What would you do with this buyer?

I sold a original 65 C10 over the net to some guy in Norway. Transaction went OK which means I was paid in full with a wire transfer into my account within a few days. He then emails me, tells me he wants me to do "some work" on it before shipping. Paint and possible motor change. I ask for a details. He writes back and says he wants a 572 BBC and a Tremec 6 speed - black paint with traditional 50s style flames - Convo pro wheels - "oh and purchase 2 357 Desert Eagle Hand Guns, build a secret compartment in the truck somewhere to hold them?" UnFnBelievable Right?
I wrote him back and told him "no guns" and to deposit $25,000 in my account for a downpayment to "get started" on the truck. He wrote back and just said "dont do anything until next week" - That was the last I heard from him....Its been 6 weeks with no response... The truck is in my shop covered. What would you do and how long would you wait to resell the truck?


Thanks for all the response to this thread. Originally I was hoping to get some work from the buyer but with the request for me to purchase the 357s and build a secret compartment then no response from him now for over 6 weeks I think it's best (as most of you have said) to charge a small storage fee and wait for shipment details from the owner. We will p*** on the "possibility" of any additional work because of these odd cir***stance's. I read every response so thanks again for the great site & all your posts - I will post the outcome when it happens - Chuck



I just got a email from the buyer (finally 6 months later) - he writes "Been in prison, ready to get started on the truck"..... I moved the truck outside into the fenced off side yard of my shop about a month ago. What do you think is the "right" thing to do here?

 

my first thought is those scams where they deposit the money order into your account and somehow you get screwed.

id check into a lein sale since you still have the truck

 

yeah talk to legal council for sure but i think your ok keep the money and sell to someone else or ship it and forget it

 

Having no experience in such matters I can only speak from common sense...You got yer bread? Right? You didn't say if the buyer is responsible for picking up the car and transporting it as he pleases. That should have been clearly outlined in the deal. If thats true, save your do***entation. Check the local law. After the correct period of time start charging storage. When the storage charges exceed the value of the vehicle file for a lien. It's a PIA but thats the way the law looks at it round here. I'll go on record sayin' that building gun cases into anything that is going to leave your control, to be shipped overseas, is not a good idea. I certainly wouldn't leave any fingerprints.

 

Maybe someone put a .357 in his dome.

 

Maybe you didn't get him his hidden gun compartments fast enough????

 

Don't piss him off TOO much- Dude DOES have 2 .357's!

 

This type of scam gives the rest of us overseas guys a bad rap. All I can say is good on you in still having the vehicle and I presume you have his money? Sit quiet and see when and If he comes out of the woodwork.
Most of us work hard enough to do honest deals to not have this type of situation ****** up the works

 

Maybe some Norwegian hamber could help you to contact this guy and if that doesnt help,then refund his money and sell it to someone else.That secret compartment for 2 desert eagles is unbelievable.Most countries in Europe have really tight gunlaws.I dont know about the Norwegian gun policy,but in Finland its really hard to get licence for handguns.

 

Hold onto the $, get some legal advice. Do not even consider doing anything for this douche, and if you end up with the money please give it to the HAMBer who just had his truck stolen at the Round Up so he can get another.

 

As far as the advise of refunding the money....I wouldn't, not yet anyway...I wouldnt go spending it either, Honestly I think I would create a seperate account and put it there inaccessable to anyone but you, furthermore, (I ask this cause I dont know how it works) is there ANY WAY for the buyer to access your account? if you think there is, I'd change that account as well....

as far as any more advise.....I dunno, but be glad they are in Norway!

 

You could contact him again and say that additional work was not part of the deal and he will have to arrange for that to be done elsewhere, and he should arrange to collect his truck as per your original agreement.

My feeling here is he could be trying to somehow con you into storing his truck until he is ready to ship it home. If this is the case you cannot make a claim on him for storage unless that was stated prior to him entering into an agreement to purchase. Likewise you cannot sell his truck unless it is deemed to be abandoned.

Another issue raised here is the safety of EFT (electronic funds transfer). As purportedly one of the most advanced economies in the world I (and others I know) are non-plussed at how simple some of your banks are, and how many people are ignorant of the most basic of modern banking procedures and products. The short answer to 'is my money safe in my account?' is yes! To access funds from your account the banks safety codes would have to be hacked. Someone depositing to your account cannot access the funds unless they have your PIN, or can hack the banks security codes.
I have been frustrated on a few occaisons by some banks inability to accept direct depost funds from overseas and the fear of some sellers worried about the safety of their funds. I have been requested to send funds via International Money Orders only to have the sellers bank refuse to accept them.

A commonsense approach for the fearful would be to establish an account for receiving funds, once the funds are deposited you simply transfer the funds to another account.

 

Stick with your original agreement. Give him a deadline to get the vehicle.

 

Wasn't this guy just joking around...? Maybe you got his Engrish wrong?

 

I've held onto a car for a guy once for about 5 years, but thats me..
The man was honest to you (he paid), so you need to be honest with him. However, the thing with the Deagles is kinda scary, so maybe that fear should be reciprocated so he'll hurry to get his truck? The following statements are provided for comic relif only and should not be applied:

Tell him you've become a hemophiliac and you're afraid to work with power tools for fear of bleading to death?
Say your ex wife is pissed and has busted up one of your cars and youre fearful she might attack his truck...so he needs to get it ASAP?
Call him up and tell 'em in a low voice that youre involed in some shaddy stuff and you fear that The Man is out to get you, so its not going to be long before youre gonna get sent to the bighouse or have to abandon everything you have and skip town?
Say you bought a Duesenberg and you are restoring it for Jay Leno so you don't have the time.

 

I would just back out of the 2nd deal .Tell him to pick his truck up or it will be pushed out into the street ,Give him a time limit.

 

That's what I'd do.

And use this excuse.

 

I'd push his truck outside and notify him in writing what the storage charges are and when they start.

 

can Norwegians own guns?

 

Take the cash out of yor account and close it. And don't give out an account number. Then when you deal with him have him send travelers checks for shipping and be done with it.

 

Secret compartments found down here in south Texas are usually used to smuggle drugs. 357s .....yeah right! Stick to the original deal as stated above. That's a ton of work he's requested. It's almost like your selling it twice.

 

So is there a fear of the gun compartments? Do they have to be for guns? How do you know if they're for him or somebody he bought the truck for? From another country maybe? 6 weeks is a bit of time but not outta hand.

How often or how many times have you tried to re-connect? If you said it above I missed it. Contact him again and spell out delivery/storage fee times. Give him "x" amount of time to comply (be a car guy about it) and the amount of fees. Once you've struck a deal with him follow through. DO NOT DRIVE OR USE THE TRUCK FOR ANYTHING. It's bought and paid for and opens up liability issues. This is all real simple. Worst case scenario, you end up re-selling the truck and refund his money less the storage fees.

 

Only do transfers to a savings account that is not tied to your bank account.

Clearly state this to the bank or credit union when opening it.
Buddy of mine sold a Super Bee to a guy in Norway. It took 10 weeks for the guy to get the car set up for shipping. I kept telling him to honor the deal. He did receive the funds and they were good. 10 weeks later he sent shipping info and paid him to deliver the car to the port of departure.

 

I'm with 1934coupe. Close the account he transfered the money into. Better safe than sorry.

 

I think you are making a mountain out of a mole hill...and perhaps screwing up the future.

so the guy is interested in hiring you to make expensive modifications to his truck...GREAT! so he wants a "secret compartment"...who care? It could be used for any number of things and it is not up to you what they are. It is perfectly legal to fabricate a secret compartment and you would have absolutely zero responsibility if they chose to carry something illegally.

This may be the beginning of a wonderful relationship. It often takes time to communicate and transfer funds with an overseas buyer.

I had a very similar situation three years ago. I worked with my customer, got to know him, learned his comfort zone and understood his desires.

He has purchased numerous cars from me since. They all required modifications to his taste. Often, he mails me US currency to complete them!

He is one of my cherished customers and visits every year. He is a friend for life.

So don't throw out the baby with the bathwater. The truck now belongs to HIM. Treat the truck and his confidence in you with the respect he deserves.

 

bobwop,

In some states in the USA, it is ILLEGAL to have a secret compartment in a vehicle. And not just illegal, but FELONY illegal. Best do some research before building any secret compartments. Just sayin'...

 

Sell it (original deal) and forget it. Otherwise this guy is gonna run you to death.

 

The truck is his. Take steps to put it in storage in his name, disconnected from you, even if you have to hire a serrogate. It's his truck, you have his money.

Just don't get distracted from securing the cash somewhere else, and lose that account stat, have your financial ins***ution ***ign a new number. Since he's privy the info of your account, he's only a couple of steps away of being able to tie it up with legal manipulation, given the motivation and the tools.............

 

>>>>,Five years ago ,,i sold a '70 / 454 Corvette to a guy in Norway ,,he owns "Muroc" speed shop ,he wanted me to buy him a 8 inch Ford posi third member and two tires from Coker for his Model A street rod, ,,which i did and put it all in the 'Vette,,he sent me $3K cash deposit in a box w****d in one of his T-Shirts ,,then he bank wired the rest plus the shipping to Reliable Auto Shippers, three weeks later ,,they picked the 'Vette up,,,paid me , and hualed it to Customs in Chicago ,Customs did a month long background check to make sure it wasn't stolen ,,then ,,it was loaded on a cargo ship and sailed across the lakes to Norway ,,once it got to Norway ,,a month later ,,it went thru Customs again ,,the Government over there charged him 50% import duty ,,after 3 months ,,that $13,000 dollar 'Vette cost him $25.000 with shipping and taxes ,,BUT ,,no imort duty on the third member & tires ,,
they pay thru the nose getting parts shipped over there ,,
I'd be patient and see how it goes ,,,you got your money ,,give him time to get his act together ,,
What city in Norway does he live in ???

 

I'll agree with the folks who say to work on the communications part of this deal. It could all be messed up in the translation-and you have the money. On the other hand,I'd move that money to another account in another bank and keep only a minimal amount in your current account until the deal is done. Can't hurt to be too careful. If I was the crook, I wouldn't hit your account until the truck was on it's way.