Odd Problem with Sale of T.

[omextreme]

I have an odd issue with the sale of my 25 T.

I listed the car on ebay and at the last second the car was won by an overseas bidder. Well after much back and forth I decided to let him buy it on the condition that he coordinate all the shipping logistics to export the car.

Well after a few tries the guy managed to pay via paypal for the car and all seemed well..

Here is where is gets weird, The guy did not respond to any emails for a few weeks then popped back into the scene stating that he had had some health issues but was back home.

Now he is gone again without a word, Its been over 2 months since I've heard from the guy, I have his money and his car...

Any thoughts on what I should do? The international number I have for him does not work and no response to emails. The auction ended in September!

[karasmer]

Once the Paypal chargeback period is over there is nothing he can do to get his money back ( I think it is 60 days). I would send one last email with a deadline for pickup. You could also google him looking for an obituary also, never know.

[trulyvintage]

Originally Posted by omextreme

I have an odd issue with the sale of my 25 T.

I listed the car on ebay and at the last second the car was won by an overseas bidder. Well after much back and forth I decided to let him buy it on the condition that he coordinate all the shipping logistics to export the car.

Well after a few tries the guy managed to pay via paypal for the car and all seemed well..

Here is where is gets weird, The guy did not respond to any emails for a few weeks then popped back into the scene stating that he had had some health issues but was back home.

Now he is gone again without a word, Its been over 2 months since I've heard from the guy, I have his money and his car...

Any thoughts on what I should do? The international number I have for him does not work and no response to emails. The auction ended in September!

Did your auction listing specify how long you would hold on to the
vehicle ?

Like you stated - you have his money & his car

Are you going to keep both or return one or the other ?





Jim

[redmodelt]

Contact Ebay, you can do so by phone or through their system for email and ask what you should do. What is the buyers feedback rating? Have they had any activity with their Ebay account in the time from your sale to present? Being as it's the last day of the year I would do it today, esp if you want to cancel the sale and refund his money.

[CharlieB]

A very stupid question: are you absolutely sure you have his money? I'd be smelling a rat by this time and that's your first step. Make sure you have the cash in hand. You might not be returning his money but are getting scammed into returning cash that isn't actually there and turns out to be out of your pocket. I would withdraw the money just to have it in hand (if it's actually there) and continue to try to contact him. If the cash is somehow "faked" you'll soon find out. I definitely don't like this situation and believe your getting taken for a ride. Be careful!

[jimvette59]

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Withdraw the money. Transfer it to your checking account. Then do the right thing.

[omextreme]

The money has long since been withdrawn and cleared. Ebay and paypal both say nothing they can do except send the guy an email. Paypal said just to send him a payment since the refund period has expired.

I am hesitant to just send the guy his money back and have it reach his paypal account if he cannot check it for some reason. I dont mind holding the car for a while longer I just cannot hold it forever. Id rather he get the car and I be done with it.

What a mess....

[J Franklin]

Send him the money minus the ebay and paypal fees that it cost you, via Paypal and let him or his heirs deal with it.

[CharlieB]

If you actually have cash in hand as you say you do hold it. Notify e bay as to the situation and find out if there's a waiting period after which you're free to resell the car. If he turns up again beyond that point and the cars sold you're clear and can return the cash with a clear head. Don't attempt to return any thing as you really don't know where it's going and he can say he's never recieved it.

[kidflash]

I agree with CharlieB it is up to the bidder to reach out to you at
this point
strangers things have happened

[Jack Innes]

Originally Posted by CharlieB

If you actually have cash in hand as you say you do hold it. Notify e bay as to the situation and find out if there's a waiting period after which you're free to resell the car. If he turns up again beyond that point and the cars sold you're clear and can return the cash with a clear head. Don't attempt to return any thing as you really don't know where it's going and he can say he's never recieved it.

I would agree with Charlie. Do not send anything anywhere until you hear directly from the purchaser. In the meantime I would ask the local bailiff or sheriff what the procedure is regarding applying a lien on a car you are storing. It varies from place to place but there is a process in place that allows you to legitimately sell the car after a set period of time.

[gz]

I realize the buyer is in Europe, but if you have some sort of mailing address for him (there is usually one with a Paypal payment) then mail a letter to the address that requires a signature. In the letter tell him you will store the car for X period of time at a cost of X dollars up to a certain date. Also, put a clause in the letter that if he does expect a refund for the car, there will be X deducted from the purchase price as a cancellation fee. Make sure the X amount is significant, such as 25 or 35% of the purchase price. Like others have stated, do not automatically refund his money. I assume you still have the title as well?

[Royce P]

Agree with Guy - you should start invoicing for storage until the value of the car equals the storage. Then sell the car again.

[CharlieB]

You're holding all the cards (cash and the car) so what's the point of threats? While I don't believe it the guy could be dead, hospitalized off line for whatever reason or even in jail. Make reasonable attempts to contact him through Pay Pal and any other options available, find out your rights as far as time limits and such and go from there. Your not in a bad position it's just not where you want to be.

[ldj1002]

I had similar happen about 25 years ago. I sold a Model A without an engine to a guy an he paid half. Said he would be back an pick it up and pay rest in about a month. Time pasted and he didn't show up. I called, mailed an did everything I could to get in contact and no answer, just like he had disappeared from the face of the earth. Several months later I bought an engine and put in it and used it like it was mine. About a year later he called and said he wanted to pick it up, now what do I do? He has or did have a bill of sale from me, I still have title. I told him what I had done and what money I had put in it and told him what I thought my labor was worth and he said no problem, I'll be there in a couple weeks, pay you and get the car. That is exactly what he did.

[CharlieB]

That happened to me too. I got pissed that the guy was trying to tie me up for "a couple of weeks" until he got the money. The difference is I refused his down payment. Come back when you've got the cash. If it's still here it's yours. He called back twice with the same song and dance after which I sold the car to another buyer. If he'd have kept his mouth shut and put a binder on the car to hold it I probably would have been screwed but he would only have left with a recipt for the binder with a time limit on it not a bill of sale.

[ronn]

Went through the same thing-he paid for a 51 chevy wagon and never heard from the guy again. I had agreed to store it for approx 6 months. After 1 year, I sold it for a little less
and all was quite. Couldn't reach him by email or phone.
Fast forward 5 years and I get a call from the guy-he was in a horrific car accident, sounded really bad and I didn't even know who he was at first....
I gave him a refund that was for the lessor amount it sold for the 2nd time and took just a few dollars for my ebay costs to rerun the sale.

Technically I could have kept all of the $-just think if you had been in a similar accident and how you would have felt? Always good to do what's right.

[CharlieB]

I don't get it. 1 year, 5 years. What does a person expect after that lenght of time? Obviously in the cases stated here it pays but I'm betting in most it doesn't. But honestly after 5 years? I'm not sure about how I'd have handled that one.

[yachtsmanbill]

ws

[perichbrothers]

I had a similar situation when selling a belly tank (LSR style) on ebay,
a bidder from Austria ended up winning after a bidding frenzy.
There was definitely 2 weeks of expecting the high price to be cancelled,
but after a couple hard to read emails,
a small deposit was made on my paypal account.
A couple weeks later the balance was sent,
a US cashiers check from one of his contacts on the east coast.
Then a month went by.
Then another month.
I had emailed him and found him on the HAMB,
and he said he was coordinating a trip to the US in the summer.
Then summer passed.
His trip was planned for the fall.
No problem the tank was safe mounted on the shop wall,
the money was long gone.
Anyway out of the blue he calls one evening.
He'd be here in a couple days.
This was about 8-9 months after the purchase.
He and his son ended up living within 30 miles of where my grandfather was raised,
and we had an instant rapport.
He used my shop space to collect parts from his southern california purchases.
Bigtime gearhead,
and had bought stuff all over the states,
driving this illegally registered ford van cross country full of parts.
Some of you may have had contact with him - Sepp.

Anyway when all was said and done,
he GAVE us the 2001 e350 with $500 to get it registered,
so he could have a van to use when he came back in 6 months.

Well it took him 1-1/2 or 2 years almost to come back,
in that time I had dialed in the van and used it as my work/daily.
He flew in and ended up renting a SUV,
surprised that I even had the van still!
We still talk and I'll pick up stuff he buys if its local.
It's been over 4 years and I still drive that thing!

TP