ebay scam? (bleg)
This is the second time this has happened: I have entertained the idea of buying a motorcycle. I had one in college, and now that I am older I can afford one that I would really like, so I have kept my eyes open for a good deal.
I found one on "motorcycletraderonline" dot com and the seller claims to be in the KC area, so I send an email because it is significantly under NADA value, and low miles and a clear title. The guy replies, "I am glad you are interested, I can ship it to you at no charge, but I am in Europe. The bike has American specs...." so anyway, it is fishy enough to cause me to drop the whole idea.
Then a few weeks later I see a Honda CBR 900rr that has been completelty customized, and should sell for around 7-8 grand and it has a buy it now price of 3000. So, my friend and I figured at the very least we could buy it, ride it for a couple of weeks and then sell it on consignment at a mutual friend's shop for a tidy profit. Same thing happens, we email the guy, we check the VIN, and sure enough the seller is in Europe. (Athens, Greece) He claims he can ship us the bike in 6 days and he will cover shipping. Again, this doesn't pass the smell test, but I have never had a problem with ebay before, so if anyone has ever heard of this type of scam--feel free to comment. I read and appreciate them. I figure he will want his payment terms to be cashier's check instead of paypal and then magically he gets the money but I never get a bike.
I found one on "motorcycletraderonline" dot com and the seller claims to be in the KC area, so I send an email because it is significantly under NADA value, and low miles and a clear title. The guy replies, "I am glad you are interested, I can ship it to you at no charge, but I am in Europe. The bike has American specs...." so anyway, it is fishy enough to cause me to drop the whole idea.
Then a few weeks later I see a Honda CBR 900rr that has been completelty customized, and should sell for around 7-8 grand and it has a buy it now price of 3000. So, my friend and I figured at the very least we could buy it, ride it for a couple of weeks and then sell it on consignment at a mutual friend's shop for a tidy profit. Same thing happens, we email the guy, we check the VIN, and sure enough the seller is in Europe. (Athens, Greece) He claims he can ship us the bike in 6 days and he will cover shipping. Again, this doesn't pass the smell test, but I have never had a problem with ebay before, so if anyone has ever heard of this type of scam--feel free to comment. I read and appreciate them. I figure he will want his payment terms to be cashier's check instead of paypal and then magically he gets the money but I never get a bike.
posted by djobe at 8:19 AM
2 Comments:
What is the user's feedback like? Check to see if he has a great feedback rating and also I would look to see what he is selling other than bikes. All of these things are in place to limit fraud.
I repeat no motorcycle for a young father of three. When the kids are done with college the you can risk your life not before.
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