Hi,
So I bought a car out-of-state on ebay a few weeks ago. (Not the first time I've done it.) Everything seemed OK with the description. Seller seemed legit with over 100 feedback at 100%. I win the bid and make contact to make payment. I set up shipping. Everything seems to be going OK to this point.
The car gets here on 12/19. No problem with the transporter and the car looks OK. However, the title I asked him to mail hasn't arrived. The second key described in the auction is missing, too. After a few phone calls, voicemails and texts, I eventually get a picture of the mailing receipt, sent on 12/21. It doesn't arrive until a week after the car does, and still no second key. I continue to call, but the seller never answers. His voicemail is always full. And he takes forever to respond to texts. When he does reply, it's essentially "I'll get it to you soon." Soon never comes.
I take a closer look at the title. The seller never transferred the title to himself after he bought the car from someone else two months earlier. This isn't always a problem, but it can be a real pain in the rear if you can't get in touch with the previous owner and if your state charges more for delayed title transfer (Texas does). This detail was never disclosed. When I finally get a response from the seller about that and the key, he doesn't answer my questions and instead asks me if I want to reverse the sale. At who's shipping expense I ask, and never get an answer to that, either.
I continue trying to get the seller to do what's right (either transfer the title to himself, get in touch with who sold him the car to work with me or reimburse me for the added costs, AND send me the second key). For a brief moment I think I have him onboard, and then he flakes out again. The person the seller bought the car from doesn't respond. At this point, I have a problematic title and no second key. Resolving these problems could cost almost $450. (The car also had some undisclosed suspension problems, but at this point, whatever!)
This is not what I was expecting, so I finally contact ebay. I relate my problems and they essentially blow me off! Inbetween quoting policy and how they want to help, they say unhelpful things like "Well, you have a title...work with the seller," and "The car's over 10 years old, what do want us to do about it?" Frankly, this isn't the response I expected. After 18 years on ebay as a buyer and seller, including cars, I've pretty much seen it all. ebay's held my feet to the fire, and the other party, too. But in this case, it appears if it isn't outright fraud, ebay doesn't touch disputes involving real property. Car sellers can pretty much put anything they want in a listing as long as they have plausible deniability.
SO, Let it be known, you can stretch the truth and fail to deliver, because ebay will just look the other way! So much for the world's most trusted marketplace.
Thanks for reading my first-ever post here. I don't expect it'll be allowed to stay up long.
