Discussion
How dodgey is buying a car on ebay? I was interested in a 111r about a month ago but couldn't get to see it in time so I asked the guy if he didn't sell it to contact me which he said he would and he did but said he was working out of the country and as soon as he was home he would. The next thing it appeared on Autotrader at half the price. When I contacted the guy his name had changed and he was now in Slovakia with the car but it was still for sale.
There is now a black one for sale which is also on the classifieds here and on Autotrader but I'm just too edgey about buying cars on ebay. Has anyone done it?
There is now a black one for sale which is also on the classifieds here and on Autotrader but I'm just too edgey about buying cars on ebay. Has anyone done it?
Certainly wouldn't trust the first ad you mention, sounds completely dodgy.
I have sold 2 cars and bought one via ebay without any problems whatsoever. Ask all the right questions and get to see the car before the auction ends and as you would or should with any car have it inspected. Make sure you see all the paperwork is in order.
Tracking down the right car can take ages .... just be patient .... the right one will come along eventually and IMO might be via ebay.
111KAB
I have sold 2 cars and bought one via ebay without any problems whatsoever. Ask all the right questions and get to see the car before the auction ends and as you would or should with any car have it inspected. Make sure you see all the paperwork is in order.
Tracking down the right car can take ages .... just be patient .... the right one will come along eventually and IMO might be via ebay.
111KAB
Beware about adverts WITHOUT a valid contact number and an email address which ISNT ebay-based. There are loads of scams about - email the seller, any reply about living away/ not being in the country for any reason, but welcome to ship the car, yada yada yada...ignore, these are scams (maybe one or two are genuine??).
in a nutshell, if it looks too good to be true, its a scam.
do your homework as far as car prices/ ages/ mileage, etc...and compare..if its substantially cheaper - watch out.
G
in a nutshell, if it looks too good to be true, its a scam.
do your homework as far as car prices/ ages/ mileage, etc...and compare..if its substantially cheaper - watch out.
G
I've never really understood this attitude that there is something inherently dodgy about eBay and cars - it's a very good way to advertise a car to a large audience.
I've both bought and sold cars on eBay without any problems. From a seller's point of view, it allows you to write a far more detailed description that Autotrader allow and you can add lots of photos. In addition, you're exposing the car to a far larger audience.
From a buyer's standpoint, it's a no-brainer that you should go and inspect the car yourself before bidding but if circumstances mean this isn't possible then I take the view that if I turn up to collect the car and it doesn't match the seller's description and they haven't answered my questions honestly, I'm within my rights to walk away without paying.
I'd advise against paying for the car vial PayPal (or any other method) before you've seen it - take cash/draft with you when you go to collect. Other than that, go for it!
I've both bought and sold cars on eBay without any problems. From a seller's point of view, it allows you to write a far more detailed description that Autotrader allow and you can add lots of photos. In addition, you're exposing the car to a far larger audience.
From a buyer's standpoint, it's a no-brainer that you should go and inspect the car yourself before bidding but if circumstances mean this isn't possible then I take the view that if I turn up to collect the car and it doesn't match the seller's description and they haven't answered my questions honestly, I'm within my rights to walk away without paying.
I'd advise against paying for the car vial PayPal (or any other method) before you've seen it - take cash/draft with you when you go to collect. Other than that, go for it!
Edited by Risotto on Friday 7th September 18:54
Furyous said:
Wouldnt touch ebay for something as specialist as a Liz.
There will be cars on eBay that are owned by SELOC members - why be suspicious of an advertising medium?Elises may be an uncommon sight on the roads but many of their component parts are less exclusive - I'd hesitate to call them specialist cars. There's little in the way of routine maintenance that couldn't be done by any independent garage.
i agree i have carried out front end re-build on my elise i was a bit scared at first hence i attempted to sell it straight on but i am the sort of guy that if someone says - you cant do that i will do my best to prove them wrong . as for the eastern european scam on ebay i played along and it is an out and out scam , it makes you laugh that these people think they can get some one to attempt to buy a £15k car for £7k . i have been emailing some ebay dude who is offering type r honda conversions ie box ecu engine loom ect for £1000 again to good to be true ... my advice is do buy from the bay but BE CAREFULL its a jungle out there
RichyBoy said:
Just think of an ebay sale as an advert like autotrader and you will be fine i.e. wining gives you the option to buy the car. Once you starting treating them like real auctions, there is where you can go wrong.
No , you dont win the option to buy! if you bid and you win then you have entered into a legally binding contract and you can be pursued through small claims court for the recovery of the sellers expenses , because that seller has spent money and time placing that ad . Its up to you to view the car and satisfy yourself with it before the auction closes , or do a deal with the seller before he sells it .Ebay is an excellent sales medium as long as people dont mess you about and you beware the scams.
Legally binding contract my ass! Ebay is a venue for buying and selling goods like exchange & mart, loot, autotrader etc. When you click the button to a place a bid that bit about legal binding contract is just for show, there is no legal consequences.
Even if you involve the police, ebay will not get involved and so the police will determine the matter to be a civil one. Small claims action is pointless because ebay is not a real auction. Ebay does not get involved in disputes regardless of the scam so you are left in the same position you would be if it were a exchange & mart sale or purchase. You can set up a mail box, sell cheap bogus items on ebay, take in the funds, be reported to the police but because ebay do not get involved you get to keep the money and the victims are given the civil route which probably isn't worth taking for a for few quid.
Heres a lovely ebay example:
http://reviews.ebay.co.uk/WARNING-IPOD-Postal-orde...
Even if you involve the police, ebay will not get involved and so the police will determine the matter to be a civil one. Small claims action is pointless because ebay is not a real auction. Ebay does not get involved in disputes regardless of the scam so you are left in the same position you would be if it were a exchange & mart sale or purchase. You can set up a mail box, sell cheap bogus items on ebay, take in the funds, be reported to the police but because ebay do not get involved you get to keep the money and the victims are given the civil route which probably isn't worth taking for a for few quid.
Heres a lovely ebay example:
http://reviews.ebay.co.uk/WARNING-IPOD-Postal-orde...
Edited by RichyBoy on Sunday 9th September 17:48
I got my Elise on e-bay but if there's anything even remotely dodgy about the advert or the sellers responses, steer well clear. A few relatively simple checks can reduce the danger to not significantly more than buying a car from any other private seller.
1) Make sure there is a full description of the car. If there's anything the description doesn't talk about, it's probably broken.
2) Get a HPI check done unless the advert explicitly states that the car is HPI clear (which it should do).
3) Contact the seller to find out where every service has been carried out and then phone round the garages to confirm the mileage and service history is genuine.
4) Remember that your bid is only a legally binding contract if the advert is 100% honest. Any discrepancy in the advert and you can walk away, even after winning the auction, with a clear conscience.
The important thing really is, if at any point in the process anything feels remotely "wrong" with the way the seller is responding, walk away.
I've been 100% happy with my car having got it a good 10% cheaper than I've ever seen one elsewhere.
1) Make sure there is a full description of the car. If there's anything the description doesn't talk about, it's probably broken.
2) Get a HPI check done unless the advert explicitly states that the car is HPI clear (which it should do).
3) Contact the seller to find out where every service has been carried out and then phone round the garages to confirm the mileage and service history is genuine.
4) Remember that your bid is only a legally binding contract if the advert is 100% honest. Any discrepancy in the advert and you can walk away, even after winning the auction, with a clear conscience.
The important thing really is, if at any point in the process anything feels remotely "wrong" with the way the seller is responding, walk away.
I've been 100% happy with my car having got it a good 10% cheaper than I've ever seen one elsewhere.
RichyBoy said:
Legally binding contract my ass!
I would be very wary of that attitude. I know several people who HAVE chased up buyers who have backed out of an e-bay purchase and the court costs can end up being far more than the value of the item that they've breached contract on. For example I get free legal aid through my employer. If someone pulled out of a transaction on me and I took them to court (and I won), they'd end up with IBM's legal team chasing them for the time of a top class contract lawyer. Would you by a car advertised on here if the owner claimed they were working away and would ship the car to you unseen if you sent them the money? Of course not, so why on earth contemplate it for a car advertised on ebay? There are plenty of dodgy cars and sellers about on here, Seloc, autotrader, ebay and many more so just use some common sense and choose a car based on its condition not where it was advertised.
Having purchased and sold a few cars on ebay, consider the following:
1 HPI it regardless of what the advert or seller says - you'll find a few with accident damage and/or outstanding finance.
2 Ask the seller some questions through the ebay system. How they answer is as important as the answer itself so think of something to ask. I prefer prompt, coherent answers from a proper UK based email address via ebay (an email direct from scammer59@hotmail.com or the like usually puts me off).
2 If nervous or suspicious go and see the car. If it's too far away, find one nearer or get an RAC inspection done.
3 Look at the sellers feedback and what they have sold in the past. Is there anything that concerns you? If so find another car.
4 Go and collect the vehicle and check it matches the auction description - if not walk away. Check the VIN and engine numbers match the V5 (don't buy anything without a V5). Ideally the V5 will have the address of where you collect the car from as the registered address.
5 Pay by cash or bank draft and drive the car away. Don't send money/cheque/draft/paypal in advance and wait whilst it clears. If the seller is wary of stolen bank drafts send them a copy in advance and get them to check it with their bank. If they are wary of forged notes - drive to their bank and pay it in. If they won't accept that - walk away.
6 Accept that the seller will also be viewing you as a potential scammer who is trying to pay with a dodgy cheque/ bank draft/ cash and steal his car, so be nice.
Having purchased and sold a few cars on ebay, consider the following:
1 HPI it regardless of what the advert or seller says - you'll find a few with accident damage and/or outstanding finance.
2 Ask the seller some questions through the ebay system. How they answer is as important as the answer itself so think of something to ask. I prefer prompt, coherent answers from a proper UK based email address via ebay (an email direct from scammer59@hotmail.com or the like usually puts me off).
2 If nervous or suspicious go and see the car. If it's too far away, find one nearer or get an RAC inspection done.
3 Look at the sellers feedback and what they have sold in the past. Is there anything that concerns you? If so find another car.
4 Go and collect the vehicle and check it matches the auction description - if not walk away. Check the VIN and engine numbers match the V5 (don't buy anything without a V5). Ideally the V5 will have the address of where you collect the car from as the registered address.
5 Pay by cash or bank draft and drive the car away. Don't send money/cheque/draft/paypal in advance and wait whilst it clears. If the seller is wary of stolen bank drafts send them a copy in advance and get them to check it with their bank. If they are wary of forged notes - drive to their bank and pay it in. If they won't accept that - walk away.
6 Accept that the seller will also be viewing you as a potential scammer who is trying to pay with a dodgy cheque/ bank draft/ cash and steal his car, so be nice.
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