scam check advice?

[Bowlbug]

Originally Posted by Endy

This. It's how I bought my current bike. (I also paid the same amount with shipping that I would have most likely paid if I could have found the bike I wanted closer to me.)

This is new to me...please tell me more

[Endy]

Originally Posted by Bowlbug

This is new to me...please tell me more

I found the bike through Ebay classifieds which meant there was no protection if something went wrong. So I made some calls and did some looking and came across escrow.com.

I talked to the seller and made sure he was cool with it and then I signed up and he signed up. We agreed to split the escrow fee. There was also a period after I received the bike where I could send it back if it wasn't what it was supposed to be. If I had to send it back, it would have been on my dime, but better than being out the total cost of the bike. Once that time period was up, funds were released to the seller and he sent me the title. You could also have the escrow company handle the title transfer as well, but that's an extra fee. The whole thing went smoothly.

[Bowlbug]

Thanks Endy I going to look into that.

[emptynest]

If the main problem is an acceptable form of payment, depending on the size of your bank, you could have a cashiers check sent to him and have the branch manager verify funds. A legitimate cashiers check is guaranteed funds. He could independently get your bank's phone number from their website so he would be certain that he's speaking to a real bank. He would give them the date, check # and amount and they can confirm they issued the check

[vito]

Originally Posted by Bowlbug

30 years ago I would have been on a plane already. But 2000 miles in two days. Not my idea of a good ride.

Buy something closer. I have been checking for 3 weeks...Yes I'm going though withdrawals. And I have found so much scrap iron and people that think there bike are made of gold this is the best deal for me.

But don't let your desire to hurry up and ride cloud your decision.....I've made some doozies doing that....and my judgement is iffy on a good day.

Something will pop up in your area. Wait for it........

[h13man]

Originally Posted by emptynest

If the main problem is an acceptable form of payment, depending on the size of your bank, you could have a cashiers check sent to him and have the branch manager verify funds. A legitimate cashiers check is guaranteed funds. He could independently get your bank's phone number from their website so he would be certain that he's speaking to a real bank. He would give them the date, check # and amount and they can confirm they issued the check

That sounds the best as far as payment is concerned though "buyer protection" is still an issue. I'd say shop closer to home unless the bike is a pristine 1100 T!

[sgtsmestad]

Personally I will not make a knot purchase over the internet or even the phone. If you know someone personally in that area that your trust is one thing but I would shop a lot closer to home if it was me.

Sent from my HTC Liberty using Motorcycle.com App

[John Hopkins]

The problems I can see are these.

you don't know or trust the seller.

the seller doesn't know or trust you.

you buy the bike as seen, it could be a heap of scrap..

Ask someone on this forum who lives near the bike to look it over for you, to look for leaks and levels..

Then if it all seems ok..buy it..

Jophn.

[Hurg]

once upon a time on kijiji, when i was looking for a Mercedes, i came across one from the late 80's for 3k. the seller stated that the vehicle can be seen and guaranteed for a full money back if not satisfied with purchase.

I asked the seller about payment, and he said he would send a paypal invoice.
I told the seller i wanted to see the car in person, and he insisted that he, well, actually, she would have it delivered upon receipt with full money back guarantee.. fishy.
He sent it(the invoice), i immediately checked the link and it was not paypal, but some other escrow service that would have handled the cash. In other words, i would have thought i used paypal, but i would probably just be wiring cash straight to him.

So, be a smart buyer. If you are not seeing the car in person. either have someone that can or avoid it. also, DOUBLE CHECK ALL LINKS when it is in your wallets best interest.

i was really dissapointed that my car did not exist, but i was even more pissed that someone tried to scam me for 3k. They were dumb enough to not realize that they neglected to proxy their IP address and i reported them.

[Hurg]

Oh, one more way to check if its a possible scam, is if someone is posting semi big ticket items that are out of range of the average persons traveling abilities. But not so far that its impossible to afford t0 move said item from that location.

"great vehicle, and should only cost 500 to get it here since its somewhat close. id hate to have to drive that far tho"

ie. posting classified ads in states/provinces that the item is not located in.