might buy car on ebay, except....

[whotony]

so my wife is helping her son buy a car and she found one on craigs list.
and the following email exchanges have been taking place.
something seems off to me.


us
Hi,

I'm emailing about the Honda. I'm interested in seeing it and testing driving.
Do you have any pictures that you can send on-line?

Please contact me so that we may arrange an time and location
so that I could see your Honda.
I am extremely interested from your written description.

her
Hi
First of all I want to thank you for your interest in my car.
I am selling it at this price ($2980) because I just divorced my
husband and the car remained mine.
This was his car but I didn't want him to have it.
This car is in excellent working condition, no scratches,
flaws or any kind of damage,
slightly used in 100% working and looking condition
and also comes with a clear title and has only 8200 miles on it.

It is loaded with features including: navigation, rear view camera,
power sunroof, am/fm stereo with in dash cd player, xm radio,
heated seats, cruise control, dual front and side airbags, power windows,
climate control, alloy wheels, key less entry and much more.
If you want to check it here you have the vin JH--------2.

From the beginning you have to know that for the payment
I request only secure pay, I prefer the payment to be done using eBay services.
We will use a safe payment method because
I am affiliated at eBay and I have a purchase protection account for $20,000.
The final price for this car is $2980 US including shipping and handling.
I will wait your answer(if you are still interested to buy it) very soon.
Thank you.

us
Yes, I am interested in the car. using ebay is not a problem.
Where is the car located? I know the Craiglist search
was for the Philadelphia area - are you near/in Philadelphia? I live in ,,,,..... -

Looking forward to hearing from you.


her


Hi,
After the divorce I moved to Mandan, ND and the car is already
at a shipping company here in Mandan, sealed and ready to be shipped.
The price includes the shipping costs.
I have a contract with eBay so this deal must go through them.
Do you have an ebay user id?
It's a very busy time at work and this is the reason why
I choose to sell the car over the internet.
I'm sure that you know what I mean.
According to eBay you have 5 days from the time you receive
the car to inspect it and decide if you want to keep it or not.
Here is how it will work:

1.First of all I will list it on ebay for you with a buy now option.
2.After you will use the buy now option they will send us both
how to close the deal. In the invoice you will find the details
on how to make a refundable payment.
They will secure and insure your payment until you get and check the car.
3. eBay will contact me after that and I will ship the car to you.
After you receive the car you will have 5 days to test and verify the car.
If you will buy it then eBay will forward the payment to me.
4. If you decide not to buy the car, eBay will refund you the money
and I will have the shipping company come to pick up my car.

If you wish to make the transaction, let me know when you want
me to list it for you on ebay with a buy now option.
I look forward to hear from you.
Thank you

us

Thanks for the information. I have never purchased a car this way
and was not sure how it worked.

I just want to clarify the price. You are asking Two thousand Nine hundred and eighty dollars - correct?
and once listed on ebay, with the option to buy, that remains the price?
It does not, then go into ebays auction, for the general public to start bidding on?
If this is all true, I would like to work with you on purchasing your Honda SUV.

Please clarify and let me know.
Thanks so much.


her

The price including shipping is 2980. Let me know if you want it
and I will start a private auction for you on ebay.
Do you have an ebay user id?
Let me know


us

we can only pay by paypal or cerified check.
i need to know what type of payment you would expect.
our credit union would give us a check that
i could put into our c.u. checking account then i could paypal
the payment or overnight the check to you with exppress mail.

headed out now so i'll continue to be in touch.

us

Hi Elizabeth

Sorry for all the questions - but I have just a few more.

First, I do have an ebay user id. .... Second, I would like to clarify
the type of payment form you require. I can overnight a certified check
from my credit union to you or we could use paypal - which ever is your preference.

How is the actual interior of the SUV - is the leather all intact,
and the electrical equipment all in working condition?
and the warranty - who is it through and how long is left on it?
and is it transferable to the buyer?

I referred back to your original posting on Craigslist and it is now "flagged" for removal,
because I have never done this before and this requires a large amount of
trust on my part on a person that I will never meet,
I just really need to know that this legitimate.
I am a night shift nurse with 2 boys and can not afford financial errors.

I was also wondering why you lowered the price (not that I mind),
but it was such a nice offer to begin with -

Sorry if I sound a bit leery - just trying to cover all my bases.

Thank you for taking the time to answer all my questions.
If all is well, we could have this done by Tuesday.

Thanks again.

her

I will list it today with a buy now option and I will send you a
link to the auction to find it faster.
We will follow ebay's instructions to close the deal.
Also you will not send the payment to me.
Your payment will be hold by ebay until you will accept the car.
Regards

her

Ok now you can buy it using the buy now option.
Here you have a link to the auction to find it faster:
http://motors...........
We will follow ebay's instructions to close the deal safe.
Regards

us

there is no info on payment options on that listing.
what are the payment options.
paypal, cert check, etc.

please be specific.
i needed to know this info BEFORE you listed the auction.
we won't have the available money for this until
next week after speaking with the credit union.



her

We will follow ebay's instruction.
Please use the buy now option and you will receive
all information in your email address.
thank you


thats it so far.
seems odd, but i've never bought a car on ebay.
she won't answer my question on payment.

the carfax was very good except for a discrepancy
of about 2000 miles on what she says it should be.
blue book says this car is worth well over $20,000.
so what do ya think.

[pedagogue]

Many people buy cars from across the country from a private party...I would not, unless I was looking at a specialty vehicle and/or if it was from a dealer.

If it is too good to be true.....

[matta]

At minimum I would tell her that I want to see the car in person and am willing to fly out there. Then ask for her phone number and the address where the car is located.

If she won't give you an address, the car probably isn't real.

[mbs]

Did you look at / verify eBay's procedures? If you really have 5 days to inspect, seems like it might be worth the gamble. But...

Another issue though... if the car is her ex-husband's and she is selling it "so that he cannot have it", how are you going to get the title transferred? It doesn't appear she has a right to sell it.

[X]

For some reason this comes to mind...

[mbs]

Yeah, what matta said. If the car is really worth close to $20k and the price is only $3k, then tell her you are going to bring a certified check (or whatever) and fly out there to inspect. The plane ticket is but a dent compared to what you would be saving (or losing).

Also, when out there, you can look at the title. Being clear, but with someone other than the seller's name on it, means you won't be able to get the title in your name.

[Kevin Phillips]

Scam. Run away.

[bwvanh114]

Originally Posted by matta

At minimum I would tell her that I want to see the car in person and am willing to fly out there. Then ask for her phone number and the address where the car is located.

If she won't give you an address, the car probably isn't real.

Also, I recommend saying you're coming out there and bringing lube. If she balks, you know she's lying about being a recently divorced housewife.

[mbs]

One thing that is weird... if she is scamming him, why would she insist on using eBay? It seems he was prepared to pay via check (of some sort), but she insisted on eBay. Weird.

It does seem way too good to be true.

[matta]

Originally Posted by mbs

Yeah, what matta said. If the car is really worth close to $20k and the price is only $3k, then tell her you are going to bring a certified check (or whatever) and fly out there to inspect. The plane ticket is but a dent compared to what you would be saving (or losing).

I did that to look at a diamond before getting engaged. Someone had a great deal, good specs, so I told them I was coming to take a look. It cost me $250 r/t flight + 1 night hotel and saved me thousands from buying that piece of crap they were peddling (it was a crap diamond worth much less then the price - whoever graded it was VERY generous). I would do the same with a car.

Good point about the title issue. Make sure she has a copy and is named on it. For all you know, it could be stolen.

[whotony]

flying or going there is not an option for us.

i'm not liking this at all.

[matta]

Originally Posted by whotony

flying or going there is not an option for us.

i'm not liking this at all.

Well, at minimum ask to see a copy of the title and tell her you're going to see if she'll give you an address.

[RandyC]

100% scam

[whotony]

Originally Posted by matta

Well, at minimum ask to see a copy of the title and tell her you're going to see if she'll give you an address.

"I'm not sure that you are seeing what we are asking.
the ebay auction does not list what payment options are available without me clicking a "commit to buy button"
we aren't willing to commit to anything until we are clear on the info.
I searched ebay but could't find anything that has info on payment options.

normally when i sell on ebay it is only through paypal, if it's different on ebay motors then
it would help if I could see the specific payment options before committing.
you put the car up on ebay rather quickly before we even said we
were willing to buy the car.

could you provide a copy of the title so we can see who's name is on the title.
what is the exact location of the car as an address.

I appreciate any further help and info you can provide."

[matta]

Originally Posted by RandyC

100% scam

I've gotta agree. Either she doesn't have the car and made up a VIN, the car is totaled, the car is stolen, or the car is her ex-husband's and she has no right to sell it.

The only way to eliminate those risks is to fly out there and see the title and the car. Who would buy a used car without having a mechanic look at it anyway?

[TallGuyMe]

you don't watch the People's Court, do you?

[mcfly]

Yeah.. very foolish. I and that price includes shipping? I would think it would cost close to that JUST to ship it.

Nothing adds up.

[cdollaz]

Um, regardless of their motivation for selling, why would they sell something for so much less than the value? They could just take it to a local car lot and get a lot more than that without the trouble of shipping.

Run away.

[magiccmom]

Did you ask what name the title is in? She claims its her husbands car but she doesnt want him to have it. She may not have the right to sell it.

[matta]

Originally Posted by mcfly

Yeah.. very foolish. I and that price includes shipping? I would think it would cost close to that JUST to ship it.

Nah. You can ship a car across country for around $500 (at least you could a few years ago).

[whotony]

Originally Posted by magiccmom

Did you ask what name the title is in? She claims its her husbands car but she doesnt want him to have it. She may not have the right to sell it.

post 14

[JNielsen]

Sounds like a scam to me, friends of mine (in the Philly area also) ran into something similar to this about a year ago and finally found out that he was emailing someone in Russia. They ended up conversing over instant messenger, which is where he got the other Parties IP address from to verify location.

[whotony]

they have those kind of trees in N.D.

[Bronkster]

With that many doubts and questions, I would walk away.

[Arpeggi]

If you're going through with this, you're going to get scammed worse than the people who went to see Serenity expecting a good film.