbacks that people need to watch out for.

If you are new to the whole online auctions scene and unfamiliar with the bidding process for a car at any of the sites, then you will need to be prepared mentally so you can avoid most common mistakes people make. Be careful of hidden deals, and truths, for these could make or break you, depending on how much money you are willing to put into the car. you will need to be calm and composed when dealing with the online car auctions. If you have a friend who says he is going to the auction and will bid for you, don’t trust them. Each one for themselves is the policy when it comes to auctions, and so it is essential you be a member on the site to make decisions on the car. If there is a car that you have your eyes on, make sure to consider the listed quote price before making a bid.

When we use online car auctions, we will be using either Yahoo or eBay for our car purchase. Th cars listed there would have related information that you must read thoroughly before proceeding. It is not enough if they mention that the car is in good condition, you need to have information regarding how many miles has been done, the engine model and what kind of fuel it takes. These will give you an idea  about how well maintained the car is or how old it is. Once this is done, before participating at the online car auctions, enquire with your car dealer or in the market about the price for such a car. And then cross check with the price quoted o n the site. If you feel there is no match, then quietly withdraw before making a bid and look for another car or website.

Some of the points to remember while using online car auctions are,
1. Once sold, you cannot go back on your bid. So, make sure to have your facts right, and make wise decisions about the car purchase. If the car you see looks good, but is an old model, think twice about whether you really want to put in your money into that. Or do you look for a newer model of car that will last you another couple of years before it shows signs of wearing out.

2. If you wish, you can set up an escrow account with the seller, and this will save you the issue of spending money but learning that you have been cheated. Through this system, you will not have to make any payments till you receive delivery of the car.

3. Since you cannot see the car before you buy it, you need to just reply on the pictures posted on the site. The car might look good on the computer, but might actually be run down. But this is a risk you need to take when using the online medium for car purchases.

4. When you buy cars through online car auctions, you will have to pay extra charges for the car to be delivered to your doorstep. These would not be mentioned on the site nor would they be taken into consideration when calculating the list quote price. If the location of the lot is in another town or state, you might end up spending more than you planned. But if you were to use the local car auctions, you could drive home the car without any extra cost or have them send to your address, which will again be at no charge.

5. Check the vehicle identification number before making the bid, for which you can do a check on the net in vehicle history and understand if the car has a clean track record or is tainted. If it has some criminal background, you need to steer clear from it and look for other cars.

6.The most important point is to do adequate research before you plunge into the online car auctions. Make sure to have gathered as much information as possible about the car and its condition before making your bid. Because, once you make the bid, you cannot take it back.