[ROVERNET - UK] Re: 2000TC on Ebay - consignment sellers

[Geoff Kirkpatrick]

Re Glen's statement of "caveat emptor" - I agree completely.  I've had
overwhelmingly positive experiences using Ebay, but probably 80% of the
bad ones have involved consignment sellers.  In all cases, they have
simply listed the items with the descriptions given them by the sellers,
which have proven to be blatantly false once I received the item.  Last
year I bought a Mercedes 600SEC coupe from such a seller in Florida, which
turned out to be borderline scrap.  The actual owner was a "curbstone"
dealer with a long string of such scams to his credit.  When I contacted
the local police department, they knew exactly who I was talking about and
even gave me his real name and address (not the alias he used for the
transaction).  I was able to get a settlement with Ebay's insurance
company for part of the price, and re-sold the car as a project for about
half what I paid for it.  But the consignment seller refused to accept any
responsibility at any point, although I believe the company was suspended
from Ebay for a time.

Other consignment transaction problems included a Rolls-Royce Silver
Shadow with butchered brakes, a collectible Philco Predicta TV which was
represented as having "worked fine till a month ago" but had clearly been
dead for ages, and probably stored outside, and a collection of
Mercedes-Benz model cars which had been consigned by the owner's wife
without his knowledge or consent; the consignment seller contacted me a
couple of months after the sale wanting to buy them all back.

The major lessons I've learned: First, spend the money to have a
professional inspect a car you're considering bidding on.  It will be
money well spent.  Second, be wary of claims made in consignment sellers'
auctions.  If the condition or authenticity of an item can't be verified
just by looking at the photos, be very careful.  There is certainly a
legitimate place for consignment sellers, but they are easily used as
fronts by unscrupulous, dishonest people.  I will probably never again buy
a car from a consignment dealer.




"This is the final test of a gentleman: his respect for those who can be of no possible service to him."
- William Lyon Phelps

Geoff Kirkpatrick, 382 Riverside Avenue, Ben Lomond, CA 95005, USA


 
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