Remote Buying

[ZippyTheTurtle]

Does anyone have any suggestions of a secure method to make remote purchases of trailers? I found a great price on a 6 Wide LG in Tucson but while I asked the guy for more pictures someone else bought it. I would have given him a down payment as cheap as he was asking if the thing was in one piece. Paypal only covers you for a couple hundred from what I have been told by my more online trade savvy friends. How have you handled the transaction to assure no one gets burned?

[danlott]

Trust is a big one. You need to let the seller know that you are very interested and you will buy if it is what he is saying it is. I can usually get a seller to hold something just on my word. I usually let them know up front that we could arrange a deposit if required through Paypal. So far have not had to use Paypal, the seller will usually always hold it for me. But you have really stress to the seller know that you are serious and will buy it if it matches the description in the ad.

Another option is to ask for help on this wonderful site. There are probably members that would be will to drop by and check out the trailer for you, maybe even pick it up and hold it if needed. I know I would do that if asked.

Dan

[48Rob]

You can ask someone closer to look at it for you, and hope they are an expert at what they are looking at, or you can drive/fly/somehow get there to look at it yourself...

Long distance buying is very risky.
The only way to reduce the risk is to become an expert on what you are buying, so you will be able to tell from pictures and description if the reward might be worth the risk.

Pictures and descriptions can be misleading, intentionally, or otherwise.

If you don't know much about the trailer/car, etc. you are looking at, the risk is probably too great unless you can inspect it in person.
Sometimes a seller will accept a deposit, and usually will honor the agreement, but still, unless I had exchanged several E mails, and spoken with them several times on the phone, I would not drive several states away on a hope and promise.
It would be too easy for them to sell it to someone who walks up with cash, leaving me with nothing but expenses and wasted time.

On the other hand, I may have misunderstood your question...
If you are asking can I buy something long distance on E bay and then decide if I really want it once I see it, that wouldn't be right.
If you simply want to use Pay Pal to send the seller a deposit to hold it until you get there to see it and decide, that would be right.
There still isn't any way I'm aware of though other than getting a feel for the sellers mindset/honesty other than talking with them and just taking a chance that they will honor the agreement, but again, you really need to educate yourself as much as is possible to avoid shafting yourself because you didn't know or understand fully what you were buying or the potential problems it may have that the seller honestly did not know about.

Rob

[ZippyTheTurtle]

No pretty much short of the wheels falling off this rig I was going to take it for the price he wanted an run.

Apparently someone local saw the good deal too.

The post was just asking for a safe way to send some deposit money to prove that I was serious. Well as serious as I can be.

[48Rob]

I see, sorry for all the rambling...

Paypal is pretty safe, at least in my experience, and much easier and less expensive than the old way, Western Union.

Trying to grab a super deal is hard enough when it is just across town.
Trying to get one several states away would be really scary, to me, as the buyer who shows up and is told you already placed a deposit, may well be able to convince the seller to chance his mind for a couple hundred more, right now, in cash...

Rob