Maybe they did a postcode lookup, saw the firestation, and thought you were a wanna-be ghostbuster?
I have put a car for sale on ebay. Somebody won it and started making arrangements for collection. I gave him/her my telephone number 2 twice but they
did not call me but kept sending ebay messages about collection. I said until I speak to them I would not give my house address out to some stranger
on the internet, particular since through all the communication he/she knew my working hours. There is a fire station opposite my house so I said here
is the address I would meet you there. Not saying its opposite my house
This was the delightful response I got
" are you mentally disturbed? or are you on some type of medication? we are motor traders and have been for over 7 years. you are thr weirdest
person i have ever come accross. just read your messages or show someone else them and they will tell you you sound crazy."
So what do you think? Am I on some medication. TBH It really made me laugh this morning
i awlays get a bit nervous too when selling something, and they come round to collect. Just like you said, if you tell them you're at work until
5, then they know where there is an empty house with something they want inside
Maybe they did a postcode lookup, saw the firestation, and thought you were a wanna-be ghostbuster?
If I'd bought the car and you wouldn't give me the address to collect I'd think it a bit odd!
Whenever I've sold or bought stuff the collection address has been freely disclosed. Having said that I've never given work times though so
I can partly understand.
Exactly what I thought, what happens If I get back home and the car has gone? or better still house burgled looking for car keys
Also, if someone won't exchange numbers, that's odd. If they're motor traders then equally odd because surely they'll have public
facing numbers to work from.
I would contact ebay about this.
Also, be sure you get payment through paypal or other secure service (such as paypal, bank transfer, or go to the bank with them to see the money come
out of the cashier's till) - it woudn't be the first time dodgy notes get passed about.
[Edited on 17/10/12 by FuryRebuild]
You are perfectly in the right and I think the person replying is being quite rude
I'd have replied back say thanks to their comments they have lost the deal, tough and it’s a wonder they are still in business with such an
attitude
Reading it again I'd be very suspicious of the whole thing, it sounds wrong, got a bad feeling about it. Don't think you should give any
personal details to them. They may be fishing for locations to rob
[Edited on 17/10/12 by Mr Whippy]
quote:
Originally posted by Mr Whippy
You are perfectly in the right and I think the person replying is being quite rude
I'd have replied back say thanks to their comments they have lost the deal, tough and it’s a wonder they are still in business with such an attitude
Reading it again I'd be very suspicious of the whole thing, it sounds wrong, got a bad feeling about it. Don't think you should give any personal details to them. They may be fishing for locations to rob
[Edited on 17/10/12 by Mr Whippy]
Yes replied saying, if he wants the car its still here. Just pick up the phone and ring, No replies so far. Have to wait a few days to relist the car
quote:
Originally posted by femster87
Yes replied saying, if he wants the car its still here. Just pick up the phone and ring, No replies so far. Have to wait a few days to relist the car
My chum won a car on Ebay so contacted the seller to get the address. He had the cash in his hand ready to go. The seller refused to give any details until the car was paid for in full via Paypal! Needless to say, the deal fell through!
I can sort of understand the buyer.... but before I would provide an address either via ebay or phone I would want a paypal deposit. After that the
risk of providing your address and meeting time/date via ebay or over the phone (i.e. prepaid mobiles) is the same.
If I was buying I would never agree to meet someone other than the registered address for the car.
There are risks on both sides so I can understand the buyer especially if they have paid a deposit.
I think the buyer is being quite rude and there is no excuse for rudeness. However when buying and selling stuff on ebay I don't like organising it via the telephone. The reason is simply because I like to reply at a time of my choice and I like all messages to be recorded incase of problems. I find it mildly frustrating when the seller/buyer refuses to be contact via email. Still no need to be rude though.
I can understand both sides, but it's something that can be sorted out easily.
MInd you, I'd be telling him where to go if he sent that message to me.
you can get theretel number via ebay using the seach facility, why not do that and see if its a genuine number? if not then you have more reason to be cautious?
I agree that there is reason for both of you to be a little cautious, especially nowadays. But as Scott said, it can easily be sorted.
Oh, and BTW, regarding your condition....keep taking the pills chap 
Forgot to say, if you've run out, I've probably got some spare 
[Edited on 17/10/12 by Daddylonglegs]
That seems a very odd thing to say to any one and I can't believe a motor trader has worked 7 years and this is the weirdest thing someone has
said to him. I've also never been in contact with motor traders who didn't prefer phone contact.
Have a go at seeing if he does have a phone number listed.
Two points:
- The 'ebay is a contract'thing DOES NOT apply to cars - read their T&Cs and you will see that
- A winning bidder can automatically request your address - there is a link you can use to view another users information -
see here
I would agree it is a bit odd not giving them your address to pick it up - particularly given the information above, but his response is VERY ott.
quote:
Originally posted by owelly
My chum won a car on Ebay so contacted the seller to get the address. He had the cash in his hand ready to go. The seller refused to give any details until the car was paid for in full via Paypal! Needless to say, the deal fell through!
Check out his feedback score, see what he's bought historically and read his feedback comments. If he's a buyer with little/no feedback,
you're right to be a little suspicious. If I was the buyer though, I would expect you to divulge the collection address via e-mail. Not everyone
is comfortable talking to complete strangers via phone and just because you disclose a collection address, doesn't automatically mean that's
where you live or even where the car is kept. IMHO, you're being over cautious but having said that, I'd tell the dealer where to go as well
if he sent me that reply
Phil
In the past car theives would browse the autotrader looking for Cossies & Quattros etc to steal, I understand your caution with strangers but this
sort of thing isnt too common now.
Two in one burglaries are the way most cars are stolen, screw your house and take the car with the keys you left in the kitchen...
Apart from the idiot questions, Ebay is relatively safe.
I really do understand, Just wanted to confirm he was who he says he is. But thats a bit too difficult for him
I'd think it odd if a buyer of something I'd sold & needed to be collected wouldn't speak on the phone, would he have done all his business by letter 15 years ago?!
Well i think you're both to blame! I think you are worrying too much about telling him your address. Afterall, if he was a thief he could walk
down most roads in the country and find one empty during the day. It would also be an inefficient way for a thief to identify an empty house. On the
flip side, there is no reason for him not to ring you, which would solve the whole problem. Now fair enough, it pays to be cautious when large sums of
money are at stake (last time i bought a car i went armed to pick it up, spoke to a neighbour first (to check the car was usually present at that
address), then felt a complete fool when he turned out to be a normal person selling it), but there does need to be an effort to meet in the middle.
If he thinks you are an oddball, then he himself isnt going to be happy turning up with cash.
Just my opinion, no offense and that
Personly, i think you are being way way to cautous,
ive sold (plus wife sold stuff) loads on ebay, and so far have NEVER had a problem
my sellings have been 3 cars, one caravan, and about 3 R/c planes at £500 a go, and if somoneon i was buying from, declined there address , for me to
pick up up from, thats a big neg feedback
Only shady people, hide there address
If the person is interested in buying the car he should contact you by phone,if hes a motor trader he will always have a mobile on him. I dont think you have done anything wrong...
"Dear 'motor trader'
No I am not mentally disturbed, although you appear to be retarded. Being the kind of person who has a little intelligence and is a mite wary of
giving out his address over email to someone who could well be 3 big blokes with cricket bats I feel I'm only partaking in due diligence in
requesting that you ring me first. Since you appear to be unable or unwilling to dial a f**king number and open your mouth (incidentally NOT the
wierdest thing I've come across) then I shall give you another 24hours before you can stick it."
Getting payment via paypal is no security at all, do not make the mistake of thinking it is.
Common scam at the moment is paying for items via paypal, collecting them, claiming the item was never sent. Ebay ask seller for proof they sent the
item, seller doesnt have any because it was collected. Ebay sides with buyer and refunds the paypal amount as no proof of dispatch.
Personally I wouldnt tell a seller they were retarded and weird before I picked up the phone to call them.
[Edited on 17/10/12 by MRLuke]
In the circumstances, I would have done it slightly differently from the start. If I needed to give times when I'd be there or not there, I'd have suggested that someone was there all the time, prehaps by phrasing it something like "I'll be out at work 'til 5 and I'd rather deal with it myself instead of leaving it to my wife."
To be fair he has given an address and I'm assuming he's said they could meet there and go to his house from there. I wouldn't sell to someone who'd sent me a message like that.
Lots of interesting points of view to read here.
I find it very difficult to give a true opinion though on who is right and who is wrong as you haven't shown EXACTLY what you wrote to him, and
there must be something in it surely, for the buyer to say you should show others your messages. You cant make a proper judgement without seeing all
the info.
What he wrote however is not very polite to say the least, and as a business it is a shocking way to speak to the public.
I understand you maybe not wanting to give your address out to someone who just wants to come view the car and / or who has no / little feedback. But
if they have some decent feedback then I wouldn't worry as they are obviously using ebay as it should be used and ebay will have history of the
person and their personal details should something dodgy happen, which I would suggest is unlikely from a seasoned ebayer.
What is the benefit of meeting him somewhere neutral then taking him to your house? If he wanted to steal it he would just agree to that, go to your
house with you, make an excuse not to buy it, see what security there is, then come back another day.
But if you were buying a car would you go meet at an address where the vehicle isn't registered? I wouldn't as you have no idea if they own
it or not. It could be anyones car ("I'm selling it for a 'friend'" sort of excuse) you are buying if you cant see it at the
address where it is registered.
Whoever it was that said they / there friend requests payment in full by Paypal before even getting the address to collect the car..... WTF???? You
telling me that if you won an auction for a car and the seller asked you for full payment before you even went to check it was as they had described
on ebay, and before you even saw if it existed, that you would part with potentially thousands of pounds? You must be mad!!
Equally I would never accept payment in full for a car by Paypal. As someone else has said, there are a a fair few people pulling scams through Paypal
by getting items and claiming the money back saying the item never arrived or was not as described etc etc etc. Paypal will always side with the buyer
nowadays. So if someone bought your car, paid in full through Paypal, drove it for a day, then the gearbox falls out of it (or perhaps in real life it
actually didn't), then they put a claim in through ebay and get awarded their money back, what would you do? No car, no money, left totally
ripped off. Even if you got the car back it might or might not be damaged but could have been abused, used for a hit and run, been caught speeding,
had parts swapped off it etc etc etc. If you got payment with cash or bank transfer, cheque, etc, then you would not end up in this position.
Rant over
Here is my message
Hi, I would be back in About 5.30 tomorrow. My address is *********. Call me on ****** when ur close, And I would give you my house number. There is a
fire station on your Left. You can call me when you are there. Regards
To which he said
Can you send me the whole address to come to, i dont want to drive for 3 hours when I dont even know where im going to! Without the full address I
wont be coming as its all beginging to sound a bit dodgy/weird.
And I said
I dont want to cause an argument, but I have supplied you with my telephone number twice now, you have not rang me to discuss collection just send
messages on here, but you think its weird/dodgy that I would not give you my house address. when I have already told you I would be out till 5pm,what
do I do if i get back from work and the car is gone (not that I am saying anything about you) its just due diligence like you have done with the
finance. I dont know you, dont have any contact information for you. I am sorry but dont feel comfortable giving the info away. Like I said in my last
reply. Fire station is 2 mins from my house and its a public place.Safe for both of us. If you want the car its here.
to which I got the reply posted
[Edited on 18/10/12 by femster87]
I'd find that level of paranoia a bit odd to be on the receiving end of (maybe I'm too trusting) but I wouldn't be so rude in replying to you. As for someone lifting it while you're at work - any half decent crim who has their eye on your car will know your work hours, your address and probably have researched the best way to pinch it, so someone bidding from afar is less of a concern for me.
I doubt you'll hear back from them tbh
There is absolutely no reason why you cannot meet at a location other than your home, I have done that both buying and selling cars, no one ever
complained
If they don’t get back to you at least you can sleep soundly knowing they are not able to come round at their own convenience and take your car…
Ever see that thread about the guy with the new Audi that gave away his address? some jealous sods comes round and pours paint stripper all over it
and writes it off, never give personal details away unless you really know who your dealing with. You have done everything quite correctly
quote:
Originally posted by coyoteboy
I'd find that level of paranoia a bit odd to be on the receiving end of (maybe I'm too trusting) but I wouldn't be so rude in replying to you. As for someone lifting it while you're at work - any half decent crim who has their eye on your car will know your work hours, your address and probably have researched the best way to pinch it, so someone bidding from afar is less of a concern for me.
i can appreciate where youre coming from but i dont understand why he cannont pick up the phone this whole issue could have been resolved from the
start by that . . . . the first thing i do when i win an item is to request a contact number and i give mine.
it just makes life easier.
he has overreacted to say the least, when i have sold things ive given the roadname and first half of the postcode and never had anyone have an issue
regardless of where they have come from. Unless they have sent me a deposit or similar.
with smaller bits i wouldnt be as bothered but with a car or similar id definitely be more wary
[Edited on 18/10/12 by gtr_garner]
As for not meeting people at home to sell a car, my turn to be paranoid - I'd want to know the car was at the place it was registered to really, and see ID of the person selling it. This is actually required by HPI checks for their guarantees to be effective. Otherwise it could have been pinched and taken to a location by someone other than the owner.
i dont think he is saying he would take the car somewhere else to sell it - i agree with you on your views there
he is simply telling them to go to somewhere down the road then call and he will tell them where he lives.
I do understand that it might look a bit cautious. But It was a way of ensuring the person I was talking to was coming to buy the car. I have 60
watchers and all sorts of questions and part exchange offers. So all i said was this is my street name call me when your on it and I would give you
my house number. I do not think its being difficult, well it dont matter what I think cause I am a bit mad anyways
I was abit more careful as I took the insurance off when it sold and put it on new car. So its just sitting there. And I was bored of all the random
enquiry so when he won I was after a conversation to see if everything is ok and if he was fetching a trailer as tax run out as well. All described in
the advert. If he came and called me when on my street of few mins away then I know he wants the car.
Out of curiosity what was the guys feedback number / score?
26