How To Buy (safely) From A Site

[james1300]

I want to buy parts. I posted an ad, and its been answered.

The parts I need to finish my project are 3500 miles away.

The seller wants money up-front.

I met him in a forum.

So, how do I protect myself? This is supposed to be a sale between two members.

Questions? Comments?

I want the parts, but dont want to get hammered! :dribble:

 

[Rogue]

Good question, all I can think of is how long has he been a member of that forum?

If he is a long standing member is probally ok, If that is his first post...

 

[pennerk]

I had a question like this as well. It turns out that UPS has a COD option but that only assures delivery not condition. I had an Aerostitch riding suit delivered from North Carolina to California and gave the UPS driver a check to cover cost of the suit and delivery. You might be able to use this kind of financial arrangement.

 

[oldgoat]

i think the best or only protection is to use Pay-pal. At least you might get some help if something goes wrong.

The advice from above posts is also excellent. Good luck

 

[fjrtx]

I ask a similiar question on a local forum, my question was about buying a bike out of state. Someone suggested to ask a local member from the board to be a unbiase third party middle man. In my case it was to just to give me a opionion of the condition of the bike. But have heard where the 3rd parties handled much of the transaction. I also just sold a 2610 GPS COD and that worked out very well. Good Luck.

 

[GalaxyBlue]

As with anyone, I have been skeptical in buying over the internet. But i have made only about 5 purchases online and have not got hammered.

Honesty is the key here. I believe the people here are as good as it gets! BUT... This is the internet. There is no telling if someone will stiff you or not.

If the purchase is a big ticket item, I would insist on seeing the item before i bought it. IMHO

Adam

 

[slapnpop]

Paypal is a good option to use. as they have some built in scam features. Be sure that if you haven't received the items in a timely manner, to start the scam process with paypal though. I've heard examples of a seller taking his sweet time with reasonable excuses, only to have the complaint time on paypal run out before the deal finally fell through.

Other options include COD, or having someone you know who's local to the seller make the transaction and ship you the stuff. There's also escrow services out there, but this is usually reserved for big-ticket items. Also, if paying by credit card, most have built-in fraud protection as well, so talk to your CC company.

 

[04FJR4ME]

It is the price you pay for lower price, internet is great for low prices, but there are a lot of used, refurbished or even worst guys that will take your money and leave you hanging.

If you can help it, deal with a local dealer, you may pay a little more, but if there is a problem, you can take it back and the store is not going away anytime soon.

On the net, if you don't like the condition of the part you received, to bad, what are you going to do, fly 3500 miles to deal with the guy?

I have a frined that bid and won a Rolex watch on eBay, it was a great deal but when he received the Rolex, it was not the model he had posted. He is out money because these guys are not even replying his email anymore.

Risk you take for saving 10-15%, sometimes it may not be worth it.

 

[james1300]

Not every private party uses PayPal, I dont.

Alot of the parts I buy, Dealers dont sell, cant get.

I thought UPS quit taking personal Checks?

That very thing, me paying with my check, saved me from a Rotten S.O.B.

I tried to buy a seat. Supposed to be in "Perfect contition', well it had a hole in the side of it the size of your thumb.

I stopped payment, and when the seller contacted me demanding money, I told her if she wanted her seat back, to send me a cashers check to cover Shipping.

Theres got to be a way to protect ones self.

 

[Thug]

If the guy has a good reputation then there should not be any problems. PayPal is a great way of paying and they are cheep. You can also get his banking deatils and make a bank deposite via you ebanking set up that's if you have one.

If your using a card I only put a limited amount of money in that card just for that purpose, so if things go pear shaped your well protected plus the banks would cover your losses if there was no stupidity on your part i.e like give you pin to someone.

Just a bit of common sence and you'll have your parts in no time.

 

[Windjammer]

Are you dealing with a company, or private party? Each type of transaction is different. The most difficult type is buying used stuff from a private party, when there is no way to determine if they have credibility. Personally, I avoid those. Ebay has member ratings that give you some idea, buying from companies you can get info from forums like this on how they are to deal with, etc. And there's always your gut feel about whether you can trust the seller, and how much money you're willing to risk. Having doubts? Call the seller and talk to them, see if they sound flaky to you. If they do, skip it, don't get suckered in.

 

[smitty141]

I always buy with a credit card. If thing go bad, you can dispute the charges. They put a hold on the sellers money, until the dispute is worked out. Thats why you see alot of sellers on ebay won't take paypal if it is tied to a credit card. If it comes out of your checking, and when they are paid..there paid. If there is a problem, tuff sh*t. If tied to a credit card, you can dispute... :dribble:

 

[james1300]

I should have said in my first post, Im trying to buy from private partys.

not a retail buisness.

So using a credit card for retail sales..Yes!

private partys, no. :dribble:

 

[spine60]

Use a credit card or paypal only!!

 

[Carnifex]

eBay..

I've done that before.. when I had a buyer for something, I listed it on eBay with an obscure but still accurate description, set the buy it now price at the pre-agreed upon price and then sent the buyer the link to the auction.

He did buy it now, we did the paying thing and the feedback thing - there's not only buyer/seller protection, but also the feedback feature (if you use eBay) to get an idea of who you're dealing with.

 

[rockabill]

I sold my previous bike using escrow.com, and I couldn't be happier. There are protections for both the buyer and seller built in.

For general merchandise up to $5000, the escrow fee is 3.25%. As the price goes up the percentage rate goes down, to a low of .89% for anything over $25,000.

For vehicles, there are fixed fees, based on price range, but it goes to .6% for vehicles over $50,000.

I sold my bike to someone all the way accross the country, and this was the only way I felt completely protected, without making the buyer assume a big risk.