Frank and Gina Fuzy, the owners of Century Motors of South Florida, have made selling cars online a significant part of their business. In fact, they’ve made it their entire business.

Recently, Frank and Gina, as well as the staff of Century Motors, were recognized for their involvement in a significant milestone for eBay Motors, the sale of the two millionth passenger vehicle on the site. The two millionth vehicle was a 2005 Jeep Liberty sold to Kelly Joyce from Charleston, S.C.

Already a successful dealership with a deep history, the Fuzys originally were skeptical about people buying a car sight-unseen online. After learning the car selling business from Gina’s parents, the Fuzys had been selling vehicles wholesale for 22 years. They listed Century Motors' first car on eBay Motors only after a friend convinced them to try, and were amazed when bidding quickly escalated.

“It really was accidental,” Frank Fuzy said. “We were non-believers but our friend helped us and the car we put on sold right away. So we tried five more and three sold right away.”

Education was key to the Fuzy’s success on eBay Motors. They attended seminars to build their knowledge and continue to work with their eBay Motors account manager on new strategies.

After their first few sales on eBay Motors, the Fuzys headed to the annual NIADA convention and stopped by the eBay Motors booth, where staff members gave them advice on their listings and built them a custom Century Motors header. They also suggested that they attend the eBay Live! conference in Orlando. Frank and Gina went to the convention and attended an eBay Motors University, which provided even more detail on how to manage their listings.

“After that, Frank said he could see the sky was the limit, but we had to commit to it,” Gina Fuzy said. “I told the person helping us at the time I wanted to reach 1,000 feedback and they said I was crazy.”

Feedback, a purchase and sales history for each registered user of eBay with comments from previous buyers and sellers, was identified early by the Fuzys as an essential aspect to building their business on eBay Motors, leading them to offer services like pick-up from the airport for customers to ensure every customer has a positive experience.

The focus on customer service has paid off, as the Fuzys are rapidly approaching their feedback goal rating of 1,000 on eBay Motors. They are selling several vehicles per day on the site and have effectively scaled their business so they no longer sell wholesale. On the wall in their dealership, Frank and Gina Fuzy have a map with pins for all the vehicles they have sold online across the country, and even the world.

“The feedback system is where we can prove ourselves,” Frank Fuzy said. “On other sites you're a nobody and you have to start over again as an independent dealer.”

The Fuzy’s are well-known throughout the Florida dealer community for their involvement in the Florida International Automobile Dealers Association, where Frank has served as president. Frank and Gina have both been recognized by the association for their continued dedication, particularly in membership recruitment.

The future is exciting for the Fuzys, as their expanded business has led to them outgrowing their current facility. Early in 2007, they will open a brand new $1.1 million facility right next door to their current operation.

Vol 3, Issue 12