Ebay motors deposit made but not paid in full

[grandmpasattic]

Going on 4 weeks now, I listed a vehicle at auction with NO reserve.  Winning bidder made $500 deposit within 24 hours as specified in listing.  Supposedly, he was working on shipping arrangements.  He had asked me to send title.  I said I would as soon as payment in full was received.   Two weeks after the auction ended, he said he was sending a check.  ("Full payment to be made within 7 days of auction end"), but at this time I'm just frustrated and wanted this deal to just go through as I've already paid ebay listing fees.  Shortly after he mailed a check  (personal check, even though the listing and I personally reiterated over the phone "certified ") he asks me to send the title as soon as I get the check.  The letter arrives late on a Friday, with just enough time to make it to the bank.  The next day he asks if I had mailed the title yet as I should have received the check.  I said "No, I have to wait for the check to clear now and that it was supposed to be certified".   He mentioned that he was put of town for a while and that's all his girlfriend could do.  So fast forward a few days, he texts me that he is in the hospital for "possible stroke".  The next day, his check bounces and I'm not with a returned check fee from my bank.  Now he wants to send another check.  We're just shy of a month from the end of auction and I don't want to deal with this guy anymore.  I'd rather deal locally now.  I understand I'll never get my listing fees back.  I still have the deposit, but don't want to return it as compensation for time and lost fees.  The listing stated 7 days to pay and I told him I was ok holding the vehicle for a couple of weeks to arrange shipping,  but it's now past all mile stones and still not paid and want to tell this guy to pound salt.  Also, the vehicle is marked paid?  Only the deposits been made so I couldn't open an UID.    Just looking for advice and thoughts on this matter.  Am I bring irrational?   At this point I'm tired of excuses and time wasted...

[goodluckselling]

You are not being irrational but you are making smart decisions. 

  eBay motors works a bit differently then the marketplace and I am not sure how this works for a vehicle purchase? 

Here is a link to the eBay motor board.  Maybe copy and paste your post on that board and hopefully get experienced users to help you there as well.

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Motors/bd-p/220

Good Luck Selling!

[kittykat.949]

Even though I agree with you about keeping the deposit----this person has clearly shown you that you do not want to get into a long term wrestle with them----therefore refund the deposit, cancel the sale & BLOCK this BOZO as fast as possible
A bedtime story----My friends son sold his car on Ebay & insisted on a cashiers check for payment---He rec. said cashiers check & took it to the bank where they stalled him until 2 detectives from the local police came in & arrested him because the $9,000. cashiers check was NO GOOD. Moral of this story----SELL LOCAL & FOR CASH ONLY----& even then have something to check that the bills are genuine---Good Luck

[shipscript]

If this were my sale, I'd handle it this way.

The sale will soon be beyond ebay's 30 day claims period and since you actually did receive a deposit, a Unpaid Item Dispute is not an option.  You have paid the selling fees and you are now encumbered with a bounced check fee and have lost your opportunity for a second chance offer.

I would keep enough of the deposit to cover those expenses, return the rest, and tell the buyer "no deal".  The rules are that either party can walk away for any reason, and this isn't just about you walking away. This is also about the buyer failing to perform, floating a check, and thus nullifying the transaction on his end as well.

My guess is that the buyer has done nothing to line up a shipper that he won't be able to pay when he finds out how expensive it is, and you would still have two or more weeks of this if a check cleared.

[tools*]

I would hold onto the deposit indefinitely and require a bank wire for the balance. Once an irrevocable payment is received, I would send the title and require removal of the vehicle within a stated amount of time.

[marinermikes]

You should have stated in the listing non refundable deposit. That is the norm. That deposit is for just such a case. It covers your fees and time involved. Do not give this scammer his deposit back. Call Ebay and try to get a rep who is familiar with titled property sales and explain that the payment was for a vehicle deposit and that they never paid the rest. This happens all the time so they have heard it before.

Pay Pal is ok for the deposit but the rest of the payment should be a bank to bank wire transfer or cash at pick up.

Certified checks can be forged and can take up to several weeks to find out, long after the car is gone. Just because your bank says it cleared is not the end of it!

I hope you get this resolved.

[grandmpasattic]

Thanks for the response.

To all responses really.  I'll never try to sell a car on EBay again.  Still ongoing with what I believe to be a scam or completely incompetent individual.

Hard to tell at this point.