eBay is the original home of online car sales. For as long as people have bought cars online there have been scams, but there are ways you can protect yourself.

Internet scams aren’t new. From Nigerian princes to inheritances from long-lost relatives, there are endless ways to lose your hard-earned money online. For car enthusiasts, the danger was especially harsh because even cheap cars can cost thousands of dollars. Today, there are dozens of platforms where you can safely buy a car online. They’re not always the best deal but at least consumers have more options than the shady used car dealership down the street. But years ago the only place to buy a car online was eBay.

The online auction website was founded in 1995 but their motor-oriented auctions didn’t start until 2000. It seemed like a natural extension and an easy way to make some high commissions. Unfortunately, early eBay was a bit like the wild west. It was difficult to verify buyers and sellers and so the only way to tell whether you might get what you paid for is a crude seller rating which could easily be fabricated. You might be thinking about eBay’s buyer protection policy but that wasn’t implemented site-wide until 2006, six years after eBay Motors went live and the protection only covers certain losses associated with fraud. So it’s easy to see how car scams became such a huge issue for eBay. They do their best to warn buyers of the risks but ultimately it’s up to the buyer to make sure what they’re buying isn’t a scam.

Here are the most common ways you can get scammed and how to protect yourself from losing your life savings on a bogus car sale.

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Common Scams

Via: ABC11

One of the biggest reasons why people love eBay Motors is the convenience. Buyers can buy a car that looks like a great deal from across the country in their pajamas but that convenience is also dangerous since many people may have to buy a car sight unseen. Many people may be lulled into a false sense of security because eBay is a credible website that is famous for its buyer protection guarantee. What many people may not know is that buyer protection does not apply to car sales on the auction site.

Some ways scammers use eBay is listing a car in great driving condition but delivering a car riddled with issues that range from mildly annoying to downright dangerous. Axle issues, hidden rust, failing seals, hidden electrical system issues, and water damage are just some hard-to-detect issues that can end up junking a car. Even worse than getting a clunker is not getting a car at all. There are countless stories where people paid what looked like a great price only for the seller to disappear.

The worst-case scenario is when a seller strings a buyer along piling on more and more fees for a car they don’t even have to sell. Scammers will accept initial payment but may also ask for transportation fees, gas fees, cleaning fees, and anything else they can get from you before you refuse and they call the whole deal off disappearing with whatever you already paid them.

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How To Stay Protected

Via go.bankingrates.com

There are a few ways to protect yourself against scammers on eBay Motor. Some of the best tips apply to buying any used car, not just online car sales. Go see the car yourself! We know the advantage of an online car sale is so you don’t have to get off your couch but to make sure it’s legitimate you really need to see the car in person. Video chatting with the seller where they can walk you through the car might work but don’t be fooled by pre-recorded videos or doctored photos.

Once you’ve seen the car and verified they can actually sell it to you by checking the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number), take it to an auto body shop of your choosing, any reputable shop nearby should be fine. Let the seller know you’re willing to pay for a mechanic to give it an inspection. It shouldn't cost more than $100 or $200 and is worth the peace of mind. If the car doesn’t have any issues the seller hasn’t already told you about it can only be good for them. Proving the car is in good running shape will only strengthen their selling position so be wary of anyone that seems worried about an inspection.

The biggest red flags to look out for is if they want you to pay for anything with a wire transfer or gift cards. Those forms of payment are essentially untraceable so scammers can run off and you’d have no way of finding them. Any transaction should be made through eBay. If a seller insists on payments off the eBay platform it’s likely a scam even if it saves on eBay’s commission. It’s almost always better to have that safety of having eBay in your corner trying to help identify a runaway seller even if they don’t have buyer protection for you. Finally, the age-old wisdom holds true, if it seems too good to be true it probably is.

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