Help with buying car on Ebay

Alleycat

Hi,

My dad has seen a car on Ebay that he really wants to buy, but is a bit worried about the whole thing as its quite a lot of money he would be spending. Its only listed as auction (no BIN), has starting amount of £1200 and has a reserve (not yet met). Its got about 8 days left to go until it closes and so far noone but my dad has bid. He placed a bid and it said that the reserve was not met, so he placed another one (over twice as much as the starting amount) but it is still not at its reserve. I had advised him not to bid until a lot closer to the end of the auction, should I have done?

He really really wants the car as he's been looking for exactly this for a while now, but we are unsure of the best way of going about it (I know nothing about cars, he knows quite a lot). He wants to get a full vehicle check done, should he do this before the auction closes? Can he ask the guy to list as a BIN or is this a bad idea? Also can he ask if the guy is selling it elsewhere?

I've only ever bought and sold relatively low value items and so I don't want to misadvise him in case it all goes horribly wrong. So any advice, tips etc anyone can offer on buying vehicles from Ebay would be gratefully received!

Oh, and it looks like the guy wants a quick sale as he is going abroad very soon and selling his coffee business on there as well.

Thanks,

Alley

divadee

Ask lots and lots of questions to the seller, if they are genuine then they wont mind at all. See how quickly he responds to emails as well.

Also ask him that if you win can you have the car independantly inspected and do a hpi check on the car as well (to make sure there is no outstanding finance as well) The aa would do both of those things for you.

My friend bought a camper van off ebay, but they asked the seller before hand that if anything came up in any of the checks then they would pull out and he was fine with that (sign of an honest seller)

I would check all this before you bid. And then if you win get the checks done. I would rather lose a couple of hundred on checking the car out than £2k to some scammer.

jobbingmusician

I agree with all the above. And then, if your father decides he wants the car, tell him to stop bidding and use a snipe programme to put in a bid in the final seconds. Look on the internet to find out about sniping, and PM me if you want a recommendation to a good snipe programme (which will give you, and me 3 free snipes!)

Alleycat

I've suggested sniping but he doesn't really seem to like the idea. He's an extremely chilled out and easy going sort of guy and so I think doesn't really like the high pressure sound of it! I've told him I 'snipe' when bidding, but not sure if he will want to do it.

The advice so far has been excellent, I didn't think of asking to do the check after winning. He was thinking of using the AA but then because of the cost (if theres the chance he may not win) said he would try his local garage.

Anyway, best be nice as he's probably going to read this thread!

Hi dad!!

Alley

Alleycat

Hi,

Another question!

My dad bid and is currently winning, but he has been to have a look at the car today and is not happy with the condition of it at all. It states no mechanical issues but he says there are problems with *I think* the gear box or something. It also appears to have had a bit of a heavy life and the rear axel *again I think* isn't so great. As you can tell, I don't have a clue about cars at all!!

What he wants to know is if he can cancel his bid. There is still several days before the auction finishes, so the 12 hour rule shouldn't apply, but is there a set criteria and how should be go about it? Should he contact the seller and ask him to cancel it or just try and do it himself?

Thanks,

Alley

masonic

You should really get the seller to retract the bid for you. You are allowed to retract your bid if the "seller changes the description of an item", but that's not really happened here. I don't think the seller will want to risk the hassle of going through the NPB process and relisting for the sake of one bid.

tomstickland

You can retract bids as a buyer.I have in the past.

Alleycat

Tom, how do you do it? I had a look and it seems that you need to complete a form and Ebay decide if your reason is legitimate enough?

My dad has left a message on the guy's answerphone, but said he would send him an email tomorrow letting him know that he is retracting his bid and then complete the form on Ebay.

From what he has told me, the guy either knows nothing about vehicles, or is trying to palm it off as in excellent condition. Anyway, its apparently the steering box that it on the way out and the rear suspension is knackered.

Anyway, thank you Masonic and Tomstickland for your advice. Much appreciated.

Altarf

I wouldn't bother cancelling the bid. If the car was misdescribed when I went to see it, even if this was after the auction and I was the winning bidder, I would just walk away from it. A neg and a NPB against losing a stack of cash - no contest.

masonic

Altarf wrote:

I wouldn't bother cancelling the bid. If the car was misdescribed when I went to see it, even if this was after the auction and I was the winning bidder, I would just walk away from it. A neg and a NPB against losing a stack of cash - no contest.

I don't understand your thinking at all. If the bid is cancelled, the OP (well, his dad) can walk away without a neg or an NPB.

cusodave

Alleycat wrote:

Tom, how do you do it? I had a look and it seems that you need to complete a form and Ebay decide if your reason is legitimate enough?

you don't have to wait for ebay to decide, the bid retraction is immediate. you must select one of the 3 options for retraction and fill in the rest of the form. As soon as you submit it , your bids will be retracted from the auction.