buyer from holland, is it a con?
Discussion
had an e mail from a guy interested in my car from holland, i remember reading something on here about over seas scams, now the guy called me today, he seems to know his stuff and says he is from a dutch owners club, im wondering if he may want to buy to sell on, he is asking for my pay pal details to leave me 500 quid deposit and come to collect the car in a week or so, i know i wouldnt buy a car from a phone call, so im wondering if this is genuine, im not stupid enough to hand over anything without full payment, any one had any experience with this sort of thing? and what sort of person would hand over 500 quid to a stranger?
When I put my old Wedge up for sale, the bloke that eventually bought it was from Scotland. He wanted it despite not even viewing it 
(I live in Kent) The car was very competitively priced 
He paid a deposit via Paypal, a few days later he flew down, paid the rest of the cash owed and drove the car back home. A surprisingly easy transaction.
PayPal for all it's faults is the best way of doing this sort of thing.
(I live in Kent) The car was very competitively priced He paid a deposit via Paypal, a few days later he flew down, paid the rest of the cash owed and drove the car back home. A surprisingly easy transaction.
PayPal for all it's faults is the best way of doing this sort of thing.
peaktorque said:
When I put my old Wedge up for sale, the bloke that eventually bought it was from Scotland. He wanted it despite not even viewing it (I live in Kent) The car was very competitively priced
He paid a deposit via Paypal, a few days later he flew down, paid the rest of the cash owed and drove the car back home. A surprisingly easy transaction.
PayPal for all it's faults is the best way of doing this sort of thing.
ok cool, so do you know what fees id pay for going through paypal and what details would i give him? sorry for the silly questions but never sold anything using paypal, im assuming from the call that if it is genuine, there seems to be a market for TVR's over there and like i said he may want to tidy it up to sell it on as my ad described the car in mechanically sound condition, but body work and wheels need attention (I live in Kent) The car was very competitively priced He paid a deposit via Paypal, a few days later he flew down, paid the rest of the cash owed and drove the car back home. A surprisingly easy transaction.
PayPal for all it's faults is the best way of doing this sort of thing.
TBH I can't remember and hate Paypal at the best of times!
I've only done it on this one occasion and that was two years ago. It probably sounds a bit dodgy now, but he talked me through it on the phone! I'm sure that there are some step-by-step instructions if you log onto your account, although all the work is done from their end, you just 'accept' the transaction and the money just suddenly appears on your screen.
HTH
I've only done it on this one occasion and that was two years ago. It probably sounds a bit dodgy now, but he talked me through it on the phone! I'm sure that there are some step-by-step instructions if you log onto your account, although all the work is done from their end, you just 'accept' the transaction and the money just suddenly appears on your screen.
HTH
Got a name ? ..... a few years back i was selling some original seats out of my griff,not a car i know and obviously a lot more money involved, but i had a guy from Holland mail me regarding them,said he wanted them etc and i thought yea right, but sure enough he paid a deposit and came over a couple of weeks later with his missus in a car to pay and collect them. And hes a regular at the Growl too seen him a few times since,point is TVR's are niche motors and few and far between,might well be he is a fan and after your car.
Might be about to pull your trousers down and rodger you sensless mind
Id do some digging first
Might be about to pull your trousers down and rodger you sensless mind
Id do some digging first
my worry is, how he may pay the balance, the 500 quid would be transferred into my account as soon as i get it, he'd surely have to bring over the remainder in english cash, or id have to march him to a bank and pay in some sort of dutch bankers draft before he left with the car?? cos there is no way id accept a dodgy looking bit of paper with X amount of pounds on it without it going into my account first, its silly really cos if it was someone in this country its an easy transaction, it just seems iffy cos the poor guy is from another country and prepared to buy a car on the basis of a description and a phone call
I sold a Cosworth Westie to a guy from Belgium, because he wanted it so quickly he arranged to arrive 2 days after the conversation with a trailer and cash £12.5K !
I was concerned about all the cash and stressed that I would have the bank check it prior to the car leaving, he agreed,turned up as agreed,checked the car,paid the full amount which we took to the bank together,all ok, loaded the car on the trailer and left................easiest sale I have ever had
I was concerned about all the cash and stressed that I would have the bank check it prior to the car leaving, he agreed,turned up as agreed,checked the car,paid the full amount which we took to the bank together,all ok, loaded the car on the trailer and left................easiest sale I have ever had
900T-R said:
I jumped on a boat with a pocketful of cash when I went to pick up my Chim, after having left a £400 deposit the day I viewed and agreed to buy the car. Us Dutch are as straightforward to deal with as they come 
i'm sure you are, i never meant any disrespect to any one, im sure you guys are more honest than the average brit, i'd have the same concerns with anyone over seas, its the buying on the basis of a picture and description, it just seems to simple, but as the correspondence proves, maybe i have nothing to worry aboutI would take a bit of care over this one. There are quite a few scams running whereby the buyer 'accidentally overpays' and then asks for a refund of the difference. The original payment then bounces. Or sometimes it's just a way to obtain bank account details.
Another point to remember is that overseas cheques can bounce weeks after they were presented.
On the other hand, if he pays the balance in cash you should be Ok.
Good luck with the sale.
Another point to remember is that overseas cheques can bounce weeks after they were presented.
On the other hand, if he pays the balance in cash you should be Ok.
Good luck with the sale.
There's quite a big TVR community in the Netherlands (and Belgium), and it's quite common to see RHD TVR's over here as the prices in the UK have always been quite attractive compared with ones over here. Payment by cash or bank transfer will be safe.
I'm in Belgium, not too far from the Dutch border. If you want me to check this guy out, you can PM me via my profile.
I'm in Belgium, not too far from the Dutch border. If you want me to check this guy out, you can PM me via my profile.
A newbie in this forum as currently looking at a Chimaera.
However, I sold my old M3 to a buyer in Holland. I too was sceptical when he first emailed (after all we all know the scams) but the more questions he asked it seemed like he knew what he was talking about so I agreed.
Mine was slightly different as he owned a business transporting flowers to the UK. I agreed to drop the car to his place of business where one of his employees would give me the money. Sounds dodgy but I checked it all out first and looked at the business (google maps etc.) and it was legit and full of customers on the day I went. Turned up with the car and got the cash (checked and counted it) and off I went. Easy transaction in the end.
My theory is that as long as you accept cash, and preferably he is willing to go to the bank to get it checked, then what can go wrong? Just don't accept the balance any other way. Its true what was said above, effectively the paypal deposit it at some risk but if the guy is genuine then I view it as a small risk.
ETA: Just realised the link and I was looking at your car only last night thinking about giving you a call....looks like I'm too late!
However, I sold my old M3 to a buyer in Holland. I too was sceptical when he first emailed (after all we all know the scams) but the more questions he asked it seemed like he knew what he was talking about so I agreed.
Mine was slightly different as he owned a business transporting flowers to the UK. I agreed to drop the car to his place of business where one of his employees would give me the money. Sounds dodgy but I checked it all out first and looked at the business (google maps etc.) and it was legit and full of customers on the day I went. Turned up with the car and got the cash (checked and counted it) and off I went. Easy transaction in the end.
My theory is that as long as you accept cash, and preferably he is willing to go to the bank to get it checked, then what can go wrong? Just don't accept the balance any other way. Its true what was said above, effectively the paypal deposit it at some risk but if the guy is genuine then I view it as a small risk.
ETA: Just realised the link and I was looking at your car only last night thinking about giving you a call....looks like I'm too late!
Hi,I hope your transaction goes OK? My experience of Paypal has not been flawless. True, money paid in can be withdrawn, not sure of a time limit, also if there is a dispute Paypal are reluctant to get involved. Transfering funds into and out of Paypal accounts does attract a surcharge. Good luck. John C.
Andy chimaera said:
cool guys, ill tread carefully and hope everything goes ok, with regards an over paying deposit, id just transfer it straight into my account and not let the car go until i get full payment in cash, thanks for all the valued advice, ill bare it all in mind
One of the safest places to swop keys/logbook for cash is in a bank. You have the buyer hand the money to the cashier[buyer should have no problem with that].Cashier counts it and knows if its genuine or not and puts it straight into the sellers bank account. Seller then hands over keys and log book, job done. But the best bit for all concerned, its all on camera.
I have bought and sold a few cars this way, perfect for buyer and seller, and safe.
A bankers draft can also be forged, so i would NEVER release a car by payment this way, not least until you have paid the bankers draft in and cleared funds are in your account. The other half works in the banking industry and has seen plenty of people come unstuck, with forged cash, and forged bankers drafts.
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