Hey guys, been selling cars off and on for about 15 years or so. I know the usual scams(overpaying for shipping and asking for a rebate, money orders, cashiers checks, out of state buyers, etc) on craigslist and also in person. I'm selling my 1968 Dodge Charger on craigs in Hawaii and I have a possible buyer all the way in Michigan. I have always dealt with local buyers and most out of state buyers are risky. So this guy wants me to help him ship(loading to dock) etc for the car to get to him. I informed him it will probably be about $2,000 to ship the car to michigan and he's responsible for all shipping costs. Just to a port in Seattle or Cali will be $1,100 or so then you need to use a semi truck or flate bed it the rest of the way. Some serious traveling indeed. I heavily implied he's better off buying a classic mopar locally or at least a neighboring state. However, he's insisting on my car. Wants to use Paypal for transaction. I told him I dont have an account and he implied to just sign up for one. My question is, let's say I get a non-refundable deposit, draw up a legal binding contract showing the car in detailed pics describing the car to the best of my ability, does he have any re-course against me should he try and find a loop hole in all of this? Example, he claims I didin't describe the car very well, he has possession of my car(plus title) and his funds are in escrow through the paypal account. Am I screwed at this point? What are some possible scenerious he could try and pull if he had intentions of fraud. Please share your ideas or better yet, your experiences if you had similar out of state transactions. Thanks guys.
Possible scams on craigslist
- Thread starter N2ORBT
- Start date
The only way id do it is through bank wire and i wouldnt do chit till all funds are cleared. No escrow accounts. If somehow you get charged back on paypal or through some other BS payment method you could be scratching your ass for a long time and the car will be long gone. All funds must be cleared or the car should not leave your possession. No need to deal with a jack ass that wants to pay for a car through paypal.
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2010
It's practically November.
He's in MI and you're in HI.
Why wouldn't he want to come out to you to look at the car and complete the transaction, especially at this time of year?
Paypal has it's pro's and con's but this deal seems a little "off" somehow.
If I was buying another classic I would want to put my eyes and hands on it before any money changed hands, just as I have in the past.
Wouldn't you?
He's in MI and you're in HI.
Why wouldn't he want to come out to you to look at the car and complete the transaction, especially at this time of year?
Paypal has it's pro's and con's but this deal seems a little "off" somehow.
If I was buying another classic I would want to put my eyes and hands on it before any money changed hands, just as I have in the past.
Wouldn't you?
Of all the cars I bought I needed to physically see it and drive it. I have a massive amount of questions I ask the sellers and even go as far as asking them the same questions twice, you'd be surprised to hear how many times you'd get a diff answer. The only questions he had was shipping. Not price, not mods, not condition. Too phishy for me. Gonna pass on this guy and sell locally.
Paypal has fee's of 3%. So a 10k deal is 300 in fee's. And Paypal you can have a chargeback. Meaning if he files a dispute where he's not happy with the deal, you'll get the money pulled.. and a car now in the states.
The other hard part is getting money out of paypal. Especially a large sum as it has to go through a transfer process that takes days. In those days is typically where a scammer will file the dispute.
Tell him to wire the money to your bank account. You can actually create a simple savings account with no money in it if your afraid of using your checking account. One the wire comes in and your bank verifies it, your done. You pull the money and close the account.
The other hard part is getting money out of paypal. Especially a large sum as it has to go through a transfer process that takes days. In those days is typically where a scammer will file the dispute.
Tell him to wire the money to your bank account. You can actually create a simple savings account with no money in it if your afraid of using your checking account. One the wire comes in and your bank verifies it, your done. You pull the money and close the account.
