Buying car ebay, never completed, deposit refund
Discussion
Hi,
What would/could you do.
Car for sale on ebay by a private seller at a buy it now price £7500, other side of country.
From advert description and phone calls with seller, paid £100 deposit by paypal to secure sale.
On arrival the gearbox was faulty and several gears would not engage and this was not disclosed at all in advert so the completion did not go ahead.
Unfortunately this occurred a couple of days ago to much inconvenience as there were no afternoon trains home due to strikes but that is another issue and was stuck, had to hitchhike home.
I have incurred approx £90 in train travel costs and a whole day wasted, i accept that the travel costs are due to me however have messaged seller who has not replied asking for my £100 deposit paypal paid to be refunded due to misleading advert and is not replying, Paypal exclude motor vehicles from their refund scheme.
The seller has now listed the vehicle again on ebay at same price and again not disclosed the fault.
Only £200 out of pocket at end of day but still somewhat annoyed, what would you do,
Martyn
What would/could you do.
Car for sale on ebay by a private seller at a buy it now price £7500, other side of country.
From advert description and phone calls with seller, paid £100 deposit by paypal to secure sale.
On arrival the gearbox was faulty and several gears would not engage and this was not disclosed at all in advert so the completion did not go ahead.
Unfortunately this occurred a couple of days ago to much inconvenience as there were no afternoon trains home due to strikes but that is another issue and was stuck, had to hitchhike home.
I have incurred approx £90 in train travel costs and a whole day wasted, i accept that the travel costs are due to me however have messaged seller who has not replied asking for my £100 deposit paypal paid to be refunded due to misleading advert and is not replying, Paypal exclude motor vehicles from their refund scheme.
The seller has now listed the vehicle again on ebay at same price and again not disclosed the fault.
Only £200 out of pocket at end of day but still somewhat annoyed, what would you do,
Martyn
Edited by Martyn-123 on Monday 15th May 08:46
Edited by Martyn-123 on Monday 15th May 08:46
MustangGT said:
I would inform eBay of the issue as a first step.
Second step would be to take on board that buying cars from eBay is a very risky idea and buy from somewhere else.
Did he 'buy the car from ebay' or was ebay simply an advertising channel for it?Second step would be to take on board that buying cars from eBay is a very risky idea and buy from somewhere else.
Either way informing ebay is a fair idea, but if it's a classified ad, then they are not really in the loop.
MustangGT said:
I would inform eBay of the issue as a first step.
Second step would be to take on board that buying cars from eBay is a very risky idea and buy from somewhere else.
I think its fine if you use it like Autotrader etc and keep it local, I sold my last car on eBay to someone in the same town, no issues at all. Second step would be to take on board that buying cars from eBay is a very risky idea and buy from somewhere else.
BUT I wouldnt commit to buy or have delivered something from hundreds of miles away.
PistonTim said:
I think its fine if you use it like Autotrader etc and keep it local, I sold my last car on eBay to someone in the same town, no issues at all.
BUT I wouldnt commit to buy or have delivered something from hundreds of miles away.
There's not much choice locally, it would be fairly normal to pay a deposit so the seller holds the car for you and doesn't sell it to someone else while you're on your way to do the deal.BUT I wouldnt commit to buy or have delivered something from hundreds of miles away.
It's maybe best to have the conversation about returning the deposit if you decide not to buy the car.
A case like this, a clear fault, I think everyone would expect the OP to get the deposit back, but what about a car that's just a bit shabbier than the buyer expected or some 'matter of opinion' about it meeting the description?
CrippsCorner said:
Did you pay through PayPal normally, and not as a 'friends and family' if so hopefully you could get money back through contacting them? I've had a couple of issues in the past and PayPal has always gone my way.
This.It should have been done as "goods and services", and if the seller says they aren't happy with the fees then that tells you all you need to know really.
I sold a Honda Prelude through eBay last year. Buyer paid over a grand up front and the balance when he collected it from 250 miles away with a trailer! I have used eBay for over 20 years and my feedback reflects that I am trusted so this was what persuaded him I think.
5 years ago, a chap 350 miles away in Northern Scotland paid me in full for an old Fiat Tempra I was selling and sent a transporter (through Shipley I think) to take up to him; he was happy with it.
With vehicles sales being the only sale where a seller on eBay can insist on cash, you can still refuse to complete the purchase if it is not as described, as with all items, not just vehicles, sold via classified or auction. Sending a cash deposit may hold it for you, but you are trusting the seller.
Do your homework on the seller as much as you can, as well as the car. This applies no matter what the platform used. Personally, I would never buy a car without standing next to it first, you just can't be 100% sure of everything by photos and even a video. I learnt my lesson having done it once 20 years ago, and felt obliged to drive home 150 miles in a Mk1 MX5 that wasn't anywhere near as described, having bought a one way ticket to get there. Kudos to the OP for refusing to complete the sale add if the deposit is not recoverable, it'll be one to put down to experience.....
5 years ago, a chap 350 miles away in Northern Scotland paid me in full for an old Fiat Tempra I was selling and sent a transporter (through Shipley I think) to take up to him; he was happy with it.
With vehicles sales being the only sale where a seller on eBay can insist on cash, you can still refuse to complete the purchase if it is not as described, as with all items, not just vehicles, sold via classified or auction. Sending a cash deposit may hold it for you, but you are trusting the seller.
Do your homework on the seller as much as you can, as well as the car. This applies no matter what the platform used. Personally, I would never buy a car without standing next to it first, you just can't be 100% sure of everything by photos and even a video. I learnt my lesson having done it once 20 years ago, and felt obliged to drive home 150 miles in a Mk1 MX5 that wasn't anywhere near as described, having bought a one way ticket to get there. Kudos to the OP for refusing to complete the sale add if the deposit is not recoverable, it'll be one to put down to experience.....
sixor8 said:
you can still refuse to complete the purchase if it is not as described, as with all items, not just vehicles, sold via classified or auction.
If the seller said nothing about the gearbox and op never asked it is not as described and seller can deduct costs for deposit to relist. No onus to list faults as a private seller.Raccaccoonie said:
Martyn-123 said:
Hi,
It was done via good ans services on Paypal, i have not contacted Paypal (as yet) as they specifically exclude motorised items from their claw back option on faulty goods.
You said the advert was misleading , how?It was done via good ans services on Paypal, i have not contacted Paypal (as yet) as they specifically exclude motorised items from their claw back option on faulty goods.
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