The customer satisfaction survey of 1,400 car buyers found that 92 per cent of respondents would 'dismiss' any car-seller with a moustache and 63 per cent would be put off by gold jewelry. Other elements such as wearing a mobile phone headset were also given the thumbs down. Some 98 per cent of respondents said they made instant judgments about car vendors based on clothes, personal hygiene and even elements like hair colour and the strength of handshakes.

Half of eBay's respondents said they preferred bypassing sales staff and using the internet to source vehicles. The company has also carried out so called consumer focus groups and found that badly designed or unimaginative dealer websites could potentially turn off buyers. Other negative areas included following up an internet-advertised car and finding either dealer or call centre staff know nothing about it, difficulty speaking to relevant staff members and unwanted telephone rather than email responses. “Smart dealers will build a relationship with the customer before they contact the dealership,” said eBayMotors trade manager Emma Parfitt.