Top tips for buying vehicle online from overseas

Top tips for buying vehicle online from overseas

* Do not send money via money transfer (i.e. Western Union, Moneygram or any other service)
* Be very careful buying vehicles abroad, take note of where the vehicle is, where the seller is and where they are asking you to send your money – are they all different? Why?
* If the vehicle for sale is abroad make arrangements with the seller to see it – there are plenty of cheap flights and do not accept excuses from them not view – walk away from the transaction if they make viewing awkward
* Would you normally buy a second had car without seeing it first and hand over your money without knowing who the seller was and where they live – I would hope not! Someone at the end of an email or phone could be anyone who often is never traceable
* Beware of escrow/false shipping sites, where the seller gives an escrow site or sends you a consignment number and a shipping agent website to confirm the vehicle is being sent to you. Once you have sent your money and the website turns out to be false it is too late. Find your own escrow or shipping agent – do not let the seller recommend one!
* If it is too good to be true then it is!

* Do not accept over payments in the form of bankers drafts or cheques for the vehicle you are selling (known as Criminal Cashback)
* Do not send money via money transfer (Western Union, Moneygram or any other service)
* Cash is probably the best payment method, as long as you look out for forgeries. Go with the buyer and bank the money there and then if in doubt.
* Cheques can be trouble. Never let the car go before a cheque has cleared through your account. Be aware of forgeries. Remember if your bank gives instance access to the funds it does not mean that the cheque is okay, it can take several days for a forgery to be discovered and the funds will be taken out of your account if the cheque is forged. Consider paying for express clearance to safe guard yourself.
* Ask the buyer to give you a bank or building society draft; it’s the best way to ensure you receive your money safely. This is as good as cash, as they can only be issued if the buyer has enough money in their account. There are forgeries, so be careful, so ask the buyer to bring along the a statement and cheque book/passbook from the bank account or building society account that the bankers draft was issued from to shown the account is theirs and they held the funds to cover the bankers draft. If cannot – do not accept the draft
* Know who you are dealing with – ask for ID