If a car is 2 hours away from you, description seems good, car APPEARS to be in order, but you can't get up to see it before the auction ends, how to bid?
Do sellers normally agree to winning bidder stating in advance that final balance is subject to results of RAC inspection report?
Do you ask seller to fax details of previous bills etc?
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If a car is 2 hours away from you, description seems good, car APPEARS to be in order, but you can't get up to see it before the auction ends, how to bid? Do sellers normally agree to winning bidder stating in advance that final balance is subject to results of RAC inspection report? Do you ask seller to fax details of previous bills etc?
Not unless seller agrees to all this before the auction ends. Its just an auction - if you bid and win then you pay and collect the car (assuming the description was accurate).
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>o sellers normally agree to winning bidder stating in advance that final balance is subject to results of RAC inspection report?
Not a hope, I'd have thought. People sell cars on eBay because it is a fast way to get rid of them. The agreed price is the agreed price - not a starting point for negotiation. Find another car.
With regard to previous bills, just ask them. If they tell you what's there, then it becomes a term of the sale. If they're not there when you turn up, then bang goes the sale. Simple.
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Bear in mind that you could travel to see the car, be happy that it's OK, and make the seller an offer on the spot. The seller is able to withdraw during the auction, and many state that the car is advertised elsewhere and that they reserve the right to withdraw the car from sale.
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Quite a lot of cars on EBay are now sold with access to a report re service history. condition, etc, which you can pay to have a look at .In fact I think you pay for 3 different reports , as you may be considering several cars
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Not a hope, I'd have thought. People sell cars on eBay because it is a fast way to get rid of them. The agreed price is the agreed price - not a starting point for negotiation. Find another car.
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Goodness me thats a bit cynical !
There are plenty of top-notch and fairly new cars on Ebay, and any reputable seller will agree that if a HPi check turns up anything nasty the sale is null and void.
People sell cars on Ebay because it is a far more effective way of portraying good cars in their best and most favourable light, rather than the piddly little picture and pathetic text allowance you get with other well known car advertising routes.
In fact the cost isn't much different to the traditional route. I sold a £13000 car recently which the seller was completely happy with, but didn't get much serious interest till I put it on Ebay.
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>Goodness me thats a bit cynical!
Not cynical at all. If the car is as described, then that's it; you buy & seller sells. If the car is not as described (HPi problems, obvious problems) then deal is off/renegotiate. If you want to pull the car to bits, then you need to do that before the sale ends and adjust your bid price accordingly.
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Many ebay car auctions do not complete as buyers do not view beforehand and when they arrive to collect the car it is not as described. Sometimes this will mean you get a reduced price due to the non declared faults or the sale is off completely. If the latter what can the seller do? Leave negative feedback. It will be almost impossible for for them to take any other action.
Do ask as many questions as possible about the car, including scans of recent bills. If you can telephone the seller for a chat, this can also be useful. Also check in the ebay advance search what else this seller has been offering recently. If it is a private sale then no other car will have been listed.
I doubt if the seller will agree to the price dependent on a RAC inspection.
You other alternative is to use a car auction or an auction buyer.
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Roger
I read frequently, but only post when I have something useful to say.
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I did view a car offered in ebay once.
It was just like seeing an advertised car. I felt that had the chap refused to show me the car then I would definitely not be interested.
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If the seller has misdescribed a car then you are under no obligation to buy it. It is unfair to expect a private seller to be an expert mechanic but they should describe any obvious faults or at least confirm them if you ask specific questions.
ebay buying and selling really isn't a lot different to a car advertised in autotrader. The only difference is that if you do end up high bidder and the car IS as described (which most probably are) then you are under an obligation to buy it.
Always read descriptons very carefully and ask carefully worded questions and check the answers match the reality when you view the car either before or after bidding.
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Nutty, if your interested, if you send me your e-mail address, I can send you the report I got from E-bay for my car. It will show you what the report covers, that way you can see if it will give you info that you require. It's a basic report as it only cost £6.99. I got it so I could send it to interested possible buyers for my car. Let me know or if anyone else is interested. (So you can have a nosey) :-)
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Ebay item 4588987970
Focus TDCI 54 Reg , buy it now for £4500 on a private listing?
I think I smell a rat??
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Ebay item 4588987970 Focus TDCI 54 Reg , buy it now for £4500 on a private listing? I think I smell a rat??
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Very large alarm bells ringing, especially at that low low price
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Odd that the seller is apparently in the US but the car is in the UK...
Buy It Now price has now gone...
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Odd that the seller is apparently in the US but the car is in the UK... Buy It Now price has now gone...
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It gets even more sus. He's had 5 different ebay id's in 2 yrs. Why would someone in LA sell a Focus in the UK because they have a new car coming. If you travel periodically between the 2 countries, why waste money on a new car when you already have an 8mth old car in the UK?? H'MMMMMMMM
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It gets even more sus.
>
sus?? It's a blatent account hijack. Clues:
a) 1 day auction (sometimes they're 3 days).
b) Seller asking for email outside eBay ('cos if you use eBay's email it'll go to the correct account holder).
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You never buy a car you dont see. EVER. There is only one exception to this rule and thats if you are prepared to loose all your money.
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>You never buy a car you dont see. EVER. There is only one exception to this rule and thats if you are prepared to loose all your money.
A friend has set up a successful business on the basis of buying elderly Landrovers unseen on eBay and tarting them up. The worst one had a fake MOT cert... but he still reckoned it was a bargain.
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A friend was selling a Landrover on ebay and someone cloned the ad.Same person had cars for sale in Glasgow and Southampton,all on one day sale,presume they would have taken a hefty deposit and disappeared.
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