selling a car to Europe - advice needed

Hey - a guy is interested in purchasing my car......I need $$$ so I gotta sell. The question I have is what should I be wary of? The guy says he needs my home phone #, name to put on the cheque, cel phone, address.

He doesnt need my bank info - so that is why I am thinking this is a legit deal. But before I proceed I was going to ask the community what I should be on the lookout for.

Thanks in advance

 

Check?? That's a big red flag. Unless they are willing to literally bank wire the funds I'd skip it totally.

 

the thing to watch for is if he says hes sending you more than your selling the car for, and wants you to send him less than the difference. thats the popular scam for buying. i think youd have to be stupid to fall for it, but obviously people do or they wouldnt be wasting thier time tryin it still. and wait a a couple weeks after the check clears to ship it

 

chevygirlrox Megan does this for a living. Send her a PM.

 

Sold mine to a guy in Norway. I set up an acount at a Bank I didint use for normal banking. He wire transfeered the money. I didnt trust a money order because they can be fake. I set up delivery to Jersey to get on a boat. The Buyer paid for that plus a little extra for my legwork. He made the arrangements to get it to Norway from Jersey. Very easy transaction. Good Communication is the key.

 

He should be asking your bank info. If the amount is,nt to much let him use Western Union Electronic Payment. Otherwise use that for a deposit.

 

WIRE TRANSFER, talk to your bank, they will give you an international wire transfer number, and the buyer can transfer the money into your account. Safest, quickest way. The bank might charge you a fee, $10 or so.

 

wire transfer is best, but don't blow the deal up if he wishes to send a check for the proper amount. Just state that you will be holding the vehicle for sixty days until you are certain the check is legit. You could hold the title even longer. This has worked well for me. Usually, they don't wish to wait and will agree to wire transfer. Try to set up a second account or consult your bank for security reasons. If he really wants to buy your car, he will do what it takes. Bottom line, lots of communication.

 

sounds good - we will see if he goes for the wire transfer - then we will now if he is serious!

I can always give him my business account - there is never any $$$ in that one!
ha

 

I sold my Plymouth to a guy in the Netherlands, watched the checks roll off the Western Union machine in person. No problems at all.

 

It will take a couple of weeks or more for a check to clear. Why worry.

Explain to him that that is not the best way, that a direct wire transfer is the modern way.

 

I would ask for a wire transfer as well, they are definitely the norm these days. I would have it deposited into your business account, since you say there is never any money in there! Don't believe the naysayers here on the HAMB that once he wires the money he can get it back out, not true. That would be like me writing you a check, you depositing the check then me walking into your bank and asking for the money back, not going to happen. No bank will withdrawal your funds without your permission. Obviously don't send the car anywhere without getting the money first. And if it would make you feel better, once the money settles into your account from the wire transfer take it out or move it into another private account. Let me know if you need a shipping agent at the port, I got a great one at the port in Jersey.

Let me know if you need anything else, good luck

 

Where in Europe ?

 

United Kingdom - but not sure where yet - he gave me his phone # - but not the town.........

 

#1: DO NOT provide any personal information to him up front. This is a BIG CLUE that this is a bogus deal. He does not need your personal information to make payment.

#2: Even cashier's or bank checks can be fraudulent. They seem to clear, you release the vehicle, and then after a while the problem is noticed by your bank and guess who is on the hook for the money? You!!! Be VERY WARY of foreign transactions. Go thru it all with your bank and do not under any circumstances deliver the car until YOUR bank unconditionally certifies that the funds are good.

 

What they said x15 -

 

i have a 4000. cashiers check in front of me rite now that i wpould not bring to the bank just by reading the letter that came wsith it i know its a scam does not evben mention what they bought just they over paid send back money overpaymentyea rite

 

One thing to remember, the buyer overseas is just as nervous as you are. They stand to lose thousands of dollars for a car that "may not exist" (that's a line I hear alot ). The golden rule applies really well to foreign transactions, do unto others as you would want them to do unto you!

Plus, I've sold a lot of cars to the UK without a hitch. Can't say that a scammer or two isn't hiding out there, but most scammers are usually from a lot more obscure places. Also, there are tons of HAMBers from the UK. Maybe one of them could check to make sure the guy is ligit to make you feel better.

 

whats the first 4/5 numbers of the ph. number he gave you? its easy to work out which town its from.. should have been something like +44 113 - dont need the +44 as thats the country code, just the next 3/4 numbers.

a lot of people dont like wire transfers because the person this side needs bank details, lots of people think that its a scam.

Ive paid using cheque from this side before but it takes 14 days for my bank to draw a cheque up and get it out - the reason it takes so long is I pay my bank and then they send a cheque out from their overseas account - the money doesnt come from my account direct.

plym 49 your right he doesnt need the sellers info but if the seller has nothing to hide why not give it out - this way the bbuyer can do a little legwork to find out if the guy selling is who he says he is - trust works both ways.

 

very true, it's a double edge sword, as a guy who has been on the other side of this kind of transaction, consider the logistics if you were trying to buy something from across the other side of the world, and that you're effectively having faith that everyone involved will follow through with their word....and I know first hand that it doesn't always go to plan.

Wire the money through, it will still take a bit of stuffing around, but saves confusion and frustration.

Cheers,

Drewfus

 

does anyone know a David Judge?

he says the check has been sent off.........we will see

 

Number one golden rule, dont let the car go UNTIL the cheque clears.

 

The community over here is quite small, most people know most people.

If you want to PM me the guys details I will ask around for you, cant say I know a David Judge but that is nothing new!

Or log onto www.nsra.org.uk and ask the guys there. What is the vehicle might also help.

He is probably as worried as you are but it does not hurt to do a little back ground research.

P.

 

never heard of a david judge, doesnt mean he doesnt exist though.

post the first few numbers of his phone number and I can do a bit of digging from there.

 

good luck with it all when i bought my 59 from the states i used a wire tranfer to put the funds into fellow hamber the sneakytiki's account. the reason i liked this idea was that he had the money sraight away (1 or 2 days) and wasnt waiting for a cheque or money order to clear cheers scott

 

hey, I am from Europe and bought several cars in the U.S.; i buy most of the cars from people i know in the houston-area. I always make sure that the seller has received his/her money through a wire-transfer. The buyer needs: full name of seller, address,bankaccountnumber, IBAN-number and Swift-number. Overseas transfers/deals are always based on trust...
i bought my savoy from a guy named Jack, from Louisville, Kentucky, on a "trust"basis...
got the car..had a cracked 426 engine ( scrap ) and the car had way way way more rust than he told me. This was the 1st ( and only ) car i bought and will buy from a stranger. But that is my cup of tea.
Good luck,

 

The common scam is to provide a certified check. The check supposedly clears because your bank gives you the money. You then give the car over to the shipping agent and its on its way. Everything seems fine until you get the call from the fraud department at the bank that the certified funds were bogus. You then have to give the money back and the guy has the car on some ship going to Neverland.......

That's how the scam works.....Sad but true

 

'Clears' can mean different things. Your bank might give you access to the funds before the check has cleared in banking terms. So it is not enough that your bank gives you access to the funds. You can ship the car after your bank undeniably states that they received the funds from the other bank.

Also, did you Google David Judge? Damn, sure sounds like a wise-ass phony name to me. Maybe I've been watching too many Bond films, though.

Whatever, good luck with the sale and I hope that all of us pessimists are proven wrong and that your transaction goes well.

 

yes - I am very weirded out by the whole thing as well - but I have already told the guy that he has to wait for the check to clear - this could mean 1 month

do your think 4 weeks is long enough for the check to REALLY clear?

 

oh - and the 007 thing.........

the guys email is davidjudge007

guess my ears just went up even higher for signs of the scam!!!
ha

I will let you know how this plays out - bottom line - I wont let the car go til I have my bank tell me - there is NO WAY this money can come back outta my account........then I will ship the car and the title off

Thanks