Okay, Maybe I got taken. Thoughts please.

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica] Bought a cheapy stude off ebay. Seller in listing said comes with 'clean title'. Well I paid the guy by postal MO and asked him to send me the title. Week + passed and no call so I email him about it and he advoids the subject of the title but is pressing for pickup of the car.

I start being curious because I got this bad feeling in my gut now. I was able to find of one the previous owners of the car through my Studebaker club. I call the PO and he says that the guy who got the car from him never got the title! He thinks he might still have the title around!

What should I do here? File an complaint on ebay? Wait to see the guy who sold it to me on ebay comes up with a title? I won't pick up the car till I have a title. I think I'm a bit too trusting sometimes. Sure it is only a few hundred but I feel like a sucker. I might have to go kick some ass in Mishawaka IND, long drive for me: a guy on crutches...but oh well. (BTW the seller on ebay is not part of this forum). [/FONT]

 

If you've got the title available from your buddy, screw it - just get it. Unless you're angling for a better deal from the guy you bought the car from.

You might just be honest with the guy you've bought the car from and tell him you know where the title is and to quit pussyfooting around with it.

 

get the title from the other guy! problem solved!

 

You can always apply for a lost title, some states are easier then others. Definitely inform ebay of this a-hole.

 

Well, my concern here is that the one PO I taked to has not had the car for awhile (and hence the car would be off the computers) and by my figuring the car has gone through 2-3 owners since then. I'm just concerned that the 25 year old title from the one PO wouldn't do me any good if for some reason somebody somehow got a title for it in-between which is still on the computers!

 

Good advice, just get the car... sort it out later. Right now you have nothing.

 

The Seller sold it with a title. Make him produce the advertised goods. I would hold him accountable for a clear title. Let the seller incur the head aches since he sold it stating he had a title.

You are taking risk that you do not have to if you do it any other way. Unless you really like the car and will do anything to get it. I would let the seller produce all the goods advertised.

 

What were the plans for this car?

 

Let judge Judy kick his ass!

 

If you bought it on ebay, what section was it listed in? If it was in the parts cars, or as ebay calls them now "Salvage Vehicles" then you won't have anything to tell ebay about. The only way those cars can be sold in the Salvage section is that they are never supposed to be put back onto the road, and are sold without titles.

If you can get the title to the vehicle, do it and then go from there.

 

Buying something on ebay is a binding contract. Print out his ad, (if it says clear titel, you've got him) hopefully you still have it. If your able cancel the check. If it was a money order, well you bought it. Tell him without title, he has breached contract and you want your money back. If he refuses, two option: get the car then you have something (lost title), take him or threaten to take him to small claims.

 

It was in the regular vehicle section: not parts cars!

Yes printed it out. Says "comes with clear indiana title".

 

So, you took him at his word that he owned the car and had a title to prove it. Nothing wrong with that. You sent him a Postal M.O. for the car. Good choise. Now he can't produce the title. As far as you can tell he has sold you something that he does not own. He has committed mail fraud among other things. I say use all avenues to nail this guy to the wall. Folks, the more we allow this to happen without taking steps to punish the more it will happen.

 

yea this guy is totally in the wrong. He's a bitch, and your on top.

 

Contact ebay, make a record with them of this.

 

Don't waste your time with eBay. They do not care and they will not do a thing to help you. What in the world do you think they will do to him? Go after him? Not hardly. People need to quit thinking that eBay gives a flip what happens. They don't.

I would get a VIN number and contact my local DMV to see what the procedures were to get a new title. If do-able, I'd do it and tell him that you would be shorting him that amount and $100 for your time if he didn't produce a title.

You then need to get a notorized bill of sale. You are likely going to need that anyways.

Either that or get a large group of local HAMBers go by and get your money back. I can say by experience that, that works.

 

I already suggested a lost title. And yes it does make it more difficult to sell items in the future. I didn't say ebay would carry the flag into war but they will make it more expensive for him to sell.

 

You haven't said if the guy w/title is willing to let you have it. If so, get it, then tell the dreg who sold it to you that you want some money back to help offset the cost of getting the Stude titled. No matter what, I'd go get the car.

 

Sorry, I don't want to make this about our disagreement as someone here has a real problem they want dealt with but since people here deal alot on eBay they should know what they are doing.

How does it make it more difficult or more expensive?

 

Step 1: Get the car
Step 2: Get the title from your buddy
Step 3: Leave negative feedback for the clown that said he had the title to the car

If the car is still in your buddy's name, then get it and screw with the ass clown who sold you the car through the negative feedback. That's about the only thing you can really do to him through ebay. Unless you don't want the car that is.... Then ebay will let you back out of the sale without consequences.

 

ebay dosn't care about you, the car or the title. they care only about ebay.

first. get the car. then file a significantly not as described claim with ebay... again.. they don't care, but it will hurt the seller if he sells with any reglarity. give him negative feedback. get a fake ebay ID and fuck with all his listings. put him out of business.

go here: http://forums.ebay.com/db1/forum.jspa?forumID=20 ... bunch of good people there who know the ins and outs of selling cars on ebay.

one more thing... if you can, ALWAYS pay for ebay stuff with a credit card through payscam.. er.. paypal. then you can get your money back when this shit happens

 

be sure and contact the local law enforcement office and speak with the fraud division as they enjoy making visits to clear up this type of activity. also call the attorny general and file a complaint. post office for mail fraud.... start stirring up things through legal channels.

 

Actually if you paid with a postal money order and the person does not have the item he sold you that makes it fraud (as mentioned before), but you can get the post office involved and I believe it's a federal offense. So it may have paid off for you that you used a postal MO.

contact the post office and see what they say.

 

If you have the VIN, have it run at a different DOT office to see if it's in their system. If not, get the title from your buddy with a "Bill of Sale" and get it switched into your name.

Flatman

 

1. Get the title from the previous owner.
2. Get it transferred to your name.
3. Tell the current owner you are coming to pick up the car.
4. When you get there, tell him you want your money back since he can't produce a title.
5. With your money in hand, show him your current title and start loading YOUR car.

 

one thing I didn't see mentioned here was that if you even think you're being screwed with, follow your gut. Ok so you paid for the Stude without paperwork and haven't picked it up yet, so whats to stop him from selling it again without paperwork to somebody else, they pick it up and then you ARE screwed

 

Tell him you are coming to get the car and the title. If he does not have the clear title in hand, you are going to report the matter to ebay, local law enforcement and the US Post Office. I would not mess with the older title unless that guy is willing to just send it to you for free and I still would not pick up the car until you have verifed that that title will even work.

 

I really like this plan of action, but I think I would leave and come back with a cop before I started loading the car.

 

Update

I get a phone number and call the dude that I bought the car from on ebay. He now says that he *had* a title but had to put into his name to be able to transfer it and they told him it might be 4-6 weeks before he gets it from the state of IND. On the phone kept pushing saying he needed the car picked up and would mail me the title later. I fell for that once years ago but never again.

 

Need to check with Indiana BMV to do a title search. This way you can track from the guy that has the title to the e-gay seller. There may be duplicate title/titles. Someone could have sold that duplicate title and your car is already on the road.