Hey guys, don’t really know where else to post this so i’ll try here! i recognize sending a boatload of money to a stranger on the internet is never a good idea but a freshly built set of my dream wheels in my dream spec (you can tell i want to trust him) came for sale but he’s a looong ways from me and after talking with him he is comfortable shipping. i’m not looking for advice to look out for scams, he seems legit enough (i know that doesn’t mean he is), im more just wondering if there is a safe way to do this? i would have to imagine when buying car parts this would have to happen quite a bit if you want some specific things. am i just gonna have to trust him if i want to go through with this? leap of faith? or like i said, is there a safe way to do this? legit 0 experience in this so interested in any advice. even if that advice is just drive the 800km to not risk the loss😅 TIA.
by Zealousideal_Tear532
3 Comments
Talk with your bank and him, see if you can pay half up front and the rest upon the delivery. Or wire transfer and have the funds be held within his bank until it gets delivered. It’s a damn car, you’ll have to sign for it so it’s not like you can take possession of it and then say you didn’t get it and not end up paying.
Do you know anyone that lives around the area of the seller, you could have them pay the guy once your friend sees the car getting loaded onto the trailer for shipping.
Don’t risk the loss, just drive the 800km.
The last time I was building a car, I found a set of bumpers and sideskirts for sale on the other side of the country from me. It was the middle of winter, the snow was about 12″ deep, I had to traverse the tallest mountain in my country, driving a rear wheel drive BMW M5, at night, towing a trailer, and it was the second most fun and memorable adventure I ever had in that car. There was people getting stuck in the snow in Range Rovers and Toyota Land Cruisers and I was just driving around them in my BMW with zero issues.
Grab a friend or two, take a trip, have an adventure and make some memories instead of spending a week stressing over whether you’ll ever see your money or your wheels again.
I’ve done this twice just this month, but with credible dealerships. If you can get history and it’s a reputable business owner or a person with some type of commercial history I wouldn’t worry about it. If it’s private party and a total shot in the dark that’s super risky, but either way: back transfer. A wire transfer at least gets all of there information and goes they both your banks and the banks require both your information to do the transaction. Not rock solid, but if it’s what above board businesses prefer, it’s probably the best route. Private and under 10k or whatever their instant transfer limit is, I’d probably just use PayPal, again if there’s verifiable information. Edit: also shipping was super easy. Find a national or provincial shipper and they will likely take a deposit and you complete payment at arrival. I had zero experience a month ago and now have done it twice, not hard just takes diligence.