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Selling a Car on Facebook
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GadgetGuru said:I would actually opt for BT over Cash now.
Ive been stung on a previous sale for £700 (sold an iPhone) and given all fake £20 notes that the bank later said were the best fakes they had ever seen......
Luckily I managed to track down the buyer, reported to police, and got got my money after a year or so of chasing the police!
Nowadays for any sales I take Bank Transfer and check its actually in my account before releasing anything.
Create a receipt of sale with all the car details as well as the buyers details. Record not only the date, but also the TIME of sale, then both buyer and seller sign.
This covers you should he get any speeding offenses or tickets later in the day!
You'll need his details for the log book etc, but take a copy of his drivers license and pin it to the sale receipt too if you like.
https://www.gov.uk/sold-bought-vehicle
Life in the slow lane1 -
There are some nasty bank transfer scams still being reported, I hesitated in calling them scams- more like theft. I suspect though it depends on the area. These are very rare though, and the Police will get involved, and as a lot of people now have Ring or other doorbell cameras it seems to be dying out a bit.
Locally to me there have been reports of people turning up to buy things, usually non traceable items like gold rings or electronics - they turn up and check the items over, act really pleasant and friendly, get the seller talking basically to find out if anyone else is in the house. They then have a couple of mates turn up and ask to see the items getting the seller flustered , while also asking seller to confirm the transfer has been made. If nothing shows on a bank app ,and this only works really if you have an app on your phone as they don't want you to go back into the house with the items, they show you their phone with the completed transfer.
Basically they just make a bit of noise among themselves, agreeing it is a known issue and money will show shortly, whilst trying to get the goods in the van by getting seller flustered before driving off. I do think this is theft though and not technically a scam. It is unlikely to work for something like a car or even a phone that can be blocked, and with cars I would suggest always having someone else on hand when discussing price, make sure any test drive is done properly - and that you photograph their driving license and insurance if you allow them to take the wheel. Then when returning to the house, lock the car, put the keys back in the house and then sort the transfer out.
Someone did try this distraction technique with me once using cash. came for a heavy load of brass candlesticks and said they only had £20 notes and the lot was £30 so I said I would get change. They started picking up the box, and I just stood there and told them to give me the £40 before they took the boxes and I'd come back with the £10 change, and they were strangely reluctant, and kept saying it's OK they were just going to put the boxes in their van and see if they did perhaps have ta £10 note. They did in the end reluctantly hand over £30 (3 x £10 notes) which they miraculously found in a different pocket.
Having said all that I buy and sell a lot, so these incidents are rare and I am happy to continue selling.I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the eBay, Auctions, Car Boot & Jumble Sales, Boost Your Income, Praise, Vents & Warnings, Overseas Holidays & Travel Planning , UK Holidays, Days Out & Entertainments boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know.. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com.All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.1 -
Thank you for the insight soolin.
Good to know all the scams going on though its made me more nervous for my brother.
Think best thing is for me to show him this thread so he can digest possible pitfalls.0 -
there is one way a bank transfer can be reversed and that is if it is made fraudulently
for example somebody has taken over somebody else's account, turns up, makes a perfectly genuine bank transfer to you and takes the car away
the real owner of the account subsequently complaints to their bank and the transfer is reversed.1 -
Worth going on the motoring board and reading up on the car sale stories.A popular one is the buyer 'claims unknown issues' with the car after it was sold and demand money back a few days later.May you find your sister soon Helli.
Sleep well.0 -
TripleH said:Worth going on the motoring board and reading up on the car sale stories.A popular one is the buyer 'claims unknown issues' with the car after it was sold and demand money back a few days later.I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the eBay, Auctions, Car Boot & Jumble Sales, Boost Your Income, Praise, Vents & Warnings, Overseas Holidays & Travel Planning , UK Holidays, Days Out & Entertainments boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know.. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com.All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.0
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soolin said:TripleH said:Worth going on the motoring board and reading up on the car sale stories.A popular one is the buyer 'claims unknown issues' with the car after it was sold and demand money back a few days later.
I've sold a couple of cars on FB/Gumtree and found it's best to be quite vague and factual on the advert! e.g. Passed MOT on <date>, a couple of advisories (see MOT), new tyres fitted on <date>, XXXXX miles etc... As I'm not a mechanic I would NEVER mention or speculate anything about the engine. When they came to see it and asked in person, I told them it had been reliable for me and I'd never had any issues (which was the truth).
I made sure they looked over it thoroughly. One got insurance for a test drive. The other was happy for me to take them for a test drive (father and son buying and me selling my beloved "boy racer" car as I had twins and they wouldn't fit in it!)
Both buyers paid by bank transfer, but we're only talking about cars that were worth around £3k to £4k!
Trust your gut instinct. I had LOADS of people offering me silly money and said if I accepted a low price they'd turn u NOW with cash. They weren't so keen on the bank transfer... (so I politely declined their offer).Should've = Should HAVE (not 'of')
Would've = Would HAVE (not 'of')
No, I am not perfect, but yes I do judge people on their use of basic English language. If you didn't know the above, then learn it! (If English is your second language, then you are forgiven!)0
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