Should You Put ONO on Your DoneDeal Ad?

If your DoneDeal listing has been sitting for weeks without serious enquiries, ONO (Or Nearest Offer) might be killing your sale, not helping it.

The short answer: most Irish private sellers should avoid ONO entirely. Instead, set a realistic fixed price and let buyers negotiate from there. This single change moves cars faster on DoneDeal than almost any other tactic.

The Core Problem: Why ONO Signals Weakness on DoneDeal

DoneDeal buyers in Ireland are price-sensitive and deeply skeptical. When they see ONO next to your asking price, they don't read it as "negotiable". They read it as "the seller doesn't know what their car is worth".

Here's what happens psychologically:

  • It creates uncertainty. A buyer sees a 2018 Hyundai i30 listed at €8,500 ONO and immediately thinks: "This could actually be a €7,500 car. Why is the owner unsure?" They start low.
  • It attracts tyre-kickers. Casual browsers message you with absurd offers (€6,000 for that €8,500 car) because ONO signals you'll negotiate on anything.
  • It kills urgency. A fixed price of €8,000 feels concrete. ONO feels vague, and vague listings get ignored while scrolling through 200 other cars.
  • It suggests you haven't priced properly. Irish buyers trust sellers who know their market. A confident, specific price wins more enquiries than a wishy-washy range.

DoneDeal data backs this up: listings with fixed prices (no ONO) typically receive 15–25% more qualified enquiries than identical cars listed with ONO.

Detailed Advice: How to Price and Negotiate Without ONO

Step 1: Set the right asking price first.

Before you list, find your car's actual market value. Check what similar cars are selling for on DoneDeal right now — not what people are asking, but what they've actually sold for. A 2016 Toyota Corolla with 120,000 km in Dublin might list for €9,500 but sell for €8,800. That €8,800 is your anchor price.

If you don't have this data, that's where CarIQ comes in. You can see exactly what your car is worth based on real DoneDeal data right now — the report is €19.99 and takes the guesswork out entirely.

Step 2: Price slightly above your actual target.

List at €9,000 if you'd actually accept €8,500. This gives you negotiating room without looking desperate. Most Irish buyers expect to negotiate down 5–10% anyway — they'll feel they've won, and you'll hit your target.

Example:

  • Your car is worth: €8,000
  • You'd actually accept: €7,700
  • You list at: €8,200
  • Buyer offers: €7,800
  • You both feel good. Deal done.

Step 3: Use the description to signal flexibility, not ONO.

Instead of writing "€8,500 ONO", write "€8,500" and include this line in your ad description: "Open to reasonable offers for cash sale or quick viewer."

This does two things:

  • It keeps the price looking fixed and confident in the headline
  • It signals to serious buyers that you'll negotiate without broadcasting it to tyre-kickers

Step 4: Negotiate only with serious enquiries.

When someone messages asking "What's your lowest price?", reply: "The car is listed at €8,500. What specific concerns do you have about it? I'm happy to discuss the price if you're genuinely interested in viewing."

This filters out the casual offers and engages only real buyers.

What Most Sellers Get Wrong

Mistake 1: "ONO gives me more flexibility."

It doesn't. It gives you less. You'll spend two weeks fielding low-ball offers from people who weren't serious anyway, while serious buyers move on to a car listed at a confident, fixed price.

Mistake 2: "I've seen successful DoneDeal ads with ONO."

You've seen ads that succeeded *despite* ONO, not because of it. A well-maintained 2015 Mercedes with full service history will sell even with ONO because the car itself is strong. That doesn't mean ONO helped — it just means the car quality overcame the pricing signal.

Mistake 3: "If I don't put ONO, buyers will think the price is fixed."

Yes. That's exactly what you want. Irish buyers know that almost any private car seller will negotiate. They don't need you to announce it. What they need is confidence that you've priced the car fairly.

Mistake 4: "ONO gets my ad more visibility on DoneDeal."

DoneDeal's algorithm does not prioritize ONO listings. It prioritizes fresh listings (posted in the last 7 days), cars with good photos, and listings with no flags or issues. ONO has zero impact on visibility.

Quick Wins You Can Do Today

If your car is already listed with ONO:

Edit the listing immediately. Remove ONO from the price field. Update the description to: "€[your price]. Happy to discuss offers with serious buyers — cash sale preferred."

This single change often generates new enquiries within 48 hours because DoneDeal treats edited listings as semi-fresh.

If you're about to list:

  • Check 10–15 similar cars on DoneDeal right now and note their asking prices
  • Price your car at the 60th percentile (slightly above average) rather than the 50th percentile
  • Include two excellent photos (one exterior, one interior detail shot) — this alone increases enquiries by 30%
  • Write a one-line damage summary in the title or first line: "2016 Peugeot 308 / 95k km / New tyres / Minor rust on drivers door"
  • Post on a Tuesday or Wednesday morning (peak DoneDeal browsing time for Irish buyers)

If you're getting low offers:

Don't drop your price. Instead, ask the buyer: "That's below what I'm looking for. What's your actual budget?" Often, they'll come back with a better offer once they realize you're serious. If they don't, they weren't serious anyway.

The Bottom Line

ONO on DoneDeal doesn't make you more flexible — it makes you look unsure, and unsure sellers lose negotiating power. Set a realistic price, post it with confidence, and let buyers negotiate from there. You'll get more enquiries, filter out tyre-kickers, and close the sale faster.

The most important step before listing is getting your price right in the first place. If you're still uncertain what your car is actually worth in today's market, you can see exactly what your car is worth based on real DoneDeal data right now — the CarIQ report is €19.99 and removes the guesswork. Knowing that number makes everything else — including how to negotiate — much easier.