Screening offers from "New Members" in the classifieds, Who can you trust in this crazy world.... Options

[RazorbackFan78]

Hey guys - I'm posting this here because I'm wanting your feedback on activity that's going on over in the classifieds section. In the last four days I've had three out-of-state or out-of-country 914world members reach out to me about my for sale ad. All four have zero posting activity and three of them appeared to have signed up in just the last week.

All that to say this - what's your recommendation regarding interested buyers who are brand new members with no activity in our forums? Obviously I'm not handing out my paypal account or dealing with the prince of Kenya who is about to inherit a large some of money.

Appreciate the feedback.

[Tom_T]

It may take a little bit more work to screen the new members, but all of us were new here at some point, so I'd suggest going on a case by case basis, & do your due diligence on them & their ability to perform, & then ideally do the transaction at your bank, or AAA office, etc. with their assistance on the transfer documentation, etc.

I'd suggest for anyone selling, that no title & car handed over until the funds are clear & verified. Try to meet the real serious ones face to face if you can.

Good Luck! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/santa_smiley.gif)
Tom
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[rhodyguy]

A big $ deal like this I would expect to speak on the phone if they're serious. Get THEIR number. Easier than a bunch back and forth emails. You can cut to the heart of the matter quicky. I know I would want to talk if I was a buyer.

[mepstein]

Money is money. If it shows up in a form acceptable to you, who cares where they live, how many posts, ect. I just sold a G50 trans to someone in Bahrain for $4,500. He sent me money. Pick up is his issue. Done deal.

Don't let the out of town buyers jump you through hoops. Let them know it's not your problem and they are the one responsible for all the details for obtaining the car. I usually pay to 2 day the title once the car has been purchased.

[iankarr]

Glad you brought this topic up.

I've had a "WTB" in the classifieds for a few months (ravenna green 73 or 74). I received a total of three messages from members with zero posts. The first one sent me pics of the car that sold on BaT for 30K earlier this year. He wanted 35K. They were the same exact photos. I told him that I recognized the car from BaT and asked what he's done to/with the car since the summer. I never heard back from him. While I can't prove he was a scammer, the fact that he used the same photos from another auction and couldn't answer any questions about the car definitely leads me to believe he was looking to capitalize on my desire for a particular car and separate me from my money.

A second guy with zero posts said he "found a car" for me, but again, radio silence as soon as we got into detail.

A third guy with zero posts has been responsive and seems legit so far. But I still haven't seen pics of the car he wants to sell. I get a much better vibe from this one, though.

I guess the point is that, with "zero posters", we just have to do a little more homework. There definitely are "lurkers" here (in the best sense), so I wouldn't avoid doing a deal with someone just because they don't post. I agree that speaking on the phone is way better at sniffing scammers out than relying on email.

Wish me luck!

Ian

[rhodyguy]

If they had been looking around for a while they would've had to sign up to contact you.

[Chris914n6]

My thoughts...

I've shopped Pelican classifieds and the others but don't hang out there thus nil forum posts.
You've got a good car at a good price so don't be surprised by off forum inquires.
We don't have 20k active members here, in fact many are duplicates because people take time off and forget their IDs.
If out of county is Europe that happens quite a bit as they have rust problems like the NE.

If they ask 914 specific questions then give them a chance.

[mepstein]

Glad you brought this topic up.

I've had a "WTB" in the classifieds for a few months (ravenna green 73 or 74). I received a total of three messages from members with zero posts. The first one sent me pics of the car that sold on BaT for 30K earlier this year. He wanted 35K. They were the same exact photos. I told him that I recognized the car from BaT and asked what he's done to/with the car since the summer. I never heard back from him. While I can't prove he was a scammer, the fact that he used the same photos from another auction and couldn't answer any questions about the car definitely leads me to believe he was looking to capitalize on my desire for a particular car and separate me from my money.

A second guy with zero posts said he "found a car" for me, but again, radio silence as soon as we got into detail.

A third guy with zero posts has been responsive and seems legit so far. But I still haven't seen pics of the car he wants to sell. I get a much better vibe from this one, though.

I guess the point is that, with "zero posters", we just have to do a little more homework. There definitely are "lurkers" here (in the best sense), so I wouldn't avoid doing a deal with someone just because they don't post. I agree that speaking on the phone is way better at sniffing scammers out than relying on email.

Wish me luck!

Ian

I wish you luck. Unfortunately, some car buyers do send money to scammers and never receive a car in return. The selling side is much safer. If you don't receive money, you're not going to release the car. It's pretty simple and straight forward. If a "buyer" tells you to do something that doesn't feel right, don't do it. There is always another person ready to buy your car.

[iankarr]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

I used escrow.com for my last purchase. Really great service. I transferred the money to escrow.com, the seller was notified that all of the funds were on-hand, and I was able to control/authorize the release of funds in milestones per our agreement. In that purchase, 90% of the funds were released when the truck picked up the car (the driver called me and sent photos), and the balance was settled after I received the car and a known mechanical issue was sorted out.

[RazorbackFan78]

I agree there has to be a mix of caution and trust when meeting in person is not an option. I really like the escrow.com scenario. Thanks for all the feedback everyone!

[RazorbackFan78]

Glad you brought this topic up.

I've had a "WTB" in the classifieds for a few months (ravenna green 73 or 74). I received a total of three messages from members with zero posts. The first one sent me pics of the car that sold on BaT for 30K earlier this year. He wanted 35K. They were the same exact photos. I told him that I recognized the car from BaT and asked what he's done to/with the car since the summer. I never heard back from him. While I can't prove he was a scammer, the fact that he used the same photos from another auction and couldn't answer any questions about the car definitely leads me to believe he was looking to capitalize on my desire for a particular car and separate me from my money.

A second guy with zero posts said he "found a car" for me, but again, radio silence as soon as we got into detail.

A third guy with zero posts has been responsive and seems legit so far. But I still haven't seen pics of the car he wants to sell. I get a much better vibe from this one, though.

I guess the point is that, with "zero posters", we just have to do a little more homework. There definitely are "lurkers" here (in the best sense), so I wouldn't avoid doing a deal with someone just because they don't post. I agree that speaking on the phone is way better at sniffing scammers out than relying on email.

Wish me luck!

Ian

Good luck Ian!!!

[RickS]

Remember that Bank or Cashiers checks can have stop payments placed on them too. Wires can also be cancelled. Cash or going to the purchasers bank and cashing the check there, whenever possible, is the safest.

[porschetub]

Have had mixed results but never been actually ripped off,problems have mainly been wrong items supplied that aren't worth sending back.
There are sellers on here that offer parts @ great prices and I tend to stick with them.
Recently asked for some parts from a seller on here no response,others had replies and presume they got there parts,however why should the buyer chase the seller,thats not how it works...............

[billh1963]

Hey guys - I'm posting this here because I'm wanting your feedback on activity that's going on over in the classifieds section. In the last four days I've had three out-of-state or out-of-country 914world members reach out to me about my for sale ad. All four have zero posting activity and three of them appeared to have signed up in just the last week.

All that to say this - what's your recommendation regarding interested buyers who are brand new members with no activity in our forums? Obviously I'm not handing out my paypal account or dealing with the prince of Kenya who is about to inherit a large some of money.

Appreciate the feedback.

Don't over think it.

You have the car so you hold the cards. Payment methods(in order of preference) are:
1. Cash
2. Wire transfer
3. Checks/MO's/etc

Personally, I would NEVER accept PayPal for a large sale. Way too many horror stories.

I have used escrow.com before and it was fine. But, I think that's overkill in most situations.

Time heals everything. So, my policy is the following:
1. Cash-you take it home with you
2. Wire transfer- you need to pay a few days in advance of shipping or pickup
3. Personal Checks/Bank Checks/etc- I want at least 7-10 business days before the car leaves. I will usually call the issiring bank and verify before I deposit to avoid the bounced check charges.
4. USPS Money Ordes (the only ones I will take) - I don't see those as often. I will go to the PO to verify legitimacy.

In all these cases, you are in control. Just make sure there is no sudden push to make you release the car before you are ready. If they pay with anything other than cash and want to take the car immediately, that's a "no-go".

[Darren C]

These type of threads need to be careful not to scaremonger.

Earlier this year I “purchased” a car from the Pelican classifieds. I’d been a member of the forum for 2 years but never posted.
I exchanged a whole load of pm’s, emails and a phone call; before we both agreed on the price.
I sent a big (4 digit) deposit via paypal as requested by the seller. This just happened to be on a Saturday and I agreed to wire the balance when my bank opened on Monday morning. He asked me to call him from my bank and he would release his bank details directly to my bank for the wire.
My shipping agent had been instructed to collect the car at a time and place convenient to the seller, but ONLY when the seller was happy the money had been wired and was clear funds he could draw.
Over the Sunday, the seller read similar posts to this on the internet and got spooked.
When I contacted him on the Monday in my bank in front of the teller (having taken a half day holiday from work) he refused to give me his bank details for the wire as he thought it was a scam.
No matter how much I tried to convince him, he hung up on me.
I then had to contact paypal to raise a claim to get my deposit back which took a good 3 weeks.
The shipping company also gave me a hard time when I cancelled the collection.
Checking the classifieds on Pelican, the car was relisted and sold to a “US homeland” buyer.
My only fault in this………was being a UK resident.

There are always two sides to the argument of buying overseas, not everyone is out to rob you.

[Mark Henry]

One of the big things as a seller or a buyer is lot's of communication, especially on a big ticket item. There should be a lot of questions asked and answers given about the item, photos, details, etc., etc....
I would much rather being annoyed (within reason) because a buyer is asking too many questions than not enough.

Also google is your friend. I sold a set of nickies to a guy in the Netherlands with zero posts, he was a Karmann Ghia guy with no interest in the 914 at all. But he had been watching our classifieds for engine parts.
I knew his address was real and where he worked before I shipped. That actually kind of freaked him out, especially when I told him it only took me about 5 minutes to do. I also found his user name and posts he had made on thesamba.
In the end a very smooth transaction.

[Frankvw]

As an 'overseas buyer' from Europe I was also treated with caution when I showed interest in the 914 for sale in USA. Personal communication through the phone convinced the seller I was no scammer and in the end we made the deal. It went not supersmooth because of delays in paypal, delay in bankwire, shippingcompanies that did not show up to pick up the car etc etc, so I am not sure the seller will deal with 'overseas buyers' again. Not because of me, but b3cause of the processes around it that made it somewhat less smooth. I am happy we both went through the trouble and did not bail out on each other in the end because of the issues we encountered during the process.

[Mark Henry]

It went not supersmooth because of delays in paypal, delay in bankwire, shippingcompanies that did not show up to pick up the car etc etc, so I am not sure the seller will deal with 'overseas buyers' again. Not because of me, but b3cause of the processes around it that made it somewhat less smooth. I am happy we both went through the trouble and did not bail out on each other in the end because of the issues we encountered during the process.

I've sold several times to peeps from the Netherlands and every time the package got held up for a crazy amount of time at your customs. The nickies guy was well aware of this and only started to get the jitters after 6 weeks...It arrived about a week later.
I up-front warn all euro buyers using regular post that I won't even start a tracking till 8 weeks overdue.

[Amphicar770]

When buying, especially an expensive item, ask the seller to send you a picture with a copy of today's newspaper (local to wherever they are) next to the item in question.

There are many members here and on other forums willing to help out as well. Before I bought my 914 I had a member of another forum see it and drive it. On another big parts purchase I sent the $$$ to A known and trusted member and had them pick it up. In one other instance a buyer wanted to use eBay, he covered the fees, just for the buyer protection offered there. In that case I listed as a buy it now and he bought it.

I got burned a few years ago. I was lucky in that they caught the crook and I eventually recovered my money. Good scammers will do whatever it takes to gain your trust.

[Mike Fitton]

however why should the buyer chase the seller,thats not how it works...............

True for parts that are not rare or average condition. Not true for hard to find rare parts and NOS ones.