[laackund]

I've spent over 1,000 on a bike on eBay before and it has worked out well.. I've also spent 500 from a seller w/ 99%, paid for shipping insurance and gotten a flaming bag of poo w/ just a fraction in refunds from ebay/paypal/UPS.

I'm considering buying a car on eBay, but theres a lot of risk in buying a car that i cant look at in person. Beyond a Carfax report, what can i do to protect my self if i do go through with it? any good/bad experiences with eBay motors? If the sale does go bad, whats the likely hood that a full refund is given?

 

[Boulder Pilot]

Re-read your post. You answered your own question.

 

[trekbuddy]

I worked at a company that sold cars on the internet for other people. I would be more than happy to help you out if you want. PM me.

There are three big things that you can do to protect yourself buying cars off E-bay.

1. Never and I mean NEVER let the seller convince you to buy off of E-bay. You lose all recourse through E-bay if you do. E-bay offers like up to $20,000 or something of buy back guarantee (completely through E-bay) if the vehicle is not the way the seller described it.

2. Be prepared to lose your deposit. They probably won't do more than just the deposit through Paypal. Because you can dispute the charges with Paypal. If you can, take the cashiers check and go see the vehicle and hand them the check after you have looked the car over. If you can't go look at the car, find a third party inspection company. For like $100 you can pay them to do a full inspection pix and all. The worst thing you will be out a plane flight and the deposit. Way better than whatever you would be paying for a lemon!

3. Finally don't leave feedback until the transaction is done and you are home. No car seller wants negative feedback. They will pretty much do whatever it takes to keep their feedback positive. The company I worked for even refunded money to get positive feedback. That would be the only way you could get your deposit back as well. FAXed contracts, at least in Nebraska, won't hold up in court so if they insist on making you sign a contract try to do it via FAX.

Good luck! Cars on E-bay can be bought and have it be a great experience. You have just as much of a chance having a bad experience at a stealership! Heck most of the sellers on E-bay are stealerships anymore.

TB

 

[Deme Moore]

I've bought motorcycles on Ebay. Cash in hand, in person pick up. Wouldn't do it any other way.

Personally I know there's plenty of decent people out there but all it takes is one crook screwing you out of big bucks to ruin it. A friend of mine got scammed big time. Paypal, police, postal inspectors, they all could care less! Even the local cope where this guy lived knew about his hijinks and didn't care to deal with it. "Call the FBI" they said...

 

[4212darren]

I bought my BMW on E-bay, sight unseen, 1700 miles away in another country. It had some warranty left so I wasn't too worried about major repairs. I bought it from a highline used car dealer and the car was in fantastic condition. 95/100.
Saved a massive amount of money but it wasn't quick and painless.
SGS will do third party inspections which would be good especially for private deals. We use them in our business and they are well respected.

 

[tpm7]

Done it too...

I've bought a car on eBay as well... https://s17.photobucket.com/albums/b71/tpm7/?action=view&current=67C101.jpg

It went very well, never went to go see it, bought it from the states site-unseen (I'm in Canada) it was no more than 100km away so the seller said he'd personally ship it. Payment went well (lost the roof somehow in transit so I was compensated for that, it was still worth it). It was a problem free situation. You just have to be wary of obvious scams and suspicious profiles, read all negative feedback if possible. Generally this will tell you if the sale is legit, make sure you have insurance for working car though... that's actually worth over $1000 (which is what was payed for th beast above... now to rebuild it!)

 

[5Biker]

Good advice thus far. I have about 160 eBay transactions, everything from camera lenses to cars. Most have been what I expected, some not. 1st car [seller had 400 transactions] was borderline over the edge as far as description vs. reality [creative copy-writing], 2nd car [seller with <100 transactions] was an absolute steal on my end, it is a great rig and I paid WAY below market value. I just bought a mtb [seller with +15,000 transactions] and so far I'm happy, but there are a few dings conveniently missed in the description. eBay is a 50/50 gamble at best, but if you know what you're looking at, it can be a great opportunity to save some serious cash.

 

[jds108]

I'm currently in the middle of my first ebay refund via Paypal's standard dispute process. Their automated messages are saying that there is no guarantee of a full refund.

So, most of the time things go well. Just realize that if it doesn't go well, you may not get a full refund, even if it seems you're fully covered and do everything by the book. It's like all that fine print in credit card agreements... it's out there, but who bothers checking into it up front?

 

[venus1]

If you are looking for a specialized car, tricked out or modified & you know your stuff Ebay is the only place to find what you are looking for. If you want a stock Ford Focus go to your neighborhood dealership.
I bought my Ferrari from a site I found in the DuPont Registry from an authorized Ferrari dealership half way across the USA. Lots of used car sites advertise on Ebay & have all things in order.
I've had great luck w/ 2 yo bikes w/ XTR & Dura Ace for half price on Ebay.

 

[venus1]

What Car?

I've spent over 1,000 on a bike on eBay before and it has worked out well.. I've also spent 500 from a seller w/ 99%, paid for shipping insurance and gotten a flaming bag of poo w/ just a fraction in refunds from ebay/paypal/UPS.

I'm considering buying a car on eBay, but theres a lot of risk in buying a car that i cant look at in person. Beyond a Carfax report, what can i do to protect my self if i do go through with it? any good/bad experiences with eBay motors? If the sale does go bad, whats the likely hood that a full refund is given?

What car are you looking for?

 

[laackund]

What car are you looking for?

Just like everyone else right now, im looking for something fuel efficient... I haven't seen anything on ebay yet that i wanted to just rush into, but i am just starting to open up to the ebaymotors idea.

List that im interested in:
Toyota matrix (05 or later)
Honda fit
Nissan versa
Mazda protege5

Just about anything reliable, efficient, not real pricey and able to swallow 2 bikes or a bunch of camping gear.

 

[palerider]

Go to eBay motors discussion board

Read the stickys on how too spot fraud. There are some real sophisticated scams out there that appear to be legit. Ask questions of the board posters, they are pro's. You can get good deals on a vehicle you can also lose everything if your not careful. Just educate yourself, and hire someone too do a prebid insection.

 

[Anonymous]

I've purchased a $12K fork lift and a $67K arial lift on Ebay and have been very happy. I've also purchased a $12 slide rule and been screwed. Pay Pal and Ebay didn't do squat. I don't use either anymore.

My $.02