Farmer12, I think you may have missed the last 2 lines of Winged Avenger's post. Paying out ANYTHING as the seller whether they call it the difference or refunding is a common scam. Yes as a matter of fact several cars were just sold and shipped out to legit overseas buyers. Always talk with a live body first, verify that the load out destination is legit and the transport to CA is usually someone we know and have dealt with before.
Of course the seller should never pay anything, thats what the scams are mostly about, they don't want to scam you out of your vehicle, they want to scam you out of your cash. I bought my -53 Buick from a broker in Sweden about 8 years ago, and the car was in L.A. when i bought it, it took 6 months to get it, and he lied about several things, but it was a good buy anyway, just not as great as he said! Just a byers beware for the European people, not all of your fellow countrymen are serious, he still owe me an apology and 4 new whitewalls that i was promised, after 8 years, if you do business with C.A.R.S, Jukebox city, or Jan Forsberg, make sure it´s straight up, he is not known for paying his depths! Sorry to get off track here but i guess many European guys read this so i thought it was a little relevant. I have contacts in L.A. that i would use next time if its anywhere close to them, there are many people in U.S. from Europe that can help you look at cars, and help you with business, ask around among your friends and at car shows, they often make a little extra money helping out fellow Europeans, and their business depends on doing a good job, if i would get a O.K. from several people i trust, i would trust them, talk around, ask alot, and same for you sellers, ask a few Hambers about the name, if its a crook, chances are that the fellow countrymen knows about it. H.a.m.b. is power, in a good way...
I could maybe check a couple things for ya. I'm from there originally. if you run into any probs, let me know, my brother has a law firm and would have fun with a case like this
Its all good guys, thanks for the responses, like I said, I want to believe there are good people in this world. I just have never dealt with this before. I understand he is probably saying the same thing. I have spoken with him 4 times now and am very comfortable with him, i have also sent him more pics of everything to make sure he is happy with his purchase.
TITAN INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING...did a google search and at least they are legit. The PayPal deposit may be also legit, but BE CAREFUL!! I would talk to my bank and find out how you know when ALL the funds are in your account and THEN release the vehicle. I have shipped quite a few high dollar cars to Europe and they do have some different methods, all went well, some were unusual, but all worked just fine. Keep us updated on what happens.
I imported the rod in my avatar from the US a couple of years ago. It was in Colorado, and the only contacts I had in the US were in LA, so I couldn't get anyone to check it out for me. I called the seller and after 3 different 1 hour conversations with him I felt I didn't have anything to worry about........he turned out to be a cool guy and the deal went smoothly. BUT......It is scary to send $NZ 20 odd K into the wild blue yonder with nothing more than a 'feeling' that the other guy is ok. I know of a least a couple of kiwi's who have done that and lost it. You cannot afford to 'trust' anyone when doing these long distance deals, be courteous and ultra cautious.
I have actually had the extra money sent in a bogus check scam attempted on me (I didn't bite) so I have first hand knowlege of how it works. I had an OT car advertised on Craigslist a couple years ago for $3500. Had an email from a guy claiming to live in CA wanting to buy with a bank check but have it shipped to his "summer home" in the Bahamas. I said no thanks due to the scam warnings posted on Craigslist. Second email says he has a "cousin" in Mass that can come look at the car in person and pay cash and all he needs is my address so he can give it to the guy. Thinking this is cool I gave him my address. Nothing happens for a couple of weeks and then out of the blue I get a certified bank check in the mail for $8000 with a note telling me to take the original $3500 plus another $1000 for my trouble and forward the remaining $3500 to his "cousin" who supposedly looked at the car when I wasn't home and is making all the shipping arrangements. This was a very real looking check from a real bank in the Bahamas. When I took the check to my bank and asked them to look it over they did some calling around and told me it was junk. I let them keep it along with the emails from the guy and the letter he had mailed with the check and they turned it over to the fraud department. Interestingly, I never heard another word from the "buyer" The fraud woman at the bank told me they send out thousands of these bogus checks and it only costs them a stamp and the US authorities can't go after them in a foreign country so if they get 1 fool out of a thousand who falls for it they still make money. With all of that being said, this particular situation sounds perfectly legitimate and you have to understand the buyer has just as much to loose as the seller. Maybe more since there will be a period of time while the seller is holding the car & the cash. It's good to be careful out there these days though. I know of another instance where a friend of mine bought an old car on Ebay from a guy in the midwest. Sent his money through a bank check. The seller was actually in a foreign country, the midwest address was a mail forwarding service & there was never any car. The pics were cut & pasted from the internet of someone elses car. That deal cost my buddy $8500.
I haven't read the entire thread but here's my $0.02 from my recent overseas sale. 1. Communication. Lots of communication. Even electronic is fine but communication builds trust and trust is the only thing the buyer has. The seller is completely in the driver's seat in these deals. 2. Insist on a wire transfer directly to your bank account for the full amount before delivery. Open a temporary one if you feel more comfortable but it's not necessary. 3. Document everything you do. I had to courier some documentation to the shipping company and made sure it was registered so I had a paper trail. When the shipping company picked up the car, I made sure I got a receipt and even took down the plate number and company info off of the flatbed they sent. 4. Remember that you as the seller should not have to pay for anything or even make shipping arrangements. If the buyer is serious, the onus is on them. After the money transfer I got a call from the shipping company stating that they were told I would be delivering the car to their yard. I informed them that was not the deal and the car was in my driveway ready for pickup. 2 days later the flatbed arrived and the car is now safely in Amsterdam. Good luck! MB
I bought several cars in the US, all from private owners. I can tell you guys it's a strange feeling to push the button and send xxthousends of dollars from Europe to the US, not knowing if the car exists or not!! OK, I could fly over - but no risk no fun... Serious now: the first time I made a deal with the shipping company. They took the money cash with them, gave the money and took the title and the car. (but that costs around 5% of the selling price...) I always had kind of a good feeling after several phone calls and how the communication was with the sellers. All the cars where ok and arrived more or less how they described them. But I know of more than a handful people over here who got f***ked up badly! Just bought another early ford just from about 20 pictures and 2 phone calls with the seller...I'm sure it's gonna work out again!! But you're right: the seller DON'T have to pay for anything just to get his car on the way to a buyer!!
We are in the 21st Century aren't we?.... Anyone who says their bank cannot wire transfer bank to bank is either talking to the wrong person at their bank or talking BS. I have been doing international banking transactions worldwide from both outside the U.S. and from within the U.S for decades. There is a reason for IBAN, ABA numbers, Bank Codes, and the S.W.I.F.T. network, which has been around since at least the 1970s. How do you think world commerce could exist without bank to bank electronic transfers? How could stock exchanges, futures markets and world commerce exist without electronic funds transfer? How could governments run their countries, what would happen to import and export markets? C'mon - if the buyer is serious, they will make the huge effort required to go to their bank and get the funds wired direct to your account. Upon receipt of verified funds posted to your account - i.e. when your bank says so - you can release the vehicle. All you have to do is ask your bank what information you need to provide to the purchaser for their bank to be able to wire funds to your account. I think some of you guys need to come out of the Stone Age. Verified funds for the full transaction price posted to your account. It is not that difficult so why would you want to do it any other way? Life is simple - humans complicate it.
My brother sold a 32 roadster to a guy in the UK. The guy in the UK wired the cash to my brothers account. Then 3 days later my brother left to work in Brazil for 3 years. I had to handle the deal for him. Here's what I had to do: Be there when they showed up to pick up the car. PERIOD! The buyer took care of everything else, shipping, customs broker, and getting all those other parties paid. I would refund his deposit and move on. Just my 2 cents.
Will you please contact my local bank, ask for the branch manager, and tell him he is wrong and that they have an IBAN # and/or a SWIFT code? Lots of smaller local banks DO NOT have this ability. Larger banks will. So I was not talking to the wrong person nor was I full of BS. I just bank at a small local credit union and they don't deal with that stuff. Glad you schooled us on how the entire economy works though, thanks for that.
The Jalopy Journal
