[Solved] Selling a Car - Is PayPal Safe?

Irrelevancy on 18/01/2022 - 09:21
Last edited 19/01/2022 - 20:56 by 1 other user

Hi everyone

I'm selling a car, and an interstate buyer has contacted me and offered a really good price. He has offered to pay via bank deposit or PayPal (my choice) and have the vehicle freighted across at his cost.

Wondering if there is a possible of this being a scam - the fact that he offered a good price without wanting to negotiate makes me suss (having said that I was listing it below market value for a quick sale).

Also I honestly can't think of any other method an interstate buyer would purchase something high value, so he payment offerings seem legit.

Any tips on how to make sure I avoid getting scammed?

Regards
Sing

Automotive

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Comments

  • gromit on 19/01/2022 - 17:55
    +2

    I think the scariest thing here is that PayPal is your preferred method for this transaction that rings alarm bells for being one of the most common scams. And in case you are in doubt, No PayPal is definitely not safe. Of your two options bank deposit is far safer but the way the scam usually goes is you say bank deposit then they either put in a fake cheque for too much or provide a fake receipt or PayPal will reverse as fraud or provide you the extra for shipping and provide a shipper who they want you to pay etc etc, many variations, none of them will see you receive any money permanently if at all. basically almost every car or bike advertised privately will receive one of these scams

  • serpserpserp on 19/01/2022 - 18:28

    So how is it a scam? Just get him to deposit the money first.

    • Herbse on 19/01/2022 - 18:51

      • deposit will actually be a cheque which looks like money is in the account but it's not then it disappears. Most common scam. You can look out for it and cover yourself by calling the bank and confirming it's real money in your account and transfer it out to another seperate account to be extra safe.

      • some people send a fake "CommBank deposit receipt" which many people fall for as true.

      • deposit could be from a stolen bank account which will be recovered by the original owner of the money and the seller will be left with nothing

  • Herbse on 19/01/2022 - 18:47
    +2

    Just look up selling car & PayPal or bank deposit in Google and you'll see all the horror stories.

  • Zondor on 19/01/2022 - 18:55

    Even when I have wanted to purchase cars from interstate. I offer to leave a deposit and fly over.

    Who would buy a non-new car without driving it first.

    • beyondtool on 21/01/2022 - 22:37
      +1

      Yep same when I bought my car interstate. I said I was a serious buyer and flew down with the intent of driving home with the car. I was happy to forgo the plane flight if the deal fell through, not a lot to pay in scheme of things. Who buys a car sight unseen?

  • Seaeagles on 19/01/2022 - 19:21
    +4

    I sold a car recently and they buyer paid using PayID.
    This is basically instant and very hard to reverse.

    The buyer transferred $1 first to to confirm he had the right details, then deposited the rest and said he would wait around until the money had arrived in my account.
    The money was in my account before we finished writing the transfer details on the registration papers.

    I rang my bank beforehand and they confirmed its probably the safest way to go.

    • timmy_tam on 20/01/2022 - 14:31

      i've done this before

      be careful, because the 2nd payment can be held for up to 24hours

      which means you could be waiting for a day

  • paloverde88 on 19/01/2022 - 19:36

    Scream

  • aidenh37 on 19/01/2022 - 20:19

    No no no no no

    Stay away

  • Ziggy28 on 19/01/2022 - 20:21

    Is the interstate buyer working on an oil rig or space station?

    • Seaeagles on 19/01/2022 - 20:40
      +5

      One that tried to buy my car worked on a mine in rural WA and said he will arrange a truck to pick the car up and pay extra.

      I said what luck, I'm a truck driver and in 2 days I'm doing a delivery to all the mines in WA and have enough room on my truck to bring the car directly to you so you can pay cash.
      Never heard from him again.

      • Ziggy28 on 19/01/2022 - 21:43

        Lol what if he said he was on an oil rig?

  • [Deactivated] on 19/01/2022 - 20:54

    I swear this place 😂🙄

  • Franconian on 19/01/2022 - 20:55

    Is it this car?

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/677853

  • lltravel on 19/01/2022 - 21:08

    Well whatever you do steer clear of paypal

    Once you receive a high transaction account from paypal they will freeze your account and deem the transaction as fraud. Even if its legit

    You will then submit paperwork which they will say is fake and hold your funds for 6 months

    You will then need to file a claim with AFACT who will then make paypal release your funds

    Bank transfer seems fine, just wait 1 week or so before you get the car picked up
    Also call the bank and tell them you're selling a car
    Also get the person to send their ID to you so you can check the name matches the bank transfer

    I dont know why people are saying its a scam if hes offered bank transfer?
    I understand theres a risk with bank transfer as well but best to wait a week before you do anything with the car

    Advise the buyer that you wish for the funds to clear and say it hasnt cleared yet
    Other option is for him to cash deposit into your account at the bank

  • Empharand on 19/01/2022 - 23:13

    The fact that they're wanting to buy the car without revealing anything about themselves and organise pickup by proxy is a little suspicious. If this buyer is serious then they will fly over to view said car and organise a bank cheque.

  • aza361 on 20/01/2022 - 04:09
    +2

    I had an odd experience when selling a Nissan X-Trail in Melbourne a couple of years ago. A buyer turned up, but said he was happy to sit in the passenger seat whilst I test drove the car for him. Strange, but I didn't question it and assumed he was a time waster. Immediately after the "test drive" he said he'd buy the car, so I invited him into my house to complete the paperwork.

    Before coming in the house, he had a phone call in Chinese with someone, then he passed the phone to me. The person on the phone said this was her friend, and he was buying the car on her behalf, and they'd be in touch. The person then left.

    The next day I received a call from the woman I spoke to on the phone from the previous day. She said her friend had returned to China, but she would still buy the car. This sounded like a scam, but I couldn't work out exactly what they were up to. I said that was fine, and to send me a photo of her driver's license, and to transfer $250 deposit to me. I told her the balance would need to be transferred to me in a bank branch.

    The license photo and deposit were received, so I held the deposit for a couple of days whilst I got a Roadworthy Certificate for the car. I then told her I was ready to do the exchange.

    She said he didn't know how to transfer a car, and asked that I helped her. I said that was fine - we met outside the VicRoads office in Melbourne CBD, she did a bank transfer to my account at a nearby bank, we then submitted the transfer paperwork and I handed her the keys.

    Fortunately all worked out fine, but here's no way I would have gone ahead with the sale had I not received the payment transfer in a bank branch.

    • Poor Ass on 20/01/2022 - 08:41
      +2

      oooo really sounded like a scam at first but glad it worked out

  • Morphio25 on 20/01/2022 - 06:54

    DO. NOT. USE. PAYPAL!!!

  • gromit on 20/01/2022 - 08:16
    +2

    I am always amazed in threads like this the few completely naïve people that claim there is no risk as long as you wait for the money to clear or move the money from your account after it hits. In cases of fraud none of these things protect you. This is a common scam that is sent to thousands of car and bike sellers every week, when the buyer agrees easily to the advertised price AND won't come see the vehicle as they are conveniently in another state/overseas/military/oil rig/mining community but will happily pay freight you can be 99.9% certain it is a scam, if the price on the vehicle is so good someone would be willing to pay freight on top of it then there will also be someone local that will snap it up. They rely on people that think "If I am careful this is perfectly safe" to make their scam profitable.

  • Poor Ass on 20/01/2022 - 08:45

    100% need see licence

    Cleared funds before delivery or telegraphic transfer

  • ddhar on 20/01/2022 - 10:06

    Tell them to come see the car and bring the money along (or go to a branch together to do the deposit).

    Genuine buyers are ok with this. Scammers will disappear.

  • WT on 20/01/2022 - 12:26

    OP is trolling us, hes a ghost

  • vinnychase on 21/01/2022 - 00:14

    Paypal care about themselves (chargebacks) and they care about money senders(customers) rather than recievers(businesses).

  • smartazz104 on 21/01/2022 - 07:30

    Also I honestly can't think of any other method an interstate buyer would purchase something high value, so he payment offerings seem legit.

    If they really want the car they can come to you with a bank cheque.

    • Hearthstone on 21/01/2022 - 15:24
      +1

      I got interstate buyers driving up to pick up the car and paid me cash

      I said cash only, no other form of payment, hand me the cash, I hand over the keys along with the signed paperwork for both parties to hand into their rego office
      if they think it is a good deal they will make the effort.

  • allegiance86 on 21/01/2022 - 17:45

    This is a LONG running scam, have heard of it many many times over the years.

    DO NOT EVER accept interstate PayPal sales.

    Insist they come pick up the car. Period

  • [Deactivated] on 21/01/2022 - 17:46

    Hold on Need to call elong musk up

  • DASHCAM NOW DUDE on 21/01/2022 - 17:59

    I'm shocked OP hasn't been scammed before considering their post history is mostly "WTB gift cards".

  • DASHCAM NOW DUDE on 21/01/2022 - 18:03

    offered a good price without wanting to negotiate makes me suss (having said that I was listing it below market value for a quick sale).

    The duality of man. OP is smartly suspicious but the greed makes them jump through hoops to justify it - "my car's a bargain!"

  • stewy on 21/01/2022 - 19:40

    PayPal isn't safe for selling anything.

  • Goldenra1n on 21/01/2022 - 21:21

    Straight up it's a scam. Cash only and in person

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