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"With over 300,000 used-vehicle auctions last year, representing just a fraction of the estimated 43 million used vehicles sold in the U.S, eBay is among the largest used-car sellers in the country." reports WSJ.com.

eBay buyers will travel thousands of miles, sight unseen because they trust the "system". Sellers photograph their vehicles in meticulous detail because dealers who unload junk through eBay risk their feedback rating (a permanent rating and comment left by a buyer) getting trashed by angry customers. No wonder eBay is doing so well in the market of used cars. The chance to leave your feedback in front of fifty million other people is quite an incentive to over-deliver and make the transaction go as smoothly as possible.

If you decide to check out eBay, here are some useful tips:

* Spend some time researching the types of vehicles you are looking for, then hit eBay. It'll be easier to make daily checks if you only have a few makes/models you're looking at.

* Be Patient: Spend some time and just watch the auctions. Add items to your 'watch' list to track them to completion. You don't want to jump in too soon... you'll pay for it (literally). Also, use the "completed items" to track final sale prices.

* Online Tools: Always study the feedback of the seller. Do they have feedback as a seller or just a buyer? Look at some of their previous listings to get a feel for how they conduct business. Check out the auction description several times for "small print" and feel free to ask for additional pictures if you need them.

* Develop a relationship: It can be an advantage to develop a friendly business relationship with the seller. And, you may get better terms because of it. At least you'll be able to tell how motivated the seller is and whether they are willing to do what you ask.

* No-reserve auctions: If possible, try and find auctions that don't have reserve prices set. A reserve is the minimum, set by the seller, that the vehicle can be sold for. If the reserve is not reached, the seller is not obligated to sell and the buyer is not obligated to buy. Sometimes the Reserve Price can be set quite high.

* Buy-it Now Auctions: Also be careful of auctions with a Buy-it Now price set. This is often close to retail and has very little bearing on what price the car will be sold for. Most sellers hope a buyer will like the vehicle so much that they'll use the Buy-It Now price.

* Have an out: Bid only on auctions where seller will allow you to have the vehicle inspected and back out if there are problems found.

* Cash is king: Some banks are getting more lenient with online auctions but its best to always get pre-approved. What's that saying? "Money talks and &$#&#^# walks"? It's easier to negotiate with cash in hand.

* Inspect the Car: eBay offers inspection services in many major metropolitan cities and, a free limited warranty for the drive home for many vehicles.

* Check the Title: Carfax's $7.99 online vehicle history report is very cheap insurance. It will tell you where the car has been, if there's been any odometer roll-backs and whether it has been damaged in a crash or flood to name just a few.

* Use Free Pricing Services: Services like the TMV (True Market Value) at Edmunds.com give a quick, realistic idea of retail and wholesale values of used cars.

* Travel and/or delivery costs: You either have to pick up the vehicle or have it shipped after you win the auction. Include gas, hotels, food, lost work time and plane tickets in the final cost or, use some of the online shipping services (dasautoshippers.com) to get quotes to have your vehicle shipped by carrier or driven to you.

* Buy round-trip plane tickets: A round-trip ticket is sometimes less expensive than a one-way ticket, and it gives you options if you decide you don't want the car when you see it.