selling a car on ebay

carlos700

Hi i am selling my car on ebay .I am doing it as a classified ad instead of an aution style.I am having quite alot of interest.I am not sure what the best way to take money from someone when it sells.One person said they would pay me via cashier check or bankers draft is this the best way .What are these sorry if i sound stupid.

I am a lady so i know people may want to test drive but i am alittle wary about giving somebody the keys to my car .I also feel uneasy about me or my husband going with them to test drive.What should i do.

wullieb1

Selling a car on eBay should be no different to selling one via the AutoTrader.

Payment

Accept cash if you can.
Cheques MUST clear before you release the car.
If you are accepting a bankers draft go to the bank and get it checked before you release the car.
DO NOT ACCEPT PAYPAL for this kind of transaction.

Test Drive

Make sure the other person has proper insurance to drive your car. Make sure you see a certificate of insurance. If they have no insurance DO NOT allow them to drive your car are you are commiting an offence.
Get your husband to go with the prospective buyer and make a known route of where you are going.

General

Make sure you have a receipt signed by both you and the buyer stating which day and time the car was bought. Outline any other details in the receipt that you need, i.e. SOLD AS SEEN.

No doubt i've missed some stuff but someone else will pick up on it.

wonka

I sold my car a few weeks ago using eBay Car Ads. I was warned at the time not to accept cash, as some buyers have offered counterfeit cash. The recommendation was to get them to do a direct bank transfer, but this is just not practical - it could end up putting a buyer off. I took cash (2K) in the end, and all was well.

I must confess that I let the guy go for a test drive, and he probably wasn't insured, mind you, I did have his cash during the test drive.

carlos700

I really need your advice again i have had an offer now for my car the car is only for sale just over £1000.The gentleman who wants to buy it is saying he will send me a cheque for £6000 i will put that cheque into my bank and when it clears i take out my money and the rest i give to a shipping company when they come to pick up my car.

I have not responded to him this sounds abit strange to me what do you think ?Why would he pay out all this money for shipping costs and trust me with his money when he does not know me .

Am i right to be wary i cannot work out what he is up to has anyone ever heard of this ?

carlos700

Hi is there anyone who can help

CHR15

Oh for pitties sake!!!

Do you REALLY think that offer is anything other than a SCAM???

carlos700

I did know it was a scam i am now curious WHATS THE SCAM ?

what is he up to?

Russ66

Stolen / fraud cheque, You give him your car and 5K then the bank takes the money back off you.

Steer Clear:mad:

woodstoke

i sold a campervan on ebay loads of interest, highest bidder won without coming to view and test drive first, i sold it as seen, one year later he has decided he does'nt want it and i have received a county court summons for the £8,000 he paid for it and for £4,000 on top to cover what he has spent on it,, he is saying it was'nt sold as described, our solicitor has told us not to worry as he has no chance but it is still going to court......loads of stress on me.....be very careful when selling anything especially on ebay to someone who has not been to view first....good luck

alant1000

i've sold 3 private cars and a motorbike on ebay and so far i have been OK...

...although ebay autos does bring out the worst in the scammers and time wasters. Avoid the shipping one, its the classic con.

As with any fairly large purchase any serious buyer would want to have seen the car before they bid, so realistically if someone bids when they havent asked you any questions about the car or test driven it i'd be a bit wary. What i did was ask for a small deposit via paypal no later than 48 hours after the sale (to make sure you dont get messed about with non payers). The balance is best paid in cash really for them to take it away the same day.

If they pay cheque or bankers draft this MUST clear before you give them anything and this includes ANY DOCUMENTS.

Direct bank transfer can be dodgy as you are giving away your bank details (in addition to your address and phone number) so try and steer clear. Not many people would do a bank transfer for £1000 when this is an easy amount to withdraw.

Definitely dont let anyone test drive without insurance and if you dont like the look or sound of someone then walk away from the deal.

Ebay can be a safe place to trade a car, just be vigilant thats all.

soolin

carlos700 wrote: »

I did know it was a scam i am now curious WHATS THE SCAM ?

what is he up to?

The most common scam going, there is a thread here somewhere with someone who has been unfortunate enough to lose around £4000.

Do a Google search for cheque advance scam or 419 scam and be prepared to be shocked. It is the most common scam at the moment even though it has been around for over 10 years..it is often mentioned on consumer programmes and in newspapers.

http://www.safefromscams.co.uk/NigerianAdvanceFeeFraud.html