Selling car payment via paypal?

Bufger

So I have my car for sale on Autotrader, Gumtree and a few others. One interested party has come forward and is willing to buy the vehicle.

1) He works away and wants to buy it for his brother in law
2) he wants to pay via paypal
3) on payment transfer he will have a shipper arranged to collect the vehicle.

He's not bothered about looking at the car or seeing the documents. He's willing to send the money asap and arrange collection.

Am I missing something here? I do have paypal and I will tell him he'll have to pay and cover fees. Is there a way for him to recover the funds back somehow? I feel like its a scam of some sort as its never this easy to get a buyer..

Value agreed on is £7200.

Any advice appreciated! I wasnt sure whether to post here or the car section but everyone here knows the ins and outs of Paypal. (My bank linked to Paypal is HSBC so im not sure if that matters)

Bufger

Dont worry I can answer my own post here. just did a Google search on the name of the recipient and the word 'scam' and found a common Autotrader scam using Paypal.

So nobody else falls into the trap (and im lucky I didnt) it goes like this:

Somebody contacts you via SMS or email asking about the car. The second email normally tells you they want it but cant collect in person. They 'insist' on using Paypal as the secure method of payment. They pretend they have sent you the money via a bogus email from Paypal (ALWAYS check your account by going into it and drawing down the funds). They overpay the amount saying that the additional amount is for the shipping of the vehicle and they try and set you up to transfer that £X amount via Western Union to another bogus account. Then at some point you realise you never did recieve any money into Paypal but you've just sent an unknown account £X amount you cant retrieve...

So, stay well away when anyone insists on buying a vehicle via Paypal (that isnt through eBay) and isnt interested in looking at the vehicle.

shaun_from_Africa

It's 99.9% certain that this is an attempt at a scam and one of two things will happen.

1/ You receive an e-mail that looks like it is from Paypal, and it will state something like "we have received payment for your vehicle, and will release it to you once your buyer has collected the car".
This will not be from Paypal but from the buyer/scammer.

2/ You do actually get paid but after the car has been collected, your buyer contacts their credit card company or bank and claims that the payment was unauthorised and not made by them, and requesting that a chargeback is carried out.

spacey2012

Yes, shaggy dog tale scam.
Paypal arrives
His brother in law has a misfortune accident after payment and has lost his legs so can no longer drive or some other tale.
They ask for a refund allowing you to keep half for messing you around. WOW FREE MONEY !....
Then your paypal credit payment bounces as it's a hacked account or fraud and you have just given them half the amount back from your own money :eek:.
Ignore this advice to your own expense : Delete the reply, move on, it is a text book very common scam or kiss £3600 bye bye.

soolin

One of the most common scams around, I'm surprised they still bother trying it on with sellers.

shaun_from_Africa

I suppose that it's like the 419 (advance fee fraud) e-mail scams.
They are free to do, and if after trying it a few hundred times they manage to con 1 person, they are still going to make money.