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andycars



Joined: 03 Dec 2007
Posts: 239
Location: South Wales

PostPosted: Fri Apr 07, 2017 7:38 pm    Post subject: Suspicious? Reply with quote

I've noticed recently quite a number of ads on Ebay which:

a) get renewed - sometimes almost daily - rather than run to the end;

b) offer a car for sale at a much lower price than you'd expect the car to fetch;

c) instructs potential buyers to contact the seller directly via a supplied e-mail address, rather than through Ebay.
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Bitumen Boy



Joined: 26 Jan 2012
Posts: 1763
Location: Above the snow line in old Monmouthshire

PostPosted: Fri Apr 07, 2017 7:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sounds very dodgy to me, I would steer well clear. There seems to be more and more of these scams on fleabay these days, unless they get their act together I reckon they'll end up going the way of the dodo. It's not just dodgy sellers, mind you - some of the buyers are no better. I "sold" an armchair on there the other week to someone in the next valley but they haven't paid or made contact to arrange collection, I've reported it as an unpaid item but it looks like I'll be breaking it up and humping it to the tip in the end and can't help thinking that's what I should have done right at the start. I confidently expect the timewaster to get away with it though, fleabay don't seem to be bothered so long as the money keeps rolling in and Paypal are no better.
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Ronniej



Joined: 02 Dec 2008
Posts: 239
Location: Blackwood, by Lanark, Scotland

PostPosted: Fri Apr 07, 2017 8:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

There are scam adverts on Ebay all the time.
The "seller" seems to be able to hijack a genuine Ebay account as it usually shows good feedback.
The red flags to watch for:

1.Price being well below what would be expected.

2.Quoting a mobile number or E-mail address to contact outwith Ebay.

3. If you click "see other items" there are usually another 20 or so vehicles listed.
I have never responded to such an advert but I expect those who do will get a plausible story about "working abroad" or some other reason why the vehicle is unavailable for viewing and an offer to have it delivered on receipt of payment.

There is a very active Facebook page called " ebay vehicle scam alerts" where a few unofficial scam busters try to foil the scammers as best they can.
It looks like Ebay are not very proactive in looking for fraudulent adverts. I find this puzzling as I would have thought it could be very damaging for their business.
Scams are not confined to Ebay.
A few weeks ago I saw a Froggie in pristine condition on offer in Gumtree for £5K when you would be doing well to get a basket case for that sort of money.

Buyer beware is the order of the day, if it seems too good to be true it probably is.
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BigJohn



Joined: 01 Jan 2011
Posts: 954
Location: Wem, Shropshire

PostPosted: Sat Apr 08, 2017 4:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Look in there other items for sale, usually there will be a newish tractor, motorhome and other cars for stupidly cheap money. The location often just says U.K. It is probably the Nigerian Princess who has finally landed in GB and needs funds to support herself Laughing
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Phil Lincoln



Joined: 18 Oct 2009
Posts: 26
Location: LINCOLN

PostPosted: Sat Apr 08, 2017 6:00 pm    Post subject: E bay Reply with quote

Just had a bad experience with e bay . Successfully sold a 1963 Rover 95 at a very good price. E mailed the buyer with congratulations and a contact number so we could arrange pick up. I was informed by the buyer that he only bid up to the reserve and that there had been a mistake . Looked at the bidding history and sure enough he bid at eight days into a ten day auction .Contacted e bay who confirmed my thoughts. Four days on , I am still waiting for a resolution. Two people came to view who were very keen and complimentary have been reconstructed to see if they are interested at the reserve price .
Funny bidding pattern though .From £1280 straight to £2900 and then the final bid of £ 3100. I not sure who is doing what to who , but I don't think I shall sell any motor cars on e bay .It's hassle when it goes wrong . Regards to all Phil.
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Rusty



Joined: 10 Feb 2009
Posts: 278
Location: Bunbury, Western Australia

PostPosted: Sun Apr 09, 2017 3:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Its also a worry when you see the same photos in 3 or 4 different adds with slightly different wording and totally different pricing.

"Caveat Emptor" I am afraid !
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Rootes75



Joined: 30 Apr 2013
Posts: 4173
Location: The Somerset Levels

PostPosted: Sun Apr 09, 2017 9:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

We stopped selling cars on ebay, we have had so many non bidders etc its not worth the hassle.

Far too easy to scam on ebay.
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badhuis



Joined: 20 Aug 2008
Posts: 1468
Location: Netherlands

PostPosted: Sun Apr 09, 2017 1:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I guess I am lucky for not having negative experiences when buying a car on Ebay. I have bought a few the last ten years, always unseen. The trick (maybe) is to start a conversation with the seller of the car a couple of days before the auction ends. If the seller is genuine and gives normal replies to answers then the chance will be a lot bigger that the sale will not be a disappointment.

So if you do not want to sell a car via Ebay, what internet channels do you use? carandclassic , are there more?
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JohnDale



Joined: 19 Mar 2008
Posts: 790
Location: Kelvin Valley,Scotland

PostPosted: Sun Apr 09, 2017 5:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Andy,I have never bought or sold anything of great value on eBay but I have heard about lots of scams. As you say eBay are not interested but I have never had a problem with PayPal which I have used for more than 10 years & is my preferred method of payment. There has been a problem with eBay for a few months now with pages jumping & sticking so I'm doing very little on there as it's frustrating & I take it out on my PC LOL. As is the general consensus, buyer beware. Cheers,JD.
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ukdave2002



Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 4236
Location: South Cheshire

PostPosted: Sun Apr 09, 2017 8:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have sold the odd old modern on eBay; specifically when changinging a car and the trade in value was significantly lower than I thought I could get selling privately. However these were low value (sub £10k) vehicles. I always used a buy it now with immediate payment required, and it's worked well Smile

Dave
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peter scott



Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 7214
Location: Edinburgh

PostPosted: Sun Apr 09, 2017 9:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Photos are normally stolen from a genuine advert elsewhere. Google Image search can search for other sources of the same image.

The bottom line is: If it looks too good to be true then it almost certainly is.

Peter
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1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon
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Ray White



Joined: 02 Dec 2014
Posts: 7102
Location: Derby

PostPosted: Mon Apr 10, 2017 6:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I had a bad experience when selling my Triumph GT6 Mk3. A bidder came to see the car and agreed to pay the "buy it now" price. I contacted Ebay and explained what I wanted to do and confirmed that I would be paying their fees and wanted the auction to be stopped. This they agreed to do but what happened next was quite a shock. Instead of removing the car from sale, the under bidder received a notice that he had won the auction! There was no way that anyone would win an auction before it had finished and certainly not for half the value of the car!

The under bidder thought he had got himself a bargain but when I explained that the car had been withdrawn because it had been sold, he was very disgruntled and blamed me not Ebay. He posted some nasty feedback.
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baconsdozen



Joined: 03 Dec 2007
Posts: 1119
Location: Under the car.

PostPosted: Mon Apr 10, 2017 8:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

A friend of mine bought a caravan via ebay.The seller met him in a car park near the sellers house,he paid cash and the seller went round the corner to count the cash and write out a receipt. He was never seen again,the seller didnt live there and it seems had just parked there a hour or so before the arranged meeting.Although the caravan wasn't stolen it was full of damp and the floor was rotten,fit only for scrap.The ebay account was apparedntly cloned and the only contact my friend had was a mobile phone number which was never usable afterwards. He was told that it was a variation on another scam which involves meeting the buyer 'halfway' at a service station or similar,money changes hands the seller goes off to count it and vanishes apparently on occassion they take the 'purchase' with them too.
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