Buying a car from ebay unseen - risky?
Discussion
TheAngryDog said:
Would you say buying a £3k plus car from eBay without viewing it first is a bit risky? I am talking along the lines of a Mazda 6 MPS. I am concerned about winning the auction and the car not being as described, but being obliged to buy it..
Look up what the commmon faults are, ask the seller the right questions then if it turns out not to be what he said you don't have to buy it.I bought my GSXR1000 unseen on ebay. Before I bid I contacted the seller, got a phone number and rang him up. Talked about the bike, liked what I heard. Told him I would bid only on the understanding that if the bike is not as he had described I would walk away and we would leave it at that, but if it was as described I would pay the full winning bid amount in cash, no attempts to haggle, and ride it away. He was perfectly happy with that, so I had more confidence that he was being honest with me.
I won the auction, bike was every bit as good as he said, I paid and rode it away.
As has been said, you are only obliged to buy if it is as described, don't let anyone try to fool you otherwise. But if you do as I did then you can be sure that both parties understand all this in advance of bidding. If the seller isn't happy with that then I would have to wonder why.
I won the auction, bike was every bit as good as he said, I paid and rode it away.
As has been said, you are only obliged to buy if it is as described, don't let anyone try to fool you otherwise. But if you do as I did then you can be sure that both parties understand all this in advance of bidding. If the seller isn't happy with that then I would have to wonder why.
RedBull said:
I bought my GSXR1000 unseen on ebay. Before I bid I contacted the seller, got a phone number and rang him up. Talked about the bike, liked what I heard. Told him I would bid only on the understanding that if the bike is not as he had described I would walk away and we would leave it at that, but if it was as described I would pay the full winning bid amount in cash, no attempts to haggle, and ride it away. He was perfectly happy with that, so I had more confidence that he was being honest with me.
I won the auction, bike was every bit as good as he said, I paid and rode it away.
As has been said, you are only obliged to buy if it is as described, don't let anyone try to fool you otherwise. But if you do as I did then you can be sure that both parties understand all this in advance of bidding. If the seller isn't happy with that then I would have to wonder why.
Unfortunately for me the auction ends at 7:30am today so getting chance to speak to the owner is going to be difficult. I won the auction, bike was every bit as good as he said, I paid and rode it away.
As has been said, you are only obliged to buy if it is as described, don't let anyone try to fool you otherwise. But if you do as I did then you can be sure that both parties understand all this in advance of bidding. If the seller isn't happy with that then I would have to wonder why.
I'll bare this all in mind for future reference though. Thanks.
TheAngryDog said:
Unfortunately for me the auction ends at 7:30am today so getting chance to speak to the owner is going to be difficult.
I'll bare this all in mind for future reference though. Thanks.
Don't worry about getting bad feedback either - sellers can't leave anything but positive feedback. It is work thinking about having a second Ebay account for buying though - it's easy for someone to trash your account if you ever do any selling on it.I'll bare this all in mind for future reference though. Thanks.
And to answer someone else question about extra protection when buying on the internet - no I don't think you do.
I bought my Elise from ebay unseen. Admittedly that was eight years ago and I think there were a lot less scammers around then.
As I understand it you are NEVER obliged to buy a car you've "won" on ebay, whether it's as described or not. Ebay Motors is explicitly exempt from that contractual obligation.
As I understand it you are NEVER obliged to buy a car you've "won" on ebay, whether it's as described or not. Ebay Motors is explicitly exempt from that contractual obligation.
Edited by kambites on Monday 9th March 08:20
northwest monkey said:
Don't worry about getting bad feedback either - sellers can't leave anything but positive feedback. It is work thinking about having a second Ebay account for buying though - it's easy for someone to trash your account if you ever do any selling on it.
And to answer someone else question about extra protection when buying on the internet - no I don't think you do.
Ah sensible idea, though I do little selling on ebay anyway, 99.9% is buying. And to answer someone else question about extra protection when buying on the internet - no I don't think you do.
I'll bare it in mind next time a car comes up. I had a few doubts about the one I was on about In my OP. It did go cheap so I guess i would have had around £1500 as a war chest to put things right.
Next time!
additional protection online is DSR (distance selling regulations), but unlikely to apply to a private seller in any form / for any item.
also, if you are finishing the transaction with the seller in person (paying and driving away) then DSR wouldn't apply as your contract is formed when you hand the cash over - not in the ebay bid...
any seller private or trade has to describe things accurately - the issues come where the wording allows them to sell something slightly dodgy, but the purchaser optimistically reads something else into the wording and is then disappointed - at that point, buyer beware - if the wording is accurate and you make the purchase you don't have any comeback...
however the majority of sellers are perfectly honest types, and it doesn't take much to spot the difference - any warning signals and don't proceed...
I have sold a number of cars on ebay, dealt with some great people - one came twice, to view and then collect, knew the car and had been looking for that model for 18 months, the others just turned up handed me a wodge of cash and drove off!
also, if you are finishing the transaction with the seller in person (paying and driving away) then DSR wouldn't apply as your contract is formed when you hand the cash over - not in the ebay bid...
any seller private or trade has to describe things accurately - the issues come where the wording allows them to sell something slightly dodgy, but the purchaser optimistically reads something else into the wording and is then disappointed - at that point, buyer beware - if the wording is accurate and you make the purchase you don't have any comeback...
however the majority of sellers are perfectly honest types, and it doesn't take much to spot the difference - any warning signals and don't proceed...
I have sold a number of cars on ebay, dealt with some great people - one came twice, to view and then collect, knew the car and had been looking for that model for 18 months, the others just turned up handed me a wodge of cash and drove off!
akirk said:
additional protection online is DSR (distance selling regulations), but unlikely to apply to a private seller in any form / for any item.
also, if you are finishing the transaction with the seller in person (paying and driving away) then DSR wouldn't apply as your contract is formed when you hand the cash over - not in the ebay bid...
any seller private or trade has to describe things accurately - the issues come where the wording allows them to sell something slightly dodgy, but the purchaser optimistically reads something else into the wording and is then disappointed - at that point, buyer beware - if the wording is accurate and you make the purchase you don't have any comeback...
however the majority of sellers are perfectly honest types, and it doesn't take much to spot the difference - any warning signals and don't proceed...
I have sold a number of cars on ebay, dealt with some great people - one came twice, to view and then collect, knew the car and had been looking for that model for 18 months, the others just turned up handed me a wodge of cash and drove off!
The last 3 cars I looked at hadnt been described honestly hence my caution. I guess next time a car comes up then I will speak with the seller on the phone before bidding. also, if you are finishing the transaction with the seller in person (paying and driving away) then DSR wouldn't apply as your contract is formed when you hand the cash over - not in the ebay bid...
any seller private or trade has to describe things accurately - the issues come where the wording allows them to sell something slightly dodgy, but the purchaser optimistically reads something else into the wording and is then disappointed - at that point, buyer beware - if the wording is accurate and you make the purchase you don't have any comeback...
however the majority of sellers are perfectly honest types, and it doesn't take much to spot the difference - any warning signals and don't proceed...
I have sold a number of cars on ebay, dealt with some great people - one came twice, to view and then collect, knew the car and had been looking for that model for 18 months, the others just turned up handed me a wodge of cash and drove off!
I feel the rule with EBAY is simple, upto £1500-2000 take a chance. Obviously if it's completely different to description you refuse to buy it when you get there. Over this price and go and look at it and give it a thorough going over. I've bought four cars on EBAY and they have all been the same as buying any other second hand car.
danjama said:
What's local for you?
There's a tidy e36 323i for sale in Romford. I'm not buying it but saw it yesterday and it doesn't need anything really. Just a noisy thrust bearing.
£1k.
(i'm honestly no friend of the seller, but i know you like BM's).
Cheers for the heads up! Local to me is 60 miles tops really. I don't see the point in travelling too far for a cheap car. I'll be on Gumtree, eBay, ph classifieds and auto trader tonight. There's a tidy e36 323i for sale in Romford. I'm not buying it but saw it yesterday and it doesn't need anything really. Just a noisy thrust bearing.
£1k.
(i'm honestly no friend of the seller, but i know you like BM's).
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