Escrow service for sight unseen purhcase

[Phil Jones]

I bought my current 08 FJR via eBay 5 years ago sight unseen and had it shipped to me. I was comfortable based on the seller rating, his communication and the eBay protections. I'm looking at a bike on Craigslist that's out of state and really just too far for me to go to 'check it out' so I was wondering if anyone can recommend an escrow service that I can use to ensure the seller doesn't get paid until the bike is received and ensured to be as represented online?

I looked for other places to post this, but couldn't find a more appropriate forum/thread. Apologies if this is in the wrong place.

Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[wheatonFJR]

I don't know about that, but maybe hire or have a local to visit, take pictures, test drive it, etc. That's what someone did for me on a bike I bought up in Illinois.

 

[sparky80]

Isn't that the beauty of forums like this? You'll find some really great people on forums... a lot of then will look at a bike for you, take pics and give you their honest assessment of it.

I would try that first and see if you're satisfied with the outcome.

Going back to your original questions though.... can't help ya.

 

[Old Guy]

I've checked out and test ridden bikes for members of the ZRX forum. If it's within 100 miles of my home I'll just go by on one of my day rides. Five of us showed up one day when I'd promised to check out a nice red ZRX for a guy in Texas.

 

[Road_Runner]

If you are intending to purchase it if everything is in order, why not do a fly-and-ride?

 

[art miller]

I bought an 07 FJR with 3200 miles on it from a guy in North Dakota. He claimed it was in mint condition and the pictures posted on craigslist looked good. I asked him for the dealers name and location where the bike was bought and serviced. I contacted the dealer and asked them about the service history. I agreed to by the bike at the "buy it now price" provided the seller take the bike to the dealer and have the dealer inspect the bike and issue a condition report. That was done and I made arrangements to have the bike shipped from the dealer location to the Allied (Federal) depot near my home in California. To give the dealer an incentive to do this, I had them change the oil and filter.

 

[Phil Jones]

If you are intending to purchase it if everything is in order, why not do a fly-and-ride?

Time & money.. It's only about $400 to ship the bike and not put 2000 miles on it. Flying and riding back would cost far more than this, and I'm too busy to make that trip right now.

 

[xcsp]

Where is the bike located?

May be someone here on the forum that could take a look at the bike for you?

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Where is the bike located?
May be someone here on the forum that could take a look at the bike for you?

Several folks have suggested that but I notice the OP seems reluctant to divulge this information. I wonder why that is?

 

[ionbeam]

Several folks have suggested that but I notice the OP seems reluctant to divulge this information. I wonder why that is?

To keep someone from usurping his sale :lol: JK Good luck to the OP, it wouldn't hurt him to ask someone here to take a look.

When I searched on escrow here in the Forum some people seem to feel that it would be a deal killer. I actually got a surprising number of hits on that word.

 

[SacramentoMike]

I just bought a 2014ES for my third FJR. I got enamored with a very good looking deal near Oklahoma City just a few weeks ago. That deal couldn't be done, but by then it was too late. I had the "new bike" bug, so I started looking all over. Focused in on '14's, and the ES in particular, and saw they were all over the place at darn good prices. I was actually seriously considering one way the hell across the country--fly and ride.

I sort of came to my senses though. There are good bikes and good deals all over, no buying sight unseen, no flying to the bike or paying a shipper (to gouge it up on the way here maybe). I ended up buying locally, maybe paying some more, but it was a great bike from a reputable dealer who did a thorough service of it (12,000 mile service) and fitted it with brand new tires. Overall, I saved money and a lot of bother. And I got it a hell of a lot sooner!

 

[its just rain]

I did the same thing Mike. Every once in a while I still see a super deal out there then calculate what I paid. Having my dealer 20 minutes away is worth a lot. Although if I could fly and ride it will still be a consideration in the future. Just couldn't do the site-unseen thing.

 

[Old Guy]

I have known the dealer where I bought my bike for 30 years. I've seen how he treated my friends, and for that reason I wanted to buy the bike from him and told him so. He gave me what I felt was a fair price, and I accepted it. I did check on-line to see what they were selling for in other parts of the country, but the savings just didn't warrant the travel.

 

[1911]

Several folks have suggested that but I notice the OP seems reluctant to divulge this information. I wonder why that is?

To keep someone from usurping his sale

I had the same thought while I was thinking about asking for a Virginian to check this https://winchester.craigslist.org/mcy/5462272551.html out for me. The seller hasn't replied to my question-maybe it's dumb to him. What the heck, over to a new thread.

 

[Unicycle52]

A Skype or Facetime call can really help with a long distance purchase. I just purchased a bike that was 500 miles away and had the guy scan and send me copies of the documentation to see that all was in order. I then did a video phone call and visually saw that the VIN numbers matched the paperwork. I had the guy do a walk around of the bike and start the bike up to hear that it ran. I also made it clear that if he had any "last minute surprises" like.......oh...I forgot to tell you about a certain issue or defect.............. I told him that now would be the time to share that information because if I got there and learned of unknown defects, I ABSOLUTELY would NOT buy the bike and I would be EXTREMELY pissed.

Everything was on the up and up and I'm the happy owner of a 2015 FJ-09 with a boat load of accessories for a great price.

Just do your homework.

Good Luck.

Bill

 

[Phil Jones]

Thanks for everyone's feedback/input. I was hoping to score that amazing deal in AZ about a week ago, the 14 ES for 10k, but someone else beat me to it. Regardless, I'm almost certain I'll be buying a bike out of the local area as the FL region is lacking much of a market for FJRs. Even the new showrooms barely keep any in stock. Demand around here is much more HD centric.

I did find an escrow service, which was the original intent of this thread. https://www.escrow.com/services/vehicle-escrow Anyone ever use them?