Buying on Ebay

pcatterall said:
To see before you buy is always good advice but this would often require driving to view many boats/cars then be outbid.
I dont really think it is the case but this guy could be a complete crook from a 'foreign country'. I thnk I would be foolish to part with the money at this stage.
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I think it would be well worthwhile. You are obviously aware of the downfalls buying a boat on Ebay. There are so many potential things to be wrong with a boat I'm amazed that anyone would bid without going to see it first.
 
gjgm said:
You have agreed to buy the boat unseen, and I doubt you will get much sympathy from ebay if you ask them if a partial deposit and payment on inspection is OK.
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He has agreed to buy the boat as described. I don't think it is unreasonable for him to wish to check that the boat is as described before handing over his hard earned.

A good meaty deposit and payment in cash within a reasonably short time really ought to be enough for any legitimate seller, and I would be very wary indeed of any seller who demanded the full payment before the buyer had a chance to see that the boat awas as described ... and exists, for that matter.
 
I've bought my last four cars on ebay, 2 without viewing, always turned up with the cash but insisted on an inspection and test drive first; explained after winning that I was bidding to buy not to view but I had the right to inspect the goods after winning the auction to ensure that they were as described. No problems, handed over the cash for all four (ranging from a classic MG to a 528) after a test drive. I think you are absolutely within your rights to inspect first but the seller probably needs reassuring that you are serious. If a £200 deposit doesn't do that then I would be very suspicious of him.
 
pcatterall said:
Just agread to buy a small cheap yacht on ebay. I know the model and will be happy with it as long as it is generally as described. Its in the water and will be trailered out for me to collect. The buyer wants me to pay in full I just want to send a deposit and pay the balance in cash when I am certain that the hull is in acceptable condition. I dont expect it to be perfect but it could be full of osmosis and dropping to bits for all I know.
I have assured the vendor that I am not a time wasting tyre kicker and asked him to see it from my point of view. At this stage I cant be sure that he even owns the boat, I could part with my dosh and never see it or the boat.
What does the panel think?
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Ok, well i do alot on ebay, and its all boat stuff i deal in. If you have the highest bid then im afraid you have to pay the man. unless........ the item is significantly not as described. which means anything. if you are not happy with the sellers description, i.e hes failed to mention anything wrong with the boat, then you need not part with your hard earned cash. i must say it seems rather starnge that he is demanding hes money like this. hes either rather stupid or there is somthing wrong with the boat. cash on collection is allways best as you dont pay paypall any fees, i belive they charge 3% or 4%, so if you bought the boat for 10k then thats alot in fees on which he could save on!

Paypal allways favour the buyer in any kind of dispute, of course dont forget, if you dont pay through paypal your not covered for any disputes, however cover is only up to £500 and as your buying a boat, its probably not enough!

what you might be best to do is post the link for the boat on this forum, then other members can see the advert and we can give you some better advice.

dont forget, if your unsure, dont buy it. all he can do is mess up your feedback, and even then, if your unsure for a valid reason he cant even do that.
 
There is always a possibility he doesn't even own the boat - he has just taken or aquired pictures of it. So you pay in full & he disappears. You go to collect boat & get charged with theft!

A fairly unlikely scenario, but not impossible, see previous Horsebox post.

I too have bought a couple of cars (always for under a grand) on e-bay & payed cash on collection - with a deposit only being requested occasionaly.

Why not explain your fears to him & see how he reacts. But please don't accuse him of being on the fiddle!
 
Ubergeekian said:
He has agreed to buy the boat as described. I don't think it is unreasonable for him to wish to check that the boat is as described before handing over his hard earned.

A good meaty deposit and payment in cash within a reasonably short time really ought to be enough for any legitimate seller, and I would be very wary indeed of any seller who demanded the full payment before the buyer had a chance to see that the boat awas as described ... and exists, for that matter.
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I m only pointing out how Ebay works (as I understand it, and maybe I'm at fault?). If the buyer wanted to deviate from the standard auction agreement, by saying he'd pay a deposit, or he wanted to inspect it, or anything else, he had the oportunity to discuss with the seller before hand, and agree on those terms. Or the seller to refuse to accept his bidding on those terms - after all someone else might well just pay up. Which buyer would you prefer?
In fact, as far as we know, he did not ask for anything.. he bid on the boat and won the auction. He now wants to amend the agreement. I can see why the seller might smell a rat (which is damn annoying when you believe you HAVE sold something). I m not saying this buyer is messing anyone about, I m simply saying that I doubt Ebay itself is sympathetic.
Hopefully, all will go through hapilly, and I can see why the buyer wants to check the thing is afloat, but I can see why the seller wants his money, as its all too easy for the seller to think he has a time waster on his hands.
Best thing is for the buyer to move promptly, and assure the seller he indeed does want to buy the boat at the agreed price; and more specifically that he isnt tryng to alter the price.
 
Thanks again guys, obviously a good spectrum of ebay dealers. Winning an auction on ebay is, as many of you point out a contract which is binding on the buyer but also on the vendor to deliver the goods as described.
The vendor in this case gave a description of the boat and its condition and agread to have the boat hauled out and presented on its trailer ready for me to tow away.
I dont want to give him a cheque at this stage for the full amount until I see it ready to go and know that there is no ownership/mooring fee hassle and the under water section is fit for purpose. I bought the boat relying on his description and he has a responsibility to supply an honest description.

This could be complete scam he doesnt own the boat ( not likely but possible these days)
He could owe money for mooring.
He may not get it out of the water as promised.
His description may be all lies.

I would not advise anyone to part with their money under those terms.
I have offered a good deposit and to meet him on site with the balance in cash or use pay pal on the spot.
I have told him that I am not a tyre kicker or nit picker. If the boat has been reasonably described then that is the end of it.
We have had a flurry of emails between me and the vendor, hopefully all will be well and I will report accordingly.
 
He may well owe money for a mooring but that debt doesn't transfer with the boat so you could tick that off the list.
Hope all the rest goes OK.
 
I appreciate all what the op has mentioned regarding the payments prior to seeing the boat, however this all should have been agreed prior to you even bidding. I have sold 2 boats on ebay and tried to get anyone who bidded to view first, and I made it a condition that a deposit be paid and the balance on collection, however I let it be known that the deposit was not returnable. Both sold with no problems. however If you dont like the idea of buying blind then go to a broker, unfair on the seller for you to want to make conditions after the auction.
That said I hope all goes well and you enjoy :)
 
One other thing - have you looked at the seller feedback (ideally pre-bid)

Have they sold before and what was the feedback ? Look at carefully - are they over a longish period of time (to avoid the new seller being set up and then creating lots of dummy sales and giving feedback on these via other ids / collaborators)
 
gjgm said:
I m only pointing out how Ebay works (as I understand it, and maybe I'm at fault?). If the buyer wanted to deviate from the standard auction agreement, by saying he'd pay a deposit, or he wanted to inspect it, or anything else, he had the oportunity to discuss with the seller before hand, and agree on those terms. Or the seller to refuse to accept his bidding on those terms - after all someone else might well just pay up. Which buyer would you prefer?
In fact, as far as we know, he did not ask for anything.. he bid on the boat and won the auction. He now wants to amend the agreement.
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If you win an ebay auction as buyer, you have to buy the thing. I am not aware of anything in eBay's T&C's - but I'm open to enlightenment - which says that you must pay before receiving the goods.

Furthermore, he has agreed to buy the boat sas described, and if it isn't as described I doubt he has any obligation to pay. If he turned up with the money in his hand and the buyer smiled and pointed to heap of charred fibreglass would you still say he had to pay?

I sold a GRP sailing dinghy on eBay before Christmas. I was perfectly happy to take it to the buyer (400 miles on the roofrack, but I was going there anyway) so he could look at it, confirm it was as I said, and hand over the cash.

If the OP turned up, claimed to find various spurious defects and tried to haggle the price down then the seller would have every right to feel aggrieved, but if it's a case of "I'll give you the cash when I have checked the boat against the description" it seems an entirely fair and sensible way of doing things.
 
Ubergeekian said:
If the OP turned up, claimed to find various spurious defects and tried to haggle the price down then the seller would have every right to feel aggrieved, but if it's a case of "I'll give you the cash when I have checked the boat against the description" it seems an entirely fair and sensible way of doing things.
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If that is the case it should all have been sorted out before the auction ended.
Seller should have made it clear when payment was expected.
Buyer should have asked the seller if he would accept his terms i.e. deposit and final payment after inspection of goods.
If it is the boat in the Ebay link it appears to me that mistakes have been made on both sides.
The seller does give a phone number though so contact should have been made before bidding.
 
Honestly, i've done a fair amount of business on ebay, both as a seller and buyer and so far (pinkies crossed) i've 100% positive feedback so like to think what i'm doing.

Let's not make this difficult. On large items, pay a reasonable deposit by paypal and the balance on collection of the goods.
Often the seller will stipulate what his/her terms are but if you have any concerns it doesn't hurt to send them a message before bidding to check that your buying terms are ok.

Bottom line is that if you act reasonably and the seller acts reasonably then all works fine.

It is best to resolve any potential payment issues before winning the item but if the item was vastly different from the description given then i'd be happy to walk away and let Ebay's dispute system deal with it. But let's not get excited. Normally, be fair with them and they'll be fair with you and that's as complicated as it needs to get.
 
Ebay

I have bought and sold on Ebay for a while now and i have only had one dud and that was resolved easily . This weekend I am picking up a Wayfarer Dinghy , Sight unseen . It is only £150 on a trailer and I am taking a chance but at that price . I'll let you know how I get on .
 
I too have done lots of buying and selling on Ebay. Whilst everything that has been said about binding contracts etc. is true, you need to be very careful when parting with money for big things. Whilst there is cover with Paypal, for large amounts it is a very difficult and long process to get any money back from them.

There is an understanding amongst serious ebayers that big money means different informal processes.

My recommendation is to not pay a deposit, but to go and get your boat quickly and pay for the whole thing.

Tell the seller that you would like to collect and pay immediately. Ask him to bring proof of ownership and to meet you at the boat. Go along to meet him, check it is as advertised, check that he owns it. If you are happy, find an internet cafe and buy him a cuppa while you make a Paypal transfer.

If you do not want to buy the boat because you are not happy with the condition or proof of title then don't buy it. Let him raise an ebay dispute if he likes. Don't worry - ebay will take forever and eventually agree with you.

If he is not happy with a Paypal payment, again, walk way.
 
Whenever I've bought anything which needs collecting I've always paid cash on collection and sellers always seem happy with that. I don't however suggest to the seller that I might not buy it, though with items such as an outboard motor the seller's often actually asked something like "are you happy with it" after I've had a chance to look at it.
 
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