ALS 08

I sold my C4 on E-Bay last fall. Guy came by Trailways. I picked him up at the bus depot and he drove the C4 home. Nice transation.

rwpatte

Did the same thing on the Cooksey. Flew to Omaha for p/up. Smooth sailing all the way. Dealer said they never sell them on E Bay, just use it as a advertising tool. With that said, be careful.

mike_1103

I'm in the process of buying my first Vette on eBay right now. I have the Title in hand as we speak, and the car will be delivered next Thursday.

I was looking for very specific options and color, so I had a saved search on eBay that sent me daily e-mails when Corvette showed up. Two weeks ago, this one popped up:

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?...m=300241203623

.. and I knew it was THE one!

Here's what I did so far:

Before contacting the Seller

1 - I did check the Seller's feedback: 287 feedbacks, 100% positive
2 - I went to the dealer's website to see what kind of operation they had;
3 - I checked on Google Maps and Street View to see if there was indeed an operation at the address mentioned;
4 - I did check the Carfax (was included free in the listing);
5 - I've asked a fellow Corvette Forum member to send me the GMVIS Summary to check the Claims History and to check if the car had a Salvage Title;

Contacting the Seller

1 - I sent an e-mail asking if the car was still for sale and if he would ship to Canada (did I mention I am canadian and I am exporting the car? ) on Sunday night;
2 - Monday morning the Seller called me and we chatted. This is important because if something is fishy you will detect it here;
3 - I've asked if I could have the car inspected by an independant mechanic and the seller immediately agreed (another test);

Inspecting the car

1 - I contacted a local inspection company. Look on Google or the Yellow pages for the locality you are buying from. Chatted with the guy, and agreed on a price.
2 - Got the car inspected the same day (was scheduled for the next day but the mechanic had a cancellation).
3 - Received report by e-mail. This told me two things: the car really exists, and it is as represented on eBay;

Making an offer

1 - I called the seller and told him I was interested in the car, but the market was slow, bla... bla... bla...
2 - We settled on a price and arranged shipping to the nearest Border office (Champlain, NY for those interested. The car is in Dallas, TX);
3 - I bought the car using "Buy it now!" on eBay. Doing the transaction through eBay Motors protects the buyer up to $50000 if there is a problem;

Transferring the funds

1 - I received all documentation by fax, signed the required papers and sent it back. Amongst those documents were the Wire Transfer details;
2 - I went to my bank and transferred the money. Two hours later, it was in the seller's account;

Getting the Title

1 - The Title was sent to me DHL Express, so I received it the next day. With that, I was able to begin the exportation process (won't go into these details here) and I knew I was now the owner of a C6;

Shipping the car

1 - To my Seller's suggestion, I will have the car shipped to the closest US Chevy Dealer, where I took arrangements to have an oil change and the required maintenance performed.

That's where I stand right now. The car will leave Dallas today, and should get to Upstate New York next Thursday. I'm losing some sleep right now, not because of the transaction, but because I will finally have my first Vette within a week!

Hope this helps,

Mike.

mikejpss

In the recent past of 6 years I have bought 2 Vettes from eBay, one 1981 model and one 1973 model. My father told me I was hard headed and that I would learn slow, his voice still echoes from his grave to me.

The 81 was not as represented in the ad-he lied about a new paint job-my grand daughter could have done better with cans of spray paint, but since I had met the guy in Atlanta -half way for both of us- he refused to give back my $1000 deposit if I didnt close the deal. I was stuck but determined NOT to let it get me and drove on to rebuild the car -ground up, body on- and enjoy.(trailered home b/c it would not run). Sold it for a few $k profit but lost if u include the labor,even at $5/hr.
Second Vette was the 73 from Indiana- the guy was a complete azzhole after he received the money, there was no surprise when the car finally showed up that he had lied about every item on the car. Even eBay agreed he lied, but eBay WOULD NOT reimburse me for any of the car- BEWARE eBays claim to step in if fraud appears. This guy DID NOT HAVE A TITLE ,still eBay would not pay the fraud insurance as they advertised. Took 3 months to get a title, that was not in his name...I used the "Buy-It-Now" option to get the eBay protection-what a scam there !
Bottom line- I will NOT buy anything on eBay for more than $25.00 .
Also, the shippers that advertise on eBay are scams also, I have several stories to email or pm you about those clowns. STAY AWAY FROM EBAY-UNLESS YOU CAN PHYSICALLY SEE THE CAR AND ITS SELLER.
The VIN report you get from eBay is a generic piece of crap unless the car was totally burned, was pulled out of a river ,etc. Unless someone reports the abuse to the car, it will not be on the report.....Are you gonna report that it was under water for 2 weeks before you sell it?

mikejpss

keep reading the remaining post(s).Not all eBay experiences are good. My 2 car purchases were bad even doing the homework. Bottom line is people will lie to get what they want, on and off of eBay.
The op really did say something without saying anything, and perhaps thats the same response I should have sent in and saved some typing.

Racer

Actually I have been reading them all and it is still overwhelming positive buying off of Ebay, you just have to be smart. I am proof it can be done, I have done it successfully SO MANY TIMES!
All those things you are mentioning can happen no matter how yo ubuy it, even if you see a car in person, lot's of stuff can be hidden, so using Ebay is a cop out. Some of the most prestigious Auto dealers in the world use ebay...go figure.

sss3d

Was gonna buy a vette but ordered the inspection report and it went through many accidents!!

Lemans C6

i bought my 06 3LT
never saw it or nothing.
just looked up on the seller and car.
everything was fine and i saved alot of $$$

Gregg C Lewis

I was very leery about buying a car off Ebay...Lookied on Ebay for 3 months, found Exotic Cars, Dallas Texas...........just about to make the final bid and just couldnt pay for a car without seeing it first.......Airline tickets were $1200 so I had a friend in Dallas go see it and he said.." Man, you have to buy this car, its perfect"...I felt alot better and bid the final bid and won. Ebay has a $20,000 fraud clause which means if it isnt what is says it is, you are protected......my vette was advertised as perfect, 5k miles, 2006, 3lt, Monterrey Red Metallic, Z performance pkg, Headsup , Nav, CD, coupe, auto with transparent top....it was perfect......delivered on a two level custon semi, closed, wood paneled interior with two Ferraris and 5 HD motorcycles...she was strapped down and in perfect condition.....now I will buy a BMW off Ebay when I find the right one.....had a great experience......

0Rage@AutoBuffs

Bought my 07 Z off Ebay, sight unseen. Flawless transaction!

Gulliver

I started out looking at used on eBay but ended up buying new from a Dealership. Fot the few $ more I thought the new one was worth it.

Golf clubs however..

Bradleyluke

I got a C5 for sale on there right now..bought my new C6 on there..no problems..like everyone said do your homework...
140262120639 is my item number to the one for sale..

Brad

edv2122

My very first vette (C5) I purchsed from Ebay. BUT the vehicle was only 2 hours away and the seller agreed to hold it until I could see it in person. It only had 700mi on it, nearly new and the seller was confident I would love it which I did and purchsed it.

NappysVette

Just use eBay for Accessories. eBay has everything for the Vette, at awesome prices.

mbsigman

Mr Mike 1103,

THANK YOU for posting the exact steps for what to do/how to do for ebay car purchasing.

Lots of posts on this thread admonishing people to "do your homework" but what the heck does that mean?

You took your time and spelled out what someone needs to do for an ebay purchase and I'm sure I speak for many (including lurkers) when I say thanks.

The dealership chain where we've purchased several Cadillacs and my Vette swears by ebay. I used cars.com to find my daily driver and limited my search to within 75 miles of our home. The vast majority of cars I saw on that sight looked really, really good in the photos. When I got there and did a stem to stern inspection, they were junk. Finally found a family dealership that had a car listed; ended up with that particular car.

Probably the most important point you made was the need for an inspection.

Thanks again.

Mike

colesc5

I purchased my 07 vette from a private seller in Las Vegas! He had a low Buy It Now Price and after talking to him on the phone and assuring me the car was legit I pressed the Buy It Now button! I did an autocheck on the vehicle before even talking to the guy and everything checked out! I only put downa $1.000 via Paypal and brought a Cashier's check with me for the balance! Once at his house we went to his Bank to verify the validity of my check and we were on the road an hour later! Flew out to Vegas with my 13 year old son and drove 1800 miles back to Winnipeg, Canada without absolutely no problems whatsover other than being pulled over by Leos! A couple of times for speeding and a couple for no plates on the car! My son and I had a trip of a lifetime!!! I would and will do it again in a second!!!

sss3d

Nice! See colesc5, good deals from using Ebay. That's a trip he will remember.

Tom Steele

I just purchased my 2007 Z06 from a Caddy dealer in NJ. Carfax says the car is one owner and then was offered for sale by the dealer - which makes me think the car was owned for a year and a half and then traded for a Caddy...

Pictures a plenty and spoke with the salesperson.

I'm hoping that carfax, very low mileage (4,100) and dealing with a Cadillac/GM dealer will help decrease my chances of having a bad experience!

This thread has me nervous about what I thought was a pretty safe deal.

I WILL REPORT BACK after the car arrives, it is scheduled to be here 10/06 through DAS (which also has me worried after reading here!)

Wish me luck!!!

danl72

I would never buy a car from ebay or any car that I can not physically inspect myself first. I would rather pay more for a car knowing about it and seeing it.

oldschooler07

I've bought a couple and sold several more high end cars. I treat the folks that have bought from me very well. The little touch of, airport valet, a complete detail, lunch/dinner, full tank of gas and willingness to compensate their transportation costs if the vehicle was not what they expected it to be. This is the way I've been treated too. I guess you have to be an educated consumer.