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Car for sale but is it a scam
A car has come up for sale again and I am confused if it’s a scam or not.
I’ve tried calling the seller and messaging them via eBay again with no success. I would really like to see the car and perhaps purchase it but I keep getting no response! Is it a scam ?
3 comments
red_magpie
Mentor11 months agoFor motor vehicles, unlike most other items, you are not required to pay through eBay's checkout so it's stiill possible to view the vehicle before paying.
However, you will have to bid for and win the item before eBay allow either you or the seller to provide contacte details. (Unless they are registered as a business seller.)
If the deal falls through because the vehicle is not as described you can (theoretically) agree a cancellation with the seller. This is not always as amicable as it sounds, but reaistically if one party of the other won't complete the sale cancelaltion is the only solution.
I'm sure you know this anyway, but we can never remind buyers too often that there is NO BUYER PROTECTION WHATSOEVER for vehicles bought here, however you pay and whether by auction or by classified ad.
The result is that eBay motors is a magnet for criminals. In a TV programme about organised crime, a senior police officer reported that one criminal gang alone had registered "multiple hundreds" of fake accounts on eBay to place fraudulent listings for non-existent motor vehicles.
So be careful, and never pay anything, not even a deposit, until you have seen and inspected the vehicle, checked the paperwork and had an HPI check. Then pay in cash, which is the only method of payment that is safe for both buyer and seller.
If a seller comes up with excuses not to accept these conditions, walk away from it. (Must go - no time to check spelling. The spell checker has been bust for months!)
tressygirl
Mentor11 months ago@bluegideon1969 wrote: I keep getting no response! Is it a scam ?
No, not necessarily, just perhaps a seller who is a bad communicator ?
For cars you do of course need to go inspect the car and its paperwork thoroughly before paying, then if all is OK, you pay in cash or bank transfer only. Never pay upfront before seeing the vehicle.
You are left with waiting for this seller to reply, with a convenient time for you to come and inspect the car, if they do not reply, best then to look elsewhere for a more helpful seller!
@bluegideon1969
jckl1957
·11 months agoIf the seller won't respond, they can't be that interested in selling.
Personally, I would find another car and seller.