Hi all, I have a 69 coupe that i will sell, anyway on the forum I noticed someone in Europe looking to buy a C-3 so I said Ill sell mine and quoted him a price, the person seamed interested with the usual things,send pics, so I did of every thing and even video of driving the car. Now this person in Europe has an e-mail of a business and his name as the owner and or the manager,This is where I sent the pics. I looked it up on the Internet,looks legit . He is telling me that a good friend of his will come soon to look at the car, this is good and OK with me, I have a big gun LOL, just being cautious well the more we have talked every thing seems to be going OK, so today I get an e-mail from him saying that his friend cant make it, and that someone else may come to look at the car next week, so this is OK, but today's e-mail was strange to say the least. On my avatar I have listed my name and where I'm from, he seems intent on purchasing the car, he wants my name address , he already has my phone # now he wants me to give him my bank account # so he will know where to send the money LOL, right, NO I'm not going to do that. So has anyone here on the forum dealt with selling a car in Europe how did you make the money transaction, I don't have to sell the car but the price is right if the deal is legit, at this point I guess ill tell him if he trust his friend that will be looking at the car he can give me what ever, Ill take it to the bank make sure it clears and then do the deal, just need some opinions here, don't plan on getting riped off. Was thinking of opening another account put $5 in it and see if I can get him If that be the case what do you think. Thanks. You can never be to careful in this day and time.

 

I know there are ligit overseas buyers, but with all the scams out there I'm not sure I'd take a chance. I have done wire transfers for car sales, but only in the U.S. so I'm not sure what, if ant, recourse you would have if he would stop payment, or give you a fraudulent check. Fake bank checks are one of the latest scams. If you have talked to him on the phone, that's a good sign as scammers don't often make verbal contact, but who knows what they might be doing now. If it seems legit to you, I would do what you said and open an account in order for him to wire the money. Once there, transfer it to your account. I don't think there is a way to fake a wire transfer, but who knows these days.

Good luck, and let us know how it turns out

 

I have had a little experience with selling something overseas and the scams are the same worldwide. When I was going to make a transaction like this, I called my bank for ideas. They said to open a new account and have the money wired there. The bank will verify funds and once that happens you can transfer the money to you other account. Then you can agree to send the title and car to wherever. You should call you bank to verify their policies though. Good luck!

 

Buddy that sounds like the scams that are going around now,just like the one you described.Ive had a couple just like yours ,i was selling a couple things on ebay and racejunk.com, they were all like yours and wanted my bank info.BE VERY CAUTIOUS . dont give your bank info.Get a check or money order and wait till it clears then do your deal.

 

Need more exacting info on this one to make a call...But,!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!






Stay in tune....

 

That whole thread from the get go sounded like a scam! I would not give up anymore of your personal information.He might already have to much.Keep your big gun handy.

 

It is possible to make a legitimate sale to an overseas buyer but this one does smell strange.

Some years ago I sold a '58 Vette, all matching #'s nice car, to a buyer in Japan but the deal was made through a broker here in the U.S. Certified major U.S. bank check that I confirmed with a local branch before the car moved off my property. The deal took a little while with all the pictures and communications back and forth but at the end of the day everyone was happy.

Beware.

 

I've done these too and as others have said, open another bank account. I did at another bank. Just don't use Bank of America, they said it would take 2 weeks to clear an international wire transfer and my wife has been a customer for over 20 years. Go talk to a bank and see how best they would handle it. All the buyer really needs is the name and new account number.

Be upfront and forthright with your buyer. Tell him the rules, the money out of your new account before he gets the car and title. Doesn't matter how he gets the money into your account.
Don't blow a deal because you've heard stories.

 

firstvett69 contact me I may very well be interested in your Vette and you would not have to go thru all the HUBB Bubb of feeling unsafe with an over the seas transaction. I sent you a PM with me contact info.

 

Hi all !

here is the one that has been so stupid to ask for a bank account number to pay the car .....

sorry, but here in Europe all business works that way, no problem for private persons and also not for companys, it is just usual and all of us Europeans do it that way if the objekt to buy cant get payed from eye to eye. It also is the safest way here.

Actually a person that was payed also via account no. now is waiting to receive the money i have sent, after receiving my money this person from a US-Classic-car-company in L.A. will check the car for me because my company /family situation does not allow me to go myself, believe me i would if i could.

So please guys, dont think bad about me because i didnt know how you guys do payments usually if you cannot pay it yourself.

one last word :

even our bank managers here ( i live in a small village here in austria) did not know how to make this transfer, they also had to ask how it would work best and safe, its not all days that someone from a small village near Mattighofen / Upper Austria wants to buy a car in California. This was the only reason why i asked that early for account or such things, just preparing a fair deal.

Trust me, i just wanna buy a nice car and firstvett is still invited to visit me and my family !

 

This is exactly what I did when I sold my C4 to a guy in NY. I opened a free bank account with a $5.00 deposit, and had a wire transfer done. Worked like a champ.
I would not do any checks, bank checks, or money orders. They all can bounce, and can take up to 3-4 weeks (international) to clear ....or bounce..... Get the money in that new acct (via wire transfer) and pull it out via a bank check, and then re-deposit it in your personal acct..... Good luck!

 

I sold my '09 Challenger to a gent in Germany last fall, did the deal with a wire transfer. The suggestions to open a new account with $5 isn't a bad idea to make you feel more secure in the transaction, but like Stocki said, it's par for the course in Europe. The deal went fairly smoothly, but my credit union had never done the transaction before and they were more worried about it than I was. Not all deals are scams, but there are enough out there that it makes us paranoid when the real thing comes around. A bank account # would be needed to make the transfer, and like someone above said, even a bank certified check can be stopped for a valid cause. If you've spoken with them on the phone and in e-mail, you should be getting an idea of how real it is, and if all you have in the account is $5, that's all they can get out of the deal if it is a scam. It's a chance, but then, almost everything in life is a chance.

 

Scam, scam, scam. As soon as you ask him to send the cash to his friend the cash and make the deal in cash will be the last time you hear from him.
I spent 8 years in investigations (plain cloths) and saw plenty of these deals. All from overseas. Can't be traced. The'll use legit names that can be googled or have phone lines to be answered. These countries do not cooperate with investigations, I suspect they get a cut.
They are just a little different than the e-mails you get every once in a while regarding a wealthy father died and left a billion dollars to their ill daughter who wants help getting her money into the US and will split it with you for using your bank account.
The only thing that splits is your cash.
They play on a good sounding deal. Used to be from Nigeria but have branched out to other countries.

 

no need to make all people fear .....

my payment is on the way from Europe to California, will arrive soon at the company's account that has done the check of the car btw, was a great check, very well done from usclassiccars

Mr. usclassiccars will make the payment in cash and pickup the car for me and send it over here, so cross fingers for me that ship doesnt sink

there are more honest people than bandits all over the world, trust me

 

I'mm glad to see you are legit. There are too many scammers out there.

When I was selling my vette. I had a gentleman interested in my Vette from Germany. I would have worked out a deal with him, but then he got notice from the government that he had a big tax bill due and had to back out of the deal.

Then, someone contacted me from my ebay listing. Said he was in the Navy and out to sea, wanted to buy it for his son's graduation. Wanted my account number to send money. It sounded wrong from the start, and it was. I told him if he wants the vette, send me a certified bank check, or send the money to a relative and then have them send me a bank check, and when it clears, the car was his. That was the only way he would get it. Didn't hear from him again.

Unfortunately everyone needs to be very cautious when dealing with over seas transactions.

Good luck, and enjoy your Vette!
Glenn

 

 

Hello all, Well in my previous post was concerned about selling my 69 to a European and how the money transfer would take place, as I said in my post we can never be to care full when sell or buying with out the seller/buyer not having eye contact with each other and doing an upfront person to person deal, but honesty is the first step, It is a shame when we have to think right off that everyone in a crook,(as my buyer said a bandit) I'm glad that I let him know,not to get stung and to be very cautious. It is well worth having a reputable company help in the transaction to set buyer and seller at ease, Yes it will cost a few hundred dollars more but it will save you in the long run. We should all know how to do these transactions safely. My buyer was an up front person as I fell i was, but I steal feel Strange abought the deal, And that is that the buyer has only seen pics of the car and taken someone else's opinion that the car is every thing I said it was. I hope the buyer Is not disappointed, I know that he got a great deal on a 69 coupe 350/350 that is as close to a survivor car as you can get less one repaint and tires, a well taken care of car, So when we are faced with a buy/ sell situation, Yes do your home work but please don't think that its a ripoff from the get go, I believe we as Americans should look at our European friends as having one up on us in honesty, that's to bad for us. Just one last thing, THANKS stocki26 for your understanding and patience on a long distance deal, I think things worked out great for the both of us, and THANKS to all the forum members for you input. Good luck to stocki26 and his soon to be new ride, (8 weeks before the car will arrive, I hope you can take it, I surely could not And now im going to have to change my forum avitar, give me time

 

Hi Garry, thanks back to you, and it will be a good deal for both of us for sure, thats what i have in my feeling because of all the mails you sent to me. All other things we can talk in private E-Mail or hopefully anytime face to face if one visits the other one !

@all :
Deal is completed from my side, car and shipping is payed, and i am sure.....no, I KNOW it is a good car and a fair deal

have fun with your vettes, same as me in some weeks

 

Get cash before the car or title leaves your possession. Cashier's checks can sit on hold for 15 days minimum.

 

So is the vette on a slow boat to Europe? How does it get there? ie, what port does it go into, and then does it go by truck the rest of the way? Post pics when it arrives. .... just remembered seller is in California.. that is a long boat ride!