eBay

vermonttractorpartsllc · ‎07-30-2019

So I bought a car on EBAY, flew one way from Vermont to Dallas, TX to pay for it and drive it home. Everyone I've told the story to thinks I'm nuts. Why is that?

pburn · ‎07-30-2019

You'd have to ask them that question.

Sounds okay to me. You got to see quite a bit of the country!

coolections · ‎07-30-2019

If it was what you expected and wanted when you arrived then you are not crazy. BUT, with that said I would guess 80% of the cars on Ebay are NOT what people expect. Flying across the country to see a car in person is much different than seeing a car on the internet. Flying that far and arriving to pick up a piece of junk is the reason why many thought you where crazy. IMO you got lucky.

kataggr-44 · ‎07-30-2019

I would not buy a used car without having a mechanic check it out first.

vermonttractorpartsllc · ‎07-30-2019

@pburn wrote:
You'd have to ask them that question.

Sounds okay to me. You got to see quite a bit of the country!

Most of the people tell me that they buy stuff on Amazon but don't trust EBAY.

vermonttractorpartsllc · ‎07-30-2019

@coolections wrote:
If it was what you expected and wanted when you arrived then you are not crazy. BUT, with that said I would guess 80% of the cars on Ebay are NOT what people expect. Flying across the country to see a car in person is much different than seeing a car on the internet. Flying that far and arriving to pick up a piece of junk is the reason why many thought you where crazy. IMO you got lucky.

The car looked good in the photos, I messaged the people and asked a few questions. When I bough the car I sent them the required deposit. Only after I gave a deposit did I get to speak with the seller on the phone. When I was able to talk with him about the car and how it was part of an estate, then I felt comfortable with buying the airline ticket and flying out there.

It would be very helpful for me to have been able to talk to the seller by phone before bidding. Listening to a sellers voice and story tells so much more than a few words on an ad.

I met a lot of nice people in Arkansas and Kentucky. A big thanks to the trucker who let me use his tire pressure gauge and warned me to get through Nashville, TN before rush hour hit.

buyselljack2016 · ‎07-30-2019

I was the winning bidder on a car a few years back.

Told the seller I would be paying, and would like the paper work needed to get the vehicle registered/insured so that I could drive the vehicle home after getting there to pick it up. Just one state away.

Seller told me that the rear main seal leaked oil so badly that he did not feel the car could be driven far.

I know a buyer should ask questions before bidding on/buying, but really......... this was something that should have been disclosed in the listing. How many specific questions would a buyer be expected to ask?

Seller said his son listed it for him. Still not a reason for not disclosing a major defect.

Next 2 that I bought were seen in person before committing to buy.

So I'm on the side of thinking crazy unless you fly for free, and wouldn't mind taking a little vacay if the deal went south:) (no pun intended on the "south"

turquoisetulips · ‎07-30-2019

@vermonttractorpartsllc wrote:
So I bought a car on EBAY, flew one way from Vermont to Dallas, TX to pay for it and drive it home. Everyone I've told the story to thinks I'm nuts. Why is that?

Probably for the same reason most people balked at online dating sites when they first became available . It's the sight unseen thing . Tulips

vermonttractorpartsllc · ‎07-30-2019

@buyselljack2016 wrote:
I was the winning bidder on a car a few years back.

Told the seller I would be paying, and would like the paper work needed to get the vehicle registered/insured so that I could drive the vehicle home after getting there to pick it up. Just one state away.

Seller told me that the rear main seal leaked oil so badly that he did not feel the car could be driven far.

I know a buyer should ask questions before bidding on/buying, but really......... this was something that should have been disclosed in the listing. How many specific questions would a buyer be expected to ask?

Seller said his son listed it for him. Still not a reason for not disclosing a major defect.

Next 2 that I bought were seen in person before committing to buy.

So I'm on the side of thinking crazy unless you fly for free, and wouldn't mind taking a little vacay if the deal went south:) (no pun intended on the "south"

I posted this question, because at the heart of the problem here is that people do not trust EBAY and the sellers for some reason. In my time selling here I sold over 500K worth of merchandise. Last November I sold all of my tractor parts inventory, sales had tanked. Maybe the reason has a lot to do with the image EBAY has?

I was ready for everything to go bad, was a little worried about coming up missing, knocked on the head, final payment taken and left in a ditch without a car.
If the car looked bad, I was prepared to stay a few days, get a flight home and chalk it up as a learning experience.

uncseniorsportsfan · ‎07-30-2019

My son just bought a used Tesla on eBay sight unseen, and had it shipped from Wisconsin to Florida. He's happy with it.

membersinceaug2001 · ‎07-30-2019

I can't see buying a car without test driving and looking it over good first.

I also don't get how people buy and sell expensive things sight unseen. Just not for me, I guess.

bimm_corp · ‎07-30-2019

Glad to hear your eBay motors buy went well. I used to work at a Mercedes-Benz shop and some of our customers were not so fortunate. If you buy a car on eBay and have it shipped to you, the single most important thing to do when the truck pulls up is to climb up on it and check that the serial number matches the car you bought. If not, do not take delivery. Don't even let the driver start to offload it. If he does, call your local police immediately and get an officer there right away. In most states it is illegal to do so without someone signing for delivery. Get on the phone and call the eBay Security Center right away and explain the situation. I've had two customers who were scammed in this way. Same year, model, color, mileage matched, looks great but not the car the customer paid for.

hillbillymedia · ‎07-31-2019

I bought a 66 impala wagon from a seller on ebay. The car was everything the seller stated. I never went to look at it. I based my purchase on the many pictures he provided and the confidence I had after speaking with him on the phone. No regrets. It wasn`t the 1st car the seller had sold on ebay and his feedback reflected positive transactions.

"There`s always barber college" - Dalton - Road House

soh.maryl · ‎07-31-2019

You apparently are pleased with the car. If you had inspected it and had decided you did not want it, you could have simply walked away from the deal, no harm, no foul.

You did everything right on this transaction and it worked out well for you.

Exactly what part of it makes you deserve the label "crazy"?

All I can think of is that these folks had heard about the CL car scams and thought you were involved in one of those.

Congratulations and have fun!

soh.maryl · ‎07-31-2019

PS: So many of the posts here refer to buying a vehicle and having it shipped to you. Yes, that would be the very definition of crazy. BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT YOU DID.

But that's not what you did. Again, ignore those people who call you "crazy" and enjoy your car.