It has announced a bulk listing package called eBay Motors Pro, which will allow users to pay £150 a month and display adverts for up to 100 vehicles at a time.
The adverts will appear to eBay Motors’ 3.7 million registered users alongside regular auctioned cars. It is this massive audience that the firm believes will give it an edge over similar firms such as Auto Trader.
Jody Ford, senior manager at eBay Motors, said the service was primarily aimed at dealers, but there was no reason why fleet managers could not use it to their advantage.
‘It will allow fleet managers to put their cars in front of a huge audience,’ he said. ‘We’re expecting a huge response over the coming months.’
Ford said some companies acted as trading assistants, organising listings and carrying out transactions on behalf of fleets.
However, fleet expert Bob Blackman, of Emmerson Hill Associates, was dubious of the advantages of such a large audience. He said: ‘You could get a lot of time wasters. I’m not sure it will be quick and cost effective.’
He was also concerned that transactions would not be carried out through secure channels, meaning potential buyers were an unknown quantity.
‘At a traditional auction you get your money from the auction company and if there’s a problem you go and see them,’ he said.
‘I can’t see this being a rival to traditional auction methods or electronic auction methods. I don’t see 3.7 million customers as being an advantage – in fact, quite the opposite.’
The new service is due to go live in mid-August, and eBay Motors is offering the first two months for free.
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