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Tips
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While
the majority of people involved
in the hobby are honest
and well-intentioned people,
there are some basic guidelines
we would encourage you to
use when buying or selling
a bike over a distance.
It's not like buying a bike
from around the corner.
In addition to basics, there
are also some scams you
should be aware of.
We will try to inform you
of any shady dealings that
we hear of but there are
bound to be innovative crooks
out there with something
new at every turn in the
road. So the old addage "If
it sounds too good to be
true… or sounds fishey,
steer clear. It is a good
rule of thumb. Also, if
anyone wants you to give
them money back when they
buy your bike or parts….
One simple rule "DON"T" Let
them work out whatever their
problem is themselves. Now
having said that. We will
list a few of the scams
we are aware of and give
some links to places that
may be of some help if you
should choose to pursue
it.
Transfer of Money when buying
a car. Both buyers and sellers
need to know that a "Cashiers
Check" is not as good as
cash. They can be stopped,
they can be counterfeited,
they can be forged or changed
to reflect a different amount
than purchased for. Unless
you are very very confident
of the person who is giving
you a cashiers check then
you need to think about
whether you should accept
one. You can no longer verify
the validity of a cashiers
check by calling the bank
that issued it. You will
not know if it was real
for several weeks. If accepting
a cashiers check you should
be careful to validate the
identity of the person giving
it to you. It may be just
fine but don't just accept
a cashiers check at face
value… you could
get stung.
Wire transfers are the safest
method of transfer that
we know of, followed only
by Western Union. In both
of these instances, actual
cash must be available before
the transfer is made. You
do need to be wary of giving
out your banking information
to people though. We have
heard that some of these
scam artists are now saying
they will wire money to
people and getting their
banking numbers and somehow
using the information to
get money from the account.
You should always check
with your banking institution
for advice on any type of
transfer of funds or acceptance
of checks. They are the
experts…. Not us.
We would advise that you
NEVER give this type of
information out by email
or to anyone who you cannot
verify the identity of by
phone, U.S. Mail, etc. Do
not do business with anyone
who you cannot talk to and
get a physical location
for .... if they are not
willing to provide this
information then they have
something to hide.
Transportation of Vehicles:
If you hire a transport
company to ship your bike,
we would recommend that
you check their records
thoroughly. We would recommend
that you do not go with
any company that has a non-refundable
deposit or who will not
give you a delivery date
in writing. This includes
the companies who advertise
with us. We do not check
the credentials of our advertisers,
but we will refuse advertising
and remove anyone who has
had complaints lodged against
them with us and who we
feel have not "made it right" with
our customers. We suggest
that you check the Better
Business Bureau in the town
where the company is located
and also check the Department
of Transportation record
for the company. Some companies
change names frequently
to avoid bad reports so
beware of a company that
is "new" as it may just
have changed it's name.
Get references….
We think that personal references
are a great way to check
out these companies.
This is the most common
scam for people selling
cars and/or other goods
either on the internet or
in newspapers… They
send a message like this …..
Dear sir/Ma, I am an international
business man, specialised
in dealing,purchasing and
selling of autos.I also
help my foreign client to
ship there auto to any place
of there desired country
or destination, most especially
Europe cause i have a shipper
who takes care of the shippment,
so shipping will not pose
any problem. Presently i
have a client who has asked
me to help him purchase
an auto subjected above
which will be shipped to
africa . As i was browsing
through the internet, i
saw your advert and i will
like to purchase it for
my client, but before payment
will be made i need to be
sure of who i will be dealing
with if you are going to
be honest and sincere throughout
the transaction.So to start
with, signify your interest
by forwarding to me your
last offer as well as your
method(s) of payment through
the email, after which we
can continue with the transaction
and i promise if all conditions
and agreement are accepted
and reached on time, payment
will be made out almost
immediately.hoping to here
from you as soon as possible.
Respectfully, Charlton Heston.......… FOLLOWED
UP WITH ….
Thanks for your urgent response.
My Client perffered mode
of payment is a cashiers
check in united states dollars
well the price offer $2000
is okay by me but i will
like you to include ($4500)
this will covers my commission
and the shipment fee bringing
the total amount to $ 6500
which will be on your performa
invoice. Be informed that
I have spoken with my client
as regards the price and
he has agreed to make the
payment , but before I give
him the go ahead I want
you to assure me of sending
the balance ($4,500) to
my shipper through WESTERN
UNION MONEY TRANSFER immedaitely
you recieve the payment
from my client since the
payment will be made to
you directly via cashiers
check drawn on U.S bank
to enable me pay my shipping
fees and arrange pick-up
from your location. Inview
of the above, I want you
to give me your word of
trust so that we can proceed
with this transaction if
you are okay with my conditions.if
this is okay by u get back
to me with your Full Name,
Address and phone number
which the check will be
sent to. I await your urgent
response. Respectfully,
Charlton Heston
Sometimes they say they
are from another country….
But not all of them are.
This scam has been going
on for a few years now but
they continue to bilk people.
Below are some links to
places for more information
and possible help Scam Links
Fraud.org , Nigerian Scam
Alert Page ScamBusters.org
Other Resources Dept of
Transportation for info
on specific Transport companies
You can enter the Name or
DOT number of any company
in the left margin. Or Main
Page Dept. of Transportation
Buying a bike over a distance
is done all the time, and
in most cases it works out
fine …… but….
(there's that "but") there
are some common sense things
you can do to keep your
purchase from ending up
poorly. There is no substitution
for you PERSONALLY looking
at and driving the bike
before you buy it. We know
that this is not always
possible but would advise
that you have someone look
at a car before you buy
it. You can get an appraisal
or inspection by a professional.
You could have a friend
or relative nearby go look
at it. You could contact
a club or organization in
the area of the car and
see if someone affiliated
with them would look at
the car for you. If you
do decide to buy a bike
without anyone looking at
it you should at least get
very very good pictures
and a video of the vehicle
including sound with the
engine running. But no matter
how good the pictures or
video there is no substitute
for a personal inspection
of some kind. We hope that
this has been of some help
to you and given you some
resources and information
for what may be a very large
transaction. We know that
most people in our community
are great people but the
big bad world out there
does have some elements
that are out to defraud
people and some of those
people do infiltrate our
little niche from time to
time. We have tried to include
information we thought would
be helpful but really can't
pretend that we know of
all of the schemes out there
so please just always be
aware and do your homework
before buying or selling
your vehicle.... that way
everyone will be happy !
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