Has anyone bought a vehicle through eBay?

[jkinc2000]

Won a vehicle thru Ebay.  Paid the seller the deposit via paypal and now need to pay the full amount.  The vehicle is out of state and I will be shipping the vehicle.  Cannot hand the seller a certifice check and receive the title in person. 

What is the recommended way to pay for the vehicle.  Car is over 10yrs old, so I am really only concerned about a clear title and avoiding a stolen car situation or some other type of scam.  Seller seems to be really nice, just trying to make sure everthing works out.  Thinking my options are to have everything run thru EBAY(depoist and balance), but it show as paid since i already paid the deposit.  What about using PayPal for the balance?  Other ideas would be welcome.

[*help_no_brakes*]

"Has anyone bought a vehicle through eBay?"

Yes...many have done so.

" Seller seems to be really nice".

Did you expect the seller not "to be really nice" & say "Hey I'm going to scam you"?

"What is the recommended way to pay for the vehicle. "

The ONLY way is to pay with cash AFTER you have inspected the vehicle.

Are you seriously considering paying for a vehicle prior to/without an inspection?

[eoma689485]

"Thinking my options are to have everything run thru..."

The seller, when they created the listing should have listed what payment options they are willing to accept - so it isn't up to you.

Ebays Money Back Guarantee does not cover vehicle sales, or any titles item, and neither does Paypal's Buyer Protection.

Very few, if any, vehicle sellers will accept Paypal for the balance of a vehicle.

I suggest that, if you can't go look at the vehicle and title, that you hire a third party to do it for you, there are quite a few companies that special in that, and some will have the person inspecting the vehicle call you while they are inspecting it. Even Triple A has inspectors and they charge $125.00 (not recommending them, as I've never used them, they are just an example).

Buying a vehicle through Ebay, is the same as buying a vehicle through  a local newspaper ad - would you really just call that newspaper ad and say you'll take it, and pay them before you looked at it, or hired someone to do it for you, I know I wouldn't.

[atikovi]

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@jkinc2000 wrote:

What about using PayPal for the balance?  Other ideas would be welcome.

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No seller will accept Paypal for the balance because of the fees and possibilities for chargebacks. Typically you would send the seller a cashiers check or a wire transfer, then they would send you the title. Alternatively, some, but very few, shippers will hand over the balance in exchange for the title when picking up the car. Best to read the description and see what it says regarding payment terms.

[legitimate_bidder]

The time to get stuff like this worked out, is BEFORE bidding. A winning bid does not give you the right of first rejection, nor to dictate the terms of the sale to the seller.

People should keep this in mind when bidding on vehicles on the interwebz. Unless you've already made arrangements with the seller to have the vehicle and title inspected prior to pick-up (And even then, it's a carp-shoot, if you don't personally know the person doing the inspection) you are just rolling the dice. People should keep this in mind when buying vehicles online, as the risk should be reflected in the price they are willing to pay.

"Running everything through Ebay" will do absolutely nothing for you, even if the seller were to allow it. You're on your own. Keep your fingers crossed and hope that you're one of the lucky ones instead of one of the horror stories.

Feeling lucky?

[omgitlightsup]

I've bought two cars on eBay and enjoyed the experience both times.

I would not, however, advocate using PayPal at all, either for a deposit or for the balance. The only way you should pay for a vehicle is in cash, in person. There are scammers taking advantage of buyers this way.

Not that I'm saying your seller is a scammer. But if you didn't have a shipping arrangement worked out when you bid, you did put yourself at a disadvantage.

If the amount is more than a couple thousand dollars I'd recommend setting up an escrow account or using some other form of payment, like a personal check made out to an individual that you can hold liable if there's a problem. But if that person is so far away that you can't drive your new car home, then the travel cost of suing him in small claims court might be so high it wouldn't be worth it.