So here’s some advice for getting a great deal, and some top tips on the used cars that give you the best value.

If you need more guidance, have a look at our Motors Success stories to see what other Gumtree users have to say. Happy hunting!

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Rosanna from Glasgow – second place winner

“The £500 prize money will motivate me and my hubby to sort out all of our unused things that have built up over the years.  My personal vice is jewellery.  Even if it’s broken, I find it hard to sell it because of the memories it holds. Perhaps now I’ll be able to sell my old gems and treat myself to some new delights that will hopefully hold lots of new memories.”

Emma-Louise from Bristol – third place winner

“I had to break it to my mum that I entered her house into a decluttering competition and that she had won third prize – luckily she took it very well! It’s not that her house is full of old newspapers or rubbish; she just has an eye for unusual trinkets and the house was starting to feel a bit dark.

“Winning has inspired her to “keep it, sell it or bin it”. She’s done a wonderful job cleaning up and selling her unwanted goods. Now everything seems brighter and the house seems bigger!”

Vicki and her husband were looking for a BMW 3-Series, but they were having a bit of trouble finding the motor of their dreams and with the MOT running out on their old car, time was of the essence!

Vicki had used Gumtree before to buy smaller items so decided to use it to search for a car and BOOM – she found a 3-Series, which ticked all the boxes. What’s more, the seller lived just a few miles away.

When the couple went to view the car, it was love at first drive – and they managed to get money off the asking price. Vicki, her husband and the seller were delighted – SUCCESS!

Check out the video below to find out how Vicki found her dream ride on Gumtree. Here are her top tips:

• Keep checking regularly as new ads go up all the time
• Speak to the seller before you go to visit them to ask any basic questions. If the car’s not for you, this will save you a journey
• Take a friend – it’s always reassuring to have a second opinion

If you fancy a chance of winning a £100 prize by sharing your motors success story visit our Gumtree Facebook page today and tell us why.

The Gumtree team

To make his car stand out from the rest and to improve the chances of a fast sale, Luke promoted his ad, which worked a treat as he received interest within a couple of days, and had agreed a price with a buyer within a week – SUCCESS!

Check out the video below to find out how Luke made a quick and easy motors sale on Gumtree. Here’s his tips:

• Include pictures from all angles so the buyer can be assured there are no dents or scratches
• If you’re looking for a quick sale, it’s worth promoting your ad for a small fee
• Be honest in your description – it will stop you wasting potential buyers (and your own) time

If you fancy a chance of winning a £100 prize by sharing your motors success story visit our Gumtree Facebook page today and tell us why.

The Gumtree team

This week we popped along to High Wycombe to meet full-time mum Kirsty Sanders. Having two young kids can be expensive, so Kirsty is always keeping an eye out for great bargains on Gumtree. She uses it all the time to sell the toys and clothes her little ones have grown out of, as well as buying great stuff second-hand.

And while browsing the motors category recently, she found a great little Citroen Saxo and by simply giving it a bit of TLC was able to sell it on for a tidy profit.

In the video, Kirsty shares her Motors Success story. Here are her top tips:

• Think carefully about a good title and flag a good feature, such as low mileage
• Make the car as clean and presentable as possible to easily add to the value
• Put yourself in the buyer’s shoes when writing the ad and think ‘what information would you want to know?’

If you have a motors success story of your own, pop along to the Gumtree Facebook page, tell us all about it and you could win a £100 prize too. Boom!

The Gumtree team

Gumtree.com is the UK’s number 1 classifieds site, with over 8 million buyers and sellers visiting every month.  Part of eBay Classifieds Group, delivering easy and innovative solutions for commerce across every continent.

We aim to keep things simple, easy and beautiful on our site. We want our users to have a successful experience, whether they come to buy and sell, check out our motors category or find a new job. We’ve plenty of work to do to improve Gumtree.com, and so we need someone with the skills and energy to be successful with us. We’re looking for the best and the brightest students and graduates out there, and in return we offer great career development opportunities, a competitive package and a collaborative, fun and inspiring work environment.

So, if you are full of passion for technology and want to create best-in class platforms to connect people we want to hear from you!

Please apply if you are ready to join us in a full-time job or just looking for a summer internship or year out placement as part of your degree.

To see more details about the opportunity and apply please visit our careers website.

I’ve wanted (and needed) to declutter my house for years, but I’ve never had the time or willpower to say goodbye to certain belongings.  So my daughter spotted the Gumtree competition and sent in an entry. Before I knew it, TV celebrity Jasmine Harman, was on her way to our home for a personal declutter session!

It was a delight to meet Jasmine. She is very understanding as to why people grow attached to certain items. Her mantra, a quote from William Morris, struck a particular chord for me: “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful”.

I have all sorts of items collecting dust; a 40-year-old soft toy collection, vintage clothing, a selection of silver that has never been used, an assortment of china clogging up the kitchen cupboards and, thanks to my husband, a variety of exercise equipment. I’m now ready to find new homes for my clutter.

As someone who is not hugely familiar with the computer, Jasmine helped to show me how quick and easy it is to list items on Gumtree. If like me you need some guidance, there’s even a ‘how to’ video to watch here.

There’s no stopping me now! As soon as daughter number two leaves home, we intend to downsize and all the money raised will be put towards building a special  ‘retreat’ looking out to sea.

So if you want to give once-loved belongings a new home, and make a few quid, take Jasmine’s advice and visit Gumtree.com for decluttering success!

This time every year, we see a surge in scammers trying to sell dodgy or fake tickets on the web. We’re already doing loads of work behind the scenes to keep these rogue sellers off Gumtree, but do keep your eyes open.  Our one overriding piece of advice is – if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.  But read on for more top tips on how to steer clear of ticket scams.

• Are the tickets real? – Check with the venue to find out when tickets are being released for sale, and when the tickets will be sent out. You can read these details within the terms and conditions of the official event organisers.

• Can the tickets be resold? - Be aware that some tickets may have terms printed on them that limit the ability of the original buyer to sell them to someone else. Some event tickets e.g. Glastonbury Festival feature a photograph of the original buyer, which can mean that anyone other than the original buyer may be refused entry to the event.  Our advice is to always independently check the re-sale terms of the event before buying

• Be cautious of sellers offering self-printed e-tickets  - dodgy sellers can print several copies and sell to more than one buyer – and only the buyer who arrives at the event first will be authorised to enter

• Know where you stand – ask the seller to provide ticket details, better still ask for a photo of the ticket.  Ensure that the face value of the tickets and the seat location are clearly listed

• Meet face-to-face to see the ticket and exchange money – inspect the tickets and make sure you are completely happy with them before handing over any money

• Contacting the seller – make sure you know how you can contact the seller. Check that you know their full address and check they have a working landline phone number

• Watch out for requests to use money transfer services like Western Union or MoneyGram – these services aren’t meant for sending money to someone you don’t know and can be used by scammers – leaving you with no way to track them down
• Another option is to try the ticket marketplace StubHub.co.uk, where buying and selling tickets is quick and easy. It’s safe too, as all orders are backed by StubHub’s FanProtect^TM Guarantee.

Hopefully these tips set you up for tickets success! Check out the tickets that are currently listed on Gumtree, and if you ever have any questions, just contact us on support@gumtree.com.

This week, we visited Gateshead to meet plasterer, Gavin Waugh. He told us all about his Motors Success story and how he bought a Yamaha PW50 using Gumtree. It was a gift for his son after he had his previous Yamaha stolen. Gavin came to Gumtree for the first time, and BOOM – one massive success story.

Check out the video to find out about Gavin’s Motors Success story! Here’s Gavin’s top tips for buying a car or motorbike on Gumtree:

• Research the market value of the motor you are buying so you know if you are getting a good deal
• Think really carefully about the questions you want to ask before you go to meet the seller
• If you’re not a petrol head, take someone who knows a lot about cars or bikes

If you have a Motors Success story of your own, pop along to the Gumtree Facebook page, tell us all about it and you could win a £100 prize too.

Here’s to SUCCESS!

The Gumtree team

This week we picked our first winner – Simran Athwal from London – and then popped along to see him to get the inside track on his story. Check out the video (below) and watch Simran reveal how he got a great price when he sold his first ever car on Gumtree, a trusty Rover 25.

Simran’s a real Gumtree regular now and in the video he shares his experience to make sure that when you sell your motor on Gumtree, you have a success story of your own. Here’s Simran’s top tips::

• Take your time and don’t rush a decision

• Be clear and direct – give as much info as possible

• Use images to show off the car

If you already have one, pop along to the Gumtree Facebook page, tell us all about it and you could win £100 prize just like Simran. Boom!

A few Ts&Cs we need to mention…

-        you need to be over 18 to enter

-        your success story must relate to buying or selling a car on Gumtree

-        you should be available for filming within a week of entry

Here’s to SUCCESS!

The Gumtree team