ebay fraud...

[claybill]

guys....what do you do when you see a car offered on ebay, and you have seen it and it is not what it is cracked up to be..? put up..shut up..?

also you can never be 100% sure...(how about 90%) !

claybill

[Normspeed]

Maybe ask the seller a couple of probing questions to verify stuff you know isn't right. Don't sellers add those Q&A in the ad? If not, maybe they have something to hide.

[48mirage]

Report the fraud to ebay. They won't do anything about it but save that email and send it to the buyer if you can.

[eric wissing]

I was watching a car posted on Ebay. I looked at the seller's feedback and one of the positives he had was for the very same car he presently had listed. When I asked him about it he spun some story that made no sense. Who would buy a car, leave positive the same day and not purchase the car? Like I said the story was not only not believeable, it was down right stupid. This being said. I wouldn't buy a car from Ebay when the seller does nothing but sell cars. You can report these people but Ebay really doesn't care about anything but their cut. Eric

[Norm's Coupe]

  Normspeed said:

Maybe ask the seller a couple of probing questions to verify stuff you know isn't right. Don't sellers add those Q&A in the ad? If not, maybe they have something to hide.

Norm, when I have something listed on ebay and someone ask a question, I'll always answer their questions. However, I never post the Q&A on the listing page regardless of what the question or answer was. Not hiding anything, just feel it's a question one person has and may not be of concern to others.

As for buying cars on ebay or anywhere else online. I think the best policy is that if you can't see the car and the buyer before buying, I don't want the car. Lets face it. You may think a car is ok with a little rust or ding in it. However, the next guy might think the same car is junk. So, regardless of who says it's a good or bad car, you should always look in person before buying in my opinion.

I think people who live in the same state as Bob T does would probably say the same thing. After all they live in the "Show Me" state.

[BobT-47P15]

Yes, some of the cars on ebay are "iffy". I would have questions on one if seriously interested. I have met several people locally who have purchased late model vehicles thru ebay, and got nice cars....worth the money. One fellow just bought a not-too-old Camry from a dealership in Tulsa.....he went there to test drive it....and then brought it home for a little less than their asking price.

The collector cars pose a bit more possible problems due to their age and the work done on them by various owners. Folks in the 'show me' state want to know.

[Norm's Coupe]

You have to be a little more careful about buying any old car today, or even modern used cars. There are lots of cars floating around out there since Katrina hit the LA, MS coast and caused all that flooding. We've even see a few complaints about used car dealers up here selling those cars. Just another reason to look real close at a used or old car today. Have to really check out the history too, to make sure you are not getting one of those.

[PatS....]

I wouldn't buy a car from eBay unless it was close enough I could go see it or close to someone I know so THEY could go see it.

Sometimes, you just get this gut feeling one way or the other, though. When that happens, I always go with the gut.

Having said that, I spotted my '49 Chrysler in ONE grainy picture in the OLD CAR TRADER. It was listed as a Dodge Royale, but the picture was clearly a Chrysler.

The owner emailed me a few more pics confirming it was a Chrysler in acceptable condition and he was willing to haul it the almost 200 miles for free.

I never did tell him of the mistake that may have cost him some interested lookers who wanted a Chrysler, not a Dodge. Not my place to do that.

He said it didn't run and it didn't, and the price I think was fair, although I recal buying runners in way better shape back in the "olden days" for $25

I think the important thing is to only do what feels comfortable. If you are hesitant for any reason, walk away. There are more where that one came from.

[Lou Earle]

Different experience- I have bought probably 10 cars on Ebay and I have not been really burned- disappointed but not burned- also I have had some terrific buys- "junk 48 plym for 400 bucks turns out has new engine in perfect shape. 48 Dodge I got was in great shape except for one bad brake line -

Anyway a method I use I am In a program that has a nationwide following.So If if I want to check out a car in Someplace USA I contact a member and thee is always someone who know someone who is into old cars. I make arrangements for him to check out the car and offer either to pay him or make a contribution the the organization or one of his choice- this has never failed me.

So if your a member of some civic,church, retired boniness group, etc consider doing it that way

Lou

[claybill]

maroon ply 41 coupe ebay...caution, look before you buy!

bill

[bob westphal]

When I see something that isn't correct about a car on the bay, I send the seller a message and tell him what's wrong. If you want to protect yourself, check out his record. It's listed right on the selling page!

I sold a very nice original '51 DeSoto on eBay with excellent success except I didn't get my price because people didn't believe what I said about the car. The eventual buyer was very surprised to see that car was all I said it was. He gave me an excellent report! The P-15 I'm driving came from eBay. The buyer bought without seeing it for $600. I picked it up for him. When he looked at the car a couple times he gave it to me for what he owed me for picking it up. He couldn't see through the mess inside that it was really a jewel that needed polishing. I had to install an engine and replace the floor. The body was in quite good shape and the front clip including grill is perfect. The car only had 85K on it and had sat since '58.

[teardrop puller]

My friend, here in Mexico, buys trucks all the time on the "bay". If you just send a small deposit until you get there with the money, then you can not lose to much. He has only had to haggle with one person and they settled that with a little lower price.

We can import 10 year old trucks for little or nothing and then resell them here at a good proffit.

What I am saying is all is not bad on e-bay as well as all is not great.

kai

[Guest tagree01]

I've bought 3 cars off eBay. Haven't been burned. My one rule is to speak to the seller on the phone. emails are too easy to BS. That will weed out the true scammers (foreigners selling cars that don't exist). Then send an email through eBay to have the seller confirm in writing what you discussed on the phone. I'm not sure if it really helps if you have to file for eBay's buyer protection, but it can't hurt.

The best way not to be disappointed is to have low expectations. I always assume the worst. Also I understand that there will be disappointments. My last car (1940 Dodge) is a good case in point. The paint was not as good as I expected, but the interior and motor were better than expected. The body (floors and trunk) were also more solid than expected. I bought the car expecting the motor would be junk, even though he said it ran fairly well. The motor may not be perfect, but it isn't junk. I hadn't planned on keeping it, but now I think I will.

Overall, I don't think the guy who sold it to me was entirely honest (I caught him in a lie), but I love the car and think I got a decent deal overall.