Help about e-bay

[Dolly.com]

My partner wants to buy a motorbike off ebay and has seen one he likes.
The chap has said he will take itoff auction when he gets cash in hand and to phone the number and arrange to meet up
Above the message he wrote there is a message that reads:

Do not respond to the sender if this message requests that you complete the transaction outside of e-bay. This type of offer is against ebay policy, maybe fraudulent and is not coveredby buyer protection programs
I'm a bit thick..what does this mean, is it saying he shouldn't buy it?

[kaz21]

basically they saying its likly to be a con and dont trust them. if you do ebay cant cover you x

[Alg]

You'd be better getting your bloke to go and look at it and take a test ride. He can then haggle the bloke down and come to an agreement off ebay.
The message is a standard ebay message is so that ebay don't lose their ££££££.
I believe ebay payment protection is only up to a certain amount anyhow (maybe £500) but i'm unsure.
Even if he does go through ebay and commit to "buy it now" from the seller he's more than entitled to pull out of the sale if he changes his mind or the bike isn't exactly as described. Better to have a negative feedback score on an internet auction site than be £££££ out of pocket and the owner of a shonky old bike.
What bike is he thinking of buying? I've had hundreds of the things and may be able to offer some buying advice. PM if you want.

[cuthbert-murray]

any message from any seller wanting to do a deal from ebay and its rules keep away, always pay by paypal as you are protected, i do a hell a lot of transactions on there so please be aware

[johnboy69]

hi do not trade outside of ebay, use a "buy it now" or go to end of aution,
 i would not buy a car or any large item without seeing it first   always read their feedback 100% is ideal.
Pay by paypal you are protected up to £500 or cash on collection, (you can always back out then,) and report any wrong doing to ebay.
I have been a member since 2003 and have never had any trouble.

[Jayday]

DON'T DO IT!

[kaz21]

DON'T DO IT!

 

[Monica Reyes]

I agree, steer clear.

[cuthbert-murray]

again report and send this message to ebay its a rip off be assured

[Alg]

Blimey, what a load of conflicting advice.
It's perfectly safe to deal off ebay (after all, that's what we did before ebay and some still do) and it's most definitely not a scam or rip-off in any way until money has been exchanged.
The bloke selling the bike is just covering his backside. He doesn't want to remove his listing then find the prospective purchaser isn't serious and have to list the item again at his own expense..however,
The best way to proceed is to get your chap to go and have a look and deal with the bloke as you would buying anything outside ebay. Don't hit the buy it now button. However remember that in the time between your man saying he'll go round to look at the bike and when he actually physically gets to view and test ride the bike someone may hit the buy it now button and commit to purchase it. As long as he knows what he's doing he'll probably get it cheaper than off ebay and the seller skips the final value fee. He'll also get a test ride. Everyone wins.
You won't need Ebay's protection (only up to £500 and only if you follow their strict criteria to the letter) because you'll be safe that you're not being ripped off. Make sure you get all documentation, do an hpi check and match the frame and engine numbers against the v5 and the hpi report.
To sum up
There's no problem dealing outside of ebay as long as you know what you're doing and don't do something stupid.
You'll save ££ in the transaction
The seller saves ££ in fees
You get to inspect the bike, the seller and the docs and poss test ride the bike beforehand.
There's no scam. I presume your bloke asked him a question or 2 about the bike which led him to state he would deal off ebay.
This happens all the time behind the scenes (seller wants to save money, buyer wants to save money, they deal)
That's why you see loads of listings with "item is for sale elsewhere so can remove anytime" and "this item has ended because it's no longer available for sale."

[Monica Reyes]

Why is the seller using Ebay then, if he doesnt want to finish the auction? Seems very dodgy to me, is the amount more than has been bid ? less than has been bid? it is not worth the potential hassle and it could be a scam.You pay cash and the bike us a heap, then there is no comeback at all.

Ebay is all about buying and selling safely, you may as well choose some dodgy advert in the local newspaper instead.

[Alg]

He puts it on ebay to reach the biggest audience expecting to sell through ebay.
He's now trying to save himself money and also expects to make a definite sale because he expects to get a lower amount for the bike than on ebay.
If you think buying a bike unseen off ebay from someone who you've never met and only know through an internet identity is safe then you're mistaken.
If you think ebay will help you just because you bought through them, you'll also find out the hard way that's not the case.
Why is an advert on ebay any less unsafe than one in your local paper or the autotrader?
Again, this happens all the time and is a safe and sensible way to deal if you use your noddle. Far better than buying an unseen bike from an internet identity off an often dodgy web auction site that offers to insure your purchase but leaves you on your own.
Google "ebay £500 payment protection problems"

[Monica Reyes]

There could be people already genuinely bidding on the item, and he intends on taking it off for cash if someone takes him said cash. What about any people who have already bid on the item? The person is the kind that gives Ebay a bad name, and for no fault of the company, just greedy people wanting to get cash instead o f using paypal and paying rates and not having the cash in their sweaty little hand

I would not deal with such a person,personal choice though I suppose.


I have received an email from a person trying to sell me something out of Ebay, I declined, turns out he has sold it to four other people too, massive scam, and it just isnt worth the hassle.

[Dolly.com]

Well thanks for all your help i think!! lol some people advice to go ahead some people don't!
Well he brought it. The bloke had a 100 per cent feedback, my chap done a check on the numberplate by phone and that was all clear. He left it on the auction incase he wasn't interested. We wentover tonight, really nice bloke had all the documents let him test the bike and answered all questions so it all worked out well in the end!!! And he delivered it tonight as well even in this appaling weather!!!

[kaz21]

well at least everything turned out all right x