Buying a Motorbike from Ebay seller insisting on paypal...
Discussion
Hello All,
Apologies if this subject has been covered before but I am looking for the collective wisdom of the group on this subject.
I am in the process of trying to buy a motorbike on ebay, all very normal so far. I won the auction but the seller is insisting on payment via paypal "Before" collection in fact he won’t even give me his home address before payment is made?? As a natural cynic I am smelling a rat and would have thought a genuine seller would be more than happy to share his details. In fact I will be going to collect the bike in person so why cash-on-collection is not an option is any ones guess. I have only bought from dealers in the past so this would be my first "private" buy. I have read paypals policies and it states there is NO protection for the purchase of motor vehicles etc so this is making even more nervous about the whole thing.
Does anyone else have a similar experience? Any advice?
Thanks
Jon
Apologies if this subject has been covered before but I am looking for the collective wisdom of the group on this subject.
I am in the process of trying to buy a motorbike on ebay, all very normal so far. I won the auction but the seller is insisting on payment via paypal "Before" collection in fact he won’t even give me his home address before payment is made?? As a natural cynic I am smelling a rat and would have thought a genuine seller would be more than happy to share his details. In fact I will be going to collect the bike in person so why cash-on-collection is not an option is any ones guess. I have only bought from dealers in the past so this would be my first "private" buy. I have read paypals policies and it states there is NO protection for the purchase of motor vehicles etc so this is making even more nervous about the whole thing.
Does anyone else have a similar experience? Any advice?
Thanks
Jon
He wants his money before you turn up and realise its a shed!
Alternatively, he wants his money first cos he thinks you'll turn up and try and chip a few quid off the price.
Auction is slightly odd way to buy something as important /valuable as a vehicle if you haven't had viewing in person before placing a bid. Not something I'd ever do, tread carefully....
Alternatively, he wants his money first cos he thinks you'll turn up and try and chip a few quid off the price.
Auction is slightly odd way to buy something as important /valuable as a vehicle if you haven't had viewing in person before placing a bid. Not something I'd ever do, tread carefully....
The auction stated paypal only.
Which I dont have a problem with, its the "not giving my address unitl you give me the money" bit that i have an issue with. It could just be the guy is not too familiar with selling stuff on ebay?? (giving him the benefit of the doubt). But as Paypal is very specific with regards its exlcusion of a safety net when it comes to the purchase of motorcars & bikes it is something I was looking for some advice on.
JK
Which I dont have a problem with, its the "not giving my address unitl you give me the money" bit that i have an issue with. It could just be the guy is not too familiar with selling stuff on ebay?? (giving him the benefit of the doubt). But as Paypal is very specific with regards its exlcusion of a safety net when it comes to the purchase of motorcars & bikes it is something I was looking for some advice on.
JK
It opens him up to be scammed too.
You could pay by PayPal and then later say you didn't receive the goods.
It doesn't cost you to pay by PayPal, but he has to pay fees. I'd have thought he would be happier with cash as he doesn't pay fees and you've no comeback.
Some sellers are just a bit weird. It could be for numerous reasons he has insisted on ebay. It could be good or bad reasons, but it's very hard to guess.
Does the person have good feedback?
You could pay by PayPal and then later say you didn't receive the goods.
It doesn't cost you to pay by PayPal, but he has to pay fees. I'd have thought he would be happier with cash as he doesn't pay fees and you've no comeback.
Some sellers are just a bit weird. It could be for numerous reasons he has insisted on ebay. It could be good or bad reasons, but it's very hard to guess.
Does the person have good feedback?
As a buyer it doesn't really matter for you, as a seller he's leaving himself wide open to being scammed! These days Paypal is very much geared towards protecting the buyer, any complaint raised to them about a sale and the seller is often forced into a refund (ie his account is debited automatically).
Picture this - you send paypal payment, collect bike, several days later you raise a non-receipt of goods claim with paypal. What does he show them? They pretty much only accept a courier signed-for type proof. Paypal refund you in full, he has no bike or money.
That's why when selling cars all scammers will have some story of why they can only pay via paypal - this is 99.9999% of the time a scam.
When selling something that is being collected - NEVER accept paypal.
Picture this - you send paypal payment, collect bike, several days later you raise a non-receipt of goods claim with paypal. What does he show them? They pretty much only accept a courier signed-for type proof. Paypal refund you in full, he has no bike or money.
That's why when selling cars all scammers will have some story of why they can only pay via paypal - this is 99.9999% of the time a scam.
When selling something that is being collected - NEVER accept paypal.
This is grey area, but as far as I'm concerned, you don't pay someone for a vehicle you haven't seen exists. You don't have the same protection as a bank and there are plenty of exclusions on Paypal.
I would tell him you are happy to pay by Paypal, but on arrival to ensure the bike is genuine and as described. It's a reasonable ask.
As for the "You've entered into a contract" nonsense, this is the standard E-bay narrative, but I buy and sell a lot on Ebay and even being able to leave someone bad feedback is a mission these days - especially if a seller. Non-payers get away with no problems, so if the chap isn't reasonable, just tell him you are not interested. You'll get a non-payment strike on your account, but as long as you are not habitual in this, you'll have no problems.
I would tell him you are happy to pay by Paypal, but on arrival to ensure the bike is genuine and as described. It's a reasonable ask.
As for the "You've entered into a contract" nonsense, this is the standard E-bay narrative, but I buy and sell a lot on Ebay and even being able to leave someone bad feedback is a mission these days - especially if a seller. Non-payers get away with no problems, so if the chap isn't reasonable, just tell him you are not interested. You'll get a non-payment strike on your account, but as long as you are not habitual in this, you'll have no problems.
Do not under any circumstances pay for a vehicle using Paypal. Vehicles are not covered under Paypal's money back guarantee. This is most likely a scam.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with bidding on vehicles on ebay, as you are not obliged to hand any money over if the vehicle is not as described or the seller failed to mention something about the vehicle. In fact, you don't even need a good reason not to go through with a purchase if you not happy; ebay cannot force you to hand over money. Although obviously you should only bid on something if you intend to buy it .
There's absolutely nothing wrong with bidding on vehicles on ebay, as you are not obliged to hand any money over if the vehicle is not as described or the seller failed to mention something about the vehicle. In fact, you don't even need a good reason not to go through with a purchase if you not happy; ebay cannot force you to hand over money. Although obviously you should only bid on something if you intend to buy it .
LiquidGnome said:
Do not under any circumstances pay for a vehicle using Paypal. Vehicles are not covered under Paypal's money back guarantee. This is most likely a scam.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with bidding on vehicles on ebay, as you are not obliged to hand any money over if the vehicle is not as described or the seller failed to mention something about the vehicle. In fact, you don't even need a good reason not to go through with a purchase if you not happy; ebay cannot force you to hand over money. Although obviously you should only bid on something if you intend to buy it .
Couldn't have put it any better myself. Do not under any circumstances pay for a motor vehicle unseen by Paypal.There's absolutely nothing wrong with bidding on vehicles on ebay, as you are not obliged to hand any money over if the vehicle is not as described or the seller failed to mention something about the vehicle. In fact, you don't even need a good reason not to go through with a purchase if you not happy; ebay cannot force you to hand over money. Although obviously you should only bid on something if you intend to buy it .
I wouldn't pay him anything until you have seen that the bike actually exists by visiting him. I know of a chap who lost over 6k on a auction he won. The 'seller' had hacked someones account and was using it to sell vehicles that didn't exist.
Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 26th May 12:31
hornetrider said:
LiquidGnome said:
Do not under any circumstances pay for a vehicle using Paypal. Vehicles are not covered under Paypal's money back guarantee. This is most likely a scam.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with bidding on vehicles on ebay, as you are not obliged to hand any money over if the vehicle is not as described or the seller failed to mention something about the vehicle. In fact, you don't even need a good reason not to go through with a purchase if you not happy; ebay cannot force you to hand over money. Although obviously you should only bid on something if you intend to buy it .
Couldn't have put it any better myself. Do not under any circumstances pay for a motor vehicle unseen by Paypal.There's absolutely nothing wrong with bidding on vehicles on ebay, as you are not obliged to hand any money over if the vehicle is not as described or the seller failed to mention something about the vehicle. In fact, you don't even need a good reason not to go through with a purchase if you not happy; ebay cannot force you to hand over money. Although obviously you should only bid on something if you intend to buy it .
Pay say £100 via paypal and then say you will pay the rest when you come to collect the bike in person.
We have never paid full the full whack by paypal for a bike not seen.
When we sold the nc I had a peice of paper receipt stating all the details and both signed it saying the cash has changed hands etc.
Also have you got the reg and have you HPI it ?
We have never paid full the full whack by paypal for a bike not seen.
When we sold the nc I had a peice of paper receipt stating all the details and both signed it saying the cash has changed hands etc.
Also have you got the reg and have you HPI it ?
Well, the seller is a bit of a div then.
Allowing goods to be collected means he will not be covered by the seller protection program.
In summary - you could collect the bike, and then claim you never received the goods. He cannot prove he sent anything (cos he didn't), and you'll get a refund.
Full T&C's here: https://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/ua/useragree...
I have no idea why someone would rather accept PayPal over a bank xfer or cash...other thany they're happy to give even more money (final value fee) to eBay.
What a muppet.
What I usually do, is agree to cancel the sale with the seller, and then split the 10% FVF with the seller (but only if I'm 100% happy with the item obviously).
Allowing goods to be collected means he will not be covered by the seller protection program.
In summary - you could collect the bike, and then claim you never received the goods. He cannot prove he sent anything (cos he didn't), and you'll get a refund.
Full T&C's here: https://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/ua/useragree...
I have no idea why someone would rather accept PayPal over a bank xfer or cash...other thany they're happy to give even more money (final value fee) to eBay.
What a muppet.
What I usually do, is agree to cancel the sale with the seller, and then split the 10% FVF with the seller (but only if I'm 100% happy with the item obviously).
Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff