Purchasing a Vehicle on Ebay - Safely

Ebay is a great place to shop for a vehicle. However, how do you know that the seller is legitimate? Most of the time you can complete transactions such as this with no problem whatsoever, but there are steps you should follow...always.

The old adage "if it's sounds too good to be true, it probably is", does not always apply with Ebay purchases. Many times a seller will put something on Ebay without a reserve (set selling price), expecting it to go for a price he/she thinks is fair. Often times the market will not be as dense as the seller expects and the item will close for much less than the seller expected. Regardless of the selling price, Ebay auctions are legal contracts. The seller has to sell and you have to buy. Regardless if the item sold for the price the seller expected. Beside the seller's ID is a number. This will tell you how many transactions they have made on Ebay. If you left click on this number you will be taken to their history/feedback page. This will give a good indication of the character. If they have a long history of satisfactory transactions, all should be good. If the history is very short, or riddled with unhappy reports, you may want to look deeper, or pass it up altogether.

Expect to be asked for a deposit after the sale to hold the car. If you see the car, and find that it is not what the seller represented, you may back out of the sale, but must report this to Ebay so that you are not flagged for non-payment.

There are things you should do before contracting the purchase though. If there are not plenty of pictures, ask for more. If the seller does not want to provide more photos, or gives excuses why they can't, it could mean several things. Perhaps they do not have possession of the vehicle. Perhaps it is not in the condition represented. Most people have a digital camera, or at least access to one and can provide pictures.

Be familiar with the vehicle type you are looking at. Know the fair market value of the vehicle. Kelly Blue Book has an online site, use it to determine the fair price. Ask about the features and their function capabilities. Ask about the condition of the engine and the mileage. Has there been any work done on the vehicle? Do they have record of the work? Has the vehicle been involved in an accident?

If the vehicle you are purchasing is a classic, ask for the VIN (vehicle identification number). You will find online sites that will assist in looking up the VIN. This number will tell you many things about the vehicle, such as make, model, and year. It will also tell you the place of assembly and things such as original paint color. You will also want to know the engine number, rear axle number, cowl and trim tag numbers. Cross-referencing these numbers with the VIN will assure that the car is an original classic, and this point alone will have a huge impact n the value of the vehicle. Some vehicles also have hidden VIN tags or stamps.

If you venture into the world of Ebay to make a vehicle purchase, you can do so without getting burned...if you have done your research.