DoneDeal selling guide Ireland

The Core Problem: Why Your Car Isn't Moving on DoneDeal

You've had your car on DoneDeal for three weeks. You've had two enquiries, both from people asking if you'll knock €1,500 off the asking price. The notifications have stopped coming. You're wondering if you've priced it wrong, photographed it wrong, or written the description wrong. The answer is usually: all three, but fixable.

DoneDeal is Ireland's car selling marketplace. It's where 80% of private sellers list, and where Irish buyers go first. But DoneDeal's strength is also its weakness: there are thousands of cars listed at any given moment. Your listing isn't competing against five competitors. It's competing against five hundred. And DoneDeal's algorithm doesn't care about your car — it cares about keeping buyers on the site.

That means your listing lives or dies based on three things: price accuracy, photo quality, and description clarity. Get one of those wrong, and your car sits. Get all three right, and you'll get serious enquiries from serious buyers within 48 hours.

The DoneDeal Listing That Actually Works: A Real Example

A 2016 Toyota Corolla, 120,000km, one owner, full service history, no rust, NCT until March 2025. Dublin 6.

Bad listing price: €8,995. Reason: seller looked at a 2016 Corolla with similar mileage on DoneDeal and copied the asking price without checking if it sold, or if it's been sitting for six months.

Good listing price: €7,995. Reason: seller checked the last 30 sold listings on DoneDeal for 2016 Corollas (DoneDeal shows this in the search filter), averaged them, added €300 for Dublin location premium, and subtracted €200 because their car has higher mileage than the average. This price will attract immediate interest.

Bad listing photos: Five images taken on an overcast day with the car in the driveway, one angled shot of the interior, no close-ups of the dashboard, tyres, or undercarriage. No photo of the service history document.

Good listing photos: Twelve images: two exterior shots in clean, bright daylight showing full side profile, one close-up of the alloys and tyre tread depth, one of any visible rust or damage (being honest costs nothing and builds trust), three interior shots showing steering wheel, dashboard, and back seats from multiple angles, one photo of the NCT certificate on the windscreen, one of the service history book, one of the engine bay, one of the boot. That's specificity. Irish buyers can see exactly what they're getting.

Bad listing description: "2016 Toyota Corolla. 120k on the clock. Full service history. Drives brilliant. No problems. €8,995 ovno."

Good listing description: "2016 Toyota Corolla 1.4 petrol manual, 120,000km. Single owner from new. Every service completed on schedule at Toyota main dealer — full logbook with receipts. NCT passed March 2025, no advisories. Four new Goodyear tyres fitted last month (€600 spend). No accidents, no rust, no modifications. Interior is clean — original factory trim. Runs smooth, no rattles, no warning lights. Reason for sale: upgrading to automatic. Available for inspection anytime. €7,995."

That second description took four minutes to write. It answers every question a serious buyer will ask before they ring you. It's specific. It's honest. It proves you know your car's condition. And it filters out tyre-kickers immediately.

What Most DoneDeal Sellers Get Wrong

Overpricing because they're emotionally attached. You paid €12,000 for this car in 2018. It's cost you €400 per year in motor tax and you've had one new clutch. But it's now 2024, it has 160,000km on the clock, and a 2018 Corolla with similar mileage is selling for €6,500. You're not pricing against what you paid. You're pricing against what identical cars sold for last month. Check the DoneDeal sold price filter. If you can't find a recently sold comp, knock 8–12% off the current asking price. That's how quickly used cars depreciate in Ireland.

Taking photos on a grey day or under car park lighting. DoneDeal buyers scroll through 50 listings per session. Your car has five seconds to look saleable. A car photographed in weak light or shadow looks neglected. Even if it's spotless, it'll read as suspicious. Take your photos on a clear day, preferably late morning or early afternoon, with the car positioned so the sun shows its best side. Clean the car first. Serious sellers spend 30 minutes with a hose and microfibre cloth. It costs zero euros and adds €500–€1,000 perceived value.

Hiding problems in the description. You've got surface rust on the nearside sill. You've got a small dent in the tailgate that you've been meaning to sort. You've got a rattling heat shield under the car. DoneDeal buyers will spot these during inspection. If you don't mention them in the listing, the first question they ask is: "What else aren't you telling me?" Honesty kills negotiations. A buyer who knows about the rust and buys anyway trusts you. A buyer who discovers it will walk and leave a bad review.

Asking for "offers near asking price." The phrase "ovno" (or near offer) on DoneDeal is code for: "I don't know what this car is worth." Serious buyers see it as weakness. Price your car correctly the first time, and take offers between 2–5% below asking. That's normal negotiation. Anything else looks like you're guessing.

Only listing on DoneDeal. DoneDeal is 80% of the market, but 20% of buyers check AutoTrader, Facebook Marketplace, or even eBay. If you have time, cross-post to two other platforms. It costs nothing, doubles your visibility, and can add €500–€1,000 to your final selling price just because more qualified buyers see it.

Quick Wins You Can Do Today

Check your current price against recent comps. Go to DoneDeal, search for your exact make, model, year, and mileage range. Use the "sold" filter. Look at the last 10–15 that sold. Average them. That's your price ceiling. Subtract 5–10% if your car needs anything (new tyres, NCT near expiry, interior wear). List below that number. It will sell.

Add five more photos. If you've got fewer than ten photos, you'll get fewer enquiries. Make one close-up of the NCT certificate, one of any service records, one of the mileage on the dashboard, one of the interior from the driver's seat, and one wide shot showing the whole car from the front-left angle in good light.

Rewrite your description in plain English. Imagine you're telling a friend about the car over coffee. That's your tone. Include: engine size, fuel type, transmission, mileage, service history (yes/no), NCT expiry date, any recent work done with receipts, any known issues, one-line reason for sale. Never say "immaculate" or "showroom condition." Say "well-maintained" and "good order." Irish buyers are skeptical — show them, don't tell them.

Update your listing if it's been live for more than two weeks. DoneDeal's algorithm ranks fresh listings higher. If your car hasn't sold and hasn't had an enquiry in 14 days, refresh the listing. Change one or two photos, adjust the price down by €200, rewrite the opening sentence. DoneDeal will treat it as a new listing. You'll jump back to the top of the search results for 24–48 hours.

Set up a response template. Most enquiries come via DoneDeal message or phone call. Have a script: "Hi, thanks for your interest. Yes, the car is available. I can do a viewing [today/tomorrow/Saturday] between [time] and [time]. It's in [location]. The NCT is [done/due on X]. Is there anything specific you'd like to know?" This filters out tyre-kickers and speeds up the sale process.

The Real Path to a Fast Sale

A car that's correctly priced, well-photographed, and honestly described will sell within two weeks. A car that's overpriced or poorly presented will sit for two months and then sell for the price you should have asked in the first place.

The DoneDeal buyers who count are the ones who know what they want and what it should cost. Those buyers check comparable sales, they examine photos pixel by pixel for flaws, and they arrive at viewings with a list of questions. Your job is to give them no reason to say no. That means price it like you've done the maths. Photograph it like you're proud of it. Describe it like you know it inside out.

If you want to know exactly what your car is worth before you list it — based on real DoneDeal sold prices for identical makes, models, mileage, and location — CarIQ can run a full market report for €19.99. It takes five minutes and gives you the exact asking price that will generate enquiries within 48 hours. See exactly what your car is worth based on real DoneDeal data right now.