selling a jeep

[Matthew]

someone recently offered to buy one of my jeeps from me. The guy said that he will pay through paypal and once the payment is recieved, he will send down someone to pick up the jeep. this is the first time i will be selling a jeep and i don't know if the way he wants to do it is a legitimate and safe way to sell my jeep to him. What should i do?

[bretto]

PayPal is pretty safe and Ive used it a lot for small online purchases that are being shipped but if your going to meet someone face to face, I'd wait for payment in hand.  Preferably cash.
Brett

[Bob W]

Remember that you will pay the fee for the transaction. Since someone has to come get the Jeep, I'd prefer cash in a face to face deal.

[Quebec Jeep]

It's depent of your level of trust and confident.
I'm from Canada and i bought a 3A in Wisconsin.
I did use Western Union to pay it first and then i travelled two month later to get it. It was a good amount 4300$ US.
I spoke with the seller more then ten times over the phone and i can't count how many e-mail i sent.

I'm using PayPal like 2-3 times per month to pay stuff on eBay or to send money to member here. I never had problem.

This is when you are buying. The question is how much money who are welling to loose.

In your case, the risk is low i think. He send you the money through PayPal, you got it and transfert it in your bank account. If you can have like a couple of days between the transaction time and when he will come get it it's a must.

Does the jeep is titled? It belong to you until you fill the paperwork.

[Matthew]

ok yea thanks for all the responses! its been a real help! the jeep has current registration and a clean title, but i don't have a bank account to link to my papal. the guy is in Washington and just wants to have a mover pick the jeep up.

[Oilleaker1]

  John[/quote]

However you do it, do not release the title or Jeep until payment has cleared the bank. Lots of scams out there. Bad checks, or they want you to pay the hauler guy and that is the scam part. You lose. Read all the warnings at the bottom of Craigslist adds. They mean what they say. John

[macrisel]

Anytime you sell a vehicle yourself, you are opening yourself up to fraud.  While I am not trying to scare you off, you should take steps to protect yourself.  There are a number of scams out there and you should definately make yourself aware of them.  Here are a few more tips besides what has been mentioned:

1.  I like to sell a vehicle for cash, in person with the buyer present.  Stop at WalMart and buy a special pen to check for conterfeit cash. 
2.  Use your cell phone to take a photo of their driver's license and their vehicle plates.  This way you have some information to file a police report with later if something happens.
3.  Fill out a bill of sale, have them sign it in front of you and keep a copy of it.  Sign the back of the title and have them sign the title in front of you (if this step is required in your state).  This is to prevent an "open" title in your name that may show up in your name later.
4.  Meet at a public place (NOT your house) to sell the car and bring someone with you.  Some of our local police departments have encouraged people to use their parking lots as a safe place to buy/sell items.
5.  Last, but certainly not least............if something doesn't feel "right" with the situation, walk away.  There is a reason why you have that little voice in your head....listen to it! 

I have bought and sold several vehicle on Craigslist with great sucess so I am not trying to scare you off.  Just take some basic steps to protect you and your money.

Good luck!

[Matthew]

thanks again for all the great advice! it's really helped. I contacted the guy in the hopes of at least calling me to discuss him buying the jeep, but he hasn't emailed back in about a week. In addition, it didn't "feel" right because he didn't want to meet me in person, he wanted me just to accept the money and let the jeep get picked up buy a mover.

[macrisel]

I would say that is for the best.  My personal rule is I have to actually TALK to the buyer before the final sale.  An email or text message is okay for the first contact, but after that I have to speak to someone.  Just by doing that, it eliminates a LOT of the scams out there.

[athawk11]

This makes me wonder.

I use PayPal for the majority of my Willys needs, whether I purchase from Walcks, or eBay, or one of you fellas.

-In this case, the buyer sends money to your PayPal account.
-The Willys is picked up by the haul company.
-You have the money.  The buyer eventually has the Willys.

Can the buyer "take" the money back out of your PayPal account?  If not, can the buyer dispute the payment?  How would the scam work?  Who ultimately gets stuck with the bill?  Would it be PayPal?

I don't use the word much, but I "hate" thieves.

Tim

[aboyandhisdog]

Of course the converse of "how to sell a jeep" is "how to buy a jeep".  I bought mine through ebay about 7-8 years ago.  I just sent the seller a personal check and he agreed to release the jeep to a transport in a few days as soon as the check cleared.  But, it took a transport company over a month to pick it up.  So, as the buyer, I was the one out on a limb.  The seller had my money AND the jeep.  I took the risk, as he had a good ebay rating and we had corresponded quite a lot about the vehicle.  In hindsight, I probably was not very wise to do this the way I did.  Back then I don't think PayPal was used widely for personal transactions but I don't know for sure.  Had I used PayPal, I would have probably had protection had the seller not come through with his end of the deal.

Oilly, you have no doubt done this more than most of us...how do you make it work when you are buying?  I remember your story about the Jag that was delivered with the low oil pressure.  This worked out for you, but what if the seller had not been as accommodating?  Do we have any recourse when vehicles are not as promised?

[1955CJ-5]

I once had a Morris Minor that I sold to a fellow who responded to a very old club newsletter ad...

He was on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State..an easy 12-14 hours away..

But he mailed me a check for the full amount, and asked me to hold the check until he arrived. We agreed that he would bring cash and exchange the cash for the check....it worked out great...

I see no reason why your prospective buyer could not mail you a check. Washington state is not that far away. When the check clears his agent can pick up the vehicle. I don't know if paypal payments are reversible or not, but be very careful about giving out information....there are lots of clever scams out there.

[Oilleaker1]

As a buyer, I now contact the seller and ask all the questions and get pictures, etc. I then go and pick it up myself but, I'll only buy if the seller aggrees to recieve payment at that time. If ebay, I run the risk of bad feedback, but I don't bring the vehicle home if it isn't what was represented. As a seller, I want them to come and look and pay in person with cash or a certified check. Paypal has fees. Wiring of money, or sending payment to a bogus person who then disappears is a common scam. Being a seller is safer as long as the funds are real. Do a google search for scams, automobile. You'll get a education. The Jag deal you mentioned only worked out with me threatening them with bad press posted against their business. Right after me, they added a exclusion to their sales policy that stated come, look, drive, because once the transaction is done, there is no going back. Buyer beware type of thing. They are now out of business. Tough world out there. Most Jeep people are just good people. That helps. A dealer once told me he never gets excited until the check clears the bank. As a seller, get the money for real before you let it go. John

[athawk11]

One final thought...

As I was reading the responses, I was struck by the absurdity of this entire conversation.  Who, in their right mind, would ever sell a Willys?

[Quebec Jeep]

Who, in their right mind, would ever sell a Willys?

Well said!