Porsche sale at Elferspot – A self-experiment

On a winter’s day in the Elferspot office, we asked ourselves, what a Porsche sale at Elferspot feels like. Is there anything, regarding the handling, that we can improve? How many views and what kind of inquiries do you get? We created a listing and looked after room for improvement. At some point, we gathered the idea, to sell a car of the Elferspot staff. So the plan was born to start a self-experiment. I went on to sell my very own Porsche 996 Carrera 3.4 on Elferspot.

Porsche sale via Elferspot – Step 1: Create the listing

As Markus Klimesch already told you in our 5 tips for the successful Porsche sale, good photos are a must! As a potential buyer, I neither want to see pixellated pictures nor wet cars. I want to get a feeling for the car’s overall condition, how the Porsche was maintained and preserved. Sharp photos in nice ambient lighting help a lot with that. The more in detail, the better. A video wouldn’t harm either.

In this case, I was pretty lucky, as a friend of mine already took a bunch of amazing photos of my 2001 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.4. So I had more than enough footage to create a nice and appealing listing. Important in terms of information: What kind of maintenance has been done already? Was it a weekend cruiser or a trackday hero? What is the paint like and has it been resprayed? To me, the reason behind the Porsche sale is always interesting as well. In terms of pricing, my car wasn’t listed at a bargain price, but considering the outstanding condition, it wasn’t too expensive.

The sheer number of views even surprised the Elferspot staff!

As we wanted to compare Elferspot to other sales platforms, I listed the car on numerous other websites. Of course, the description and pictures were exactly the same there. What surprised me most, were the number of clicks or views, as the listing of my plucky Porsche 996 on Elferspot got a lot more attention than on any other platform. After one month, the Elferspot listing gathered more than 2,000 views, which was around 25% above the click rates on the other pages.

Of course, clicks are by no means sales. But they are a pretty good indicator for the interest in your car! I have to admit, that I was really impressed with that numbers. Especially considering that there are much more limited and way more special Porsches on Elferspot than my humble 996 Carrera 2. As I’m just an editor, who hasn’t got a clue about sales or online marketing, I asked the Elferspot data mastermind, how that all works.

Who offers his Porsche on Elferspot, can benefit from our range on social media channels like Facebook or Instagram. The users we can reach with the listed cars on that are a pretty relevant target group. With our E-Mail newsletter, registered users will always be up to date about new cars as well. – Lukas Berger, Elferspot

Another point, which can’t be denied: On all brand sales platforms or your usual classifieds, many people just look at your photos without any interest in buying it. Elferspot on the other hand, is a platform which is only used by Porsche enthusiasts. A really convenient thing from a seller’s point of view is that your uploaded photos will be arranged in a certain order by the Elferspot staff. Even the translation from English to German or the other way round is dealt with automatically.

The inquiries themselves are pretty different to your usual classifieds

And there’s more: the difference in terms of the users shows especially when looking at the inquiries. On Elferspot I only got inquiries of more or less real potential buyers, in the classifieds I got all sort of crazy messages. A dealer, which offered half the asking price, numerous questions about the insurance costs and Western Union offers… Most of you should have heard about that stuff.

Of course, these messages haven’t led to any inspection of the car. That only happened after an inquiry on Elferspot. Max Richter contacted me and told me, he was interested in buying the car. We arranged a video-conversation the same day. We got on fairly well and I showed Max all the car’s details, just as I would like it as a buyer.

Quality-wise I think the Elferspot listings are a step above your typical classifieds. I’ve been in the market for about a year and have been disappointed on a number of occasions, when inspecting cars, that looked like a good buy in the listing.

That was Max’ conclusion of former Porsche 996 inspections. We talked a while about our experiences, searching our perfect Porsche. Initially, Max wanted to buy in a lower price bracket, but to find a more suitable car for his expectations, he topped up his budget a bit. Funnily, that’s what I’ve done a few years ago as well.

We agreed to meet up in a weeks time and already talked about money. As Max had to cover more than 400 kilometers to visit the car, it seemed unfair to me, not to check, whether you could agree on a price or not. We met at an acceptable price, so that was out of the way as well.

“Right from the beginning, I’ve had a good feeling” – A Porsche sale is a matter of trust

Before the day of the inspection approached, I gave the car a final clean and put a layer of wax on. I wanted the car to look good and welcome Max with it’s immaculate original paint. After we got ourselves a cup of coffee, I presented the car with all its benefits and its weaknesses. To cut a long story short: The car was exactly as promised.

After the test drive I saw the shining in Max’ eyes. It was becoming obvious, that I would sell my beloved Porsche today. Without any further negotiation, we agreed on the deal and signed the paperwork.

“I had the impression, that on Elferspot, you’ll find the best Porsche examples in the market, to be honest. Right from the beginning, I’ve had a good feeling.” Max was really happy and with a lot of melancholy, I entrusted my beloved Porsche 996 to him. But I know it’s in good hands. He will take care of it. That’s another aspect, which really matters to me, since a Porsche sale is a matter of trust, just like buying one.

So, what’s my conclusion after offering a car on Elferspot? Less hassle, more serious inquiries and a good feeling, right from the beginning.