When selling cars, how do you get paid safely, anyway?

[Black]

The last was a general approach to life not specifically internet sales transaction.
Also I made no mention of brandishing or threatening anyone with a firearm. Just because one has a gun does not mean others see it or even have a clue it is there.

 

[Shabadoo]

Not that I have ever used these for car buying but just something to think about. You may be able to use services such as Zelle, Paypal, Venmo, or MoneyGram to send money online. The buyer can send from their phone and you can see it right there before ever handing over the keys. The downsides are that both parties need an account with the service usually and some have caps on how much you can send. Might be worth looking into if scammers are a big worry and you want convenience though

 

[TobyU]

Oh yeah

Rifle gonna be SUPER useful against potential craigslist scammers, especially at handshake/testdrive range


And if they ain't scammers but actual paying customers? Two rednecks with rifles gonna be a great sales pitch for a vehicle


....downside? It might be construed as extortion or armed robbery

Oh yeah

Rifle gonna be SUPER useful against potential craigslist scammers, especially at handshake/testdrive range


And if they ain't scammers but actual paying customers? Two rednecks with rifles gonna be a great sales pitch for a vehicle


....downside? It might be construed as extortion or armed robbery

That kind of sounds like it's spoken by someone who is fairly anti-gun or not familiar with them.
Handguns happen to be very convenient at close range handshake ranges. That's the range that people try to strong-arm or carjacked and rob people.
I think it was more of a joke about the rifles as I see no purpose for them in a situation we are talking about. Of course you would never want to have any weapons visibly present because that just makes too many people uncomfortable. The last vehicle I purchased I had my concealed carry weapon inside my waistband holster with my shirt over it the entire time and I'm quite certain the seller never knew I was carrying. I was underneath the vehicle with a bright flashlight looking at everything and checking it out for probably an hour plus then we went to the bank and did the deal and I'm quite certain no one was aware I had a firearm. That's the way it's supposed to be.
People who feel the need to have them displayed all the time have some sort of ego or chip on their shoulder or want to be Billy badass. They actually put themselves an extra Jeopardy because a firearm it's supposed to be a backup, just in case means of defense that no one should really know about.

 

[rjdelp7]

Know your buyer. No emails only, actually speak to them. If they text you, answer 'call me'. I knew someone, who had a rental property. He only called people back that left a message. That way he could weed out, people with accents or spoke ebonics. I always take a cash deposit of at least $500. If they offer less, tell them no and to walk. A serious buyer always has deposit money. Give a receipt and ask for driver license, for address and #. A honest person, will not care. Only an official certified bank check should be taken and immediately cashed. Cash can be a problem...at your bank. Apparently it raises a red flag.

 

[1955moose]

Anything over $10,000, a bank has to report to IRS. You could always deposit in 2-3 deposits, or have different accounts at different banks. You can tell a lot about an individual, by their voice on phone, and their demeanor when they show up. My larger stature throughout life has probably deterred a few individuals. That and I've been told I look like a big motorcycle cop.

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[Old Guy]

I would close the deal at their bank using a bank officer. Moreover, they have a notary or 2 in there and they can notarize the paperwork. Most banks will not charge the customer for this service.
Then either have the cashiers check verified, or have them do a wire transfer.

 

[Trainmaster]

Anyone who regularly deals in large amounts of cash should be armed.

Meet in a visible and safe place. Speak before meeting. Follow your instincts. Don't deal with dirtbags or people from dirtbag neighborhoods.

 

[Mackenzie Gans]

In March I flew to a suburb of San Francisco to buy my 2011 EL. I had $15,000 cash on me. I showed up at his house at 10pm, gave him the cash and he signed the title over to me. Easy as pie. I found the ad through Craiglist.

 

[TobyU]

In March I flew to a suburb of San Francisco to buy my 2011 EL. I had $15,000 cash on me. I showed up at his house at 10pm, gave him the cash and he signed the title over to me. Easy as pie. I found the ad through Craiglist.

That's how most of my purchases go also. But you still have to be aware because things could go badly in and if you do this enough eventually you're going to have a bad experience.
I bought a car in Phoenix Arizona that I drove back home to Dayton Ohio back 1 month and 1 day after September 11th terrorist attacks. It was October 12th when I flew to Phoenix with $14,700 cash to pay for the car plus some spending and expense money. I had to call the airline and airport before and ask them if there were any restrictions on flying with a sizable amount of money. They asked me how much are you talking about. I said well over 10,000 but less than 50k.The first question they asked me is if I would have the money on my person. I was like, duh, well yes. Certainly and set all times.
They said there were no issues I flew there and he picked me up at the airport. We went to his local bank who held the title with a small lien on it. I had a bill of sale and we did it all there in front of the bank officer. He paid off then line and they cancelled the lien and notarized him signing the title and I just had him leave me back to the interstate and I headed home. 19 hours later and 1520 miles, I was home. I much prefer a driving though so I can have a firearm. I think there is a way to check in firearms and transport them when you fly somewhere but I'm not really sure.
But I figured one month after September 11th was not the time to start asking questions about guns in airports and planes.
I bought one in Denver Colorado in 2001, 1230 miles away and wasted a trip to Stillwater OK, and one to Hollywood Florida that we drove to but didn't end up buying a vehicle.
That damn eBay and Craigslist has had me all over this country to buying "good deals" and crazy, weird, outlandish crap.
Bought a hovercraft at 11:00 at night from a guy in Indiana somewhere. It popped on Craigslist about 8:30 and I called him and said we're on our way.
One an eBay auction on a 77 Baja Bug from a shop teacher at in Kansas and drove out there and towed it back with the built-in bull bar on the front of it with a Buddies S10 truck.
Crazy fun times!

 

[Plati]

How about buying a vehicle? How do you know the seller actually owns it or all the paperwork is real or he/she will actually sign it over once you hand them cash? I guess one has to be paranoid about everything these days?

Or not

 

[Plati]

In March I flew to a suburb of San Francisco to buy my 2011 EL. I had $15,000 cash on me. I showed up at his house at 10pm, gave him the cash and he signed the title over to me. Easy as pie. I found the ad through Craiglist.

There have been quite a few cases of law enforcement confiscating large sums of cash under the guise that "it must be drug money". Sometimes you can get it back

 

[JExpedition07]

There have been quite a few cases of law enforcement confiscating large sums of cash under the guise that "it must be drug money". Sometimes you can get it back

Yep I think they call that a civil seizure or something. You can sue the law enforcement agency for the money back plus damages if they did it under unjust cause. They need to hope they have good cause or it’s a lose in court.

 

[Mackenzie Gans]

There have been quite a few cases of law enforcement confiscating large sums of cash under the guise that "it must be drug money". Sometimes you can get it back

I made sure to have all the paperwork on hand to indicate why I had such a large sum of money on hand. It never came up.

 

[jeff kushner]

I've got nothing to really add other than this; Everything in life is situationally dependant. I saw a Kaw triple ad just yesterday..(https://baltimore.craigslist.org/mcy/d/marlton-1974-kawasaki-s1-mach-triple/6949160362.html) for a bike that is fairly popular with OLDER riders/collectors.....it's also listed in one of the worst areas in Baltimore for GSW's...Cherry Hill!

These two things....this bike.....and this location....These things do not go together. The ad seems legit, saying the right stuff.....but is it really an ad listed by the seller or one copied to use as bait? A quick search using "Search all CL" progs tells me no....not a copied ad but it's amazing if you buy bikes, how often your find it's BS.

Use your head and follow your instincts....and really follow them....they typically know the situation better then your emotional side.

Last thing....Beta's(you know who you are) should have a buddy with him buying or selling. A predator can see it in your eyes....you can't hide it, not from someone looking for it!

jeff

 

[TobyU]

My new catchphrase has become "Everything is relative". Most things in life depend on the situation.
Maybe that's why the world is so messed up currently and people don't get along. People of the past seem to have a lot more common sense and logical thinking and reasoning skills. Today, people have you lost the skill or don't bother to try to see another way or Viewpoint, or are just so entitled and self-absorbed that their way is the only way.

I think we're all guilty of some of this from time to time but some people it seems to be all they can do.

I still find deals on Craigslist but man it is the worst. Every time you post an ad on there you'll get a minimum of three fake email inquiries just trying to get your real email address.
Still lots of the too-good-to-be-true deals popping up which are.

 

[Plati]

Different scenario. Buddy wanted to sell his Harley $20k on Craigslist. Guy out if town sets up deal and my buddy drives couple hundred miles with bike and wife in car to return home. Yes he's a nice person.

Gets there and guy starts playing games with price. Deal falls through. A hole.

I was selling my snowmobile last year on Craigslist. Buyers all try to lower the price until I started saying forget it, I'll have it sold today then suddenly willing to pay asking price. Buyer told me his name and info so I googled him and he was a cop and had been in the news for being injured during arrest. Next time on the phone I sneakily inquired about that and he had details. I bent over backwards to work with him and get him the machine! All cash deal

 

[Flexpedition]

I've got nothing to really add other than this; Everything in life is situationally dependant. I saw a Kaw triple ad just yesterday..(https://baltimore.craigslist.org/mcy/d/marlton-1974-kawasaki-s1-mach-triple/6949160362.html) for a bike that is fairly popular with OLDER riders/collectors.....it's also listed in one of the worst areas in Baltimore for GSW's...Cherry Hill!

I'm pretty sure thats Cherry Hill New Jersey.

but is it really an ad listed by the seller or one copied to use as bait? A quick search using "Search all CL" progs tells me no....not a copied ad but it's amazing if you buy bikes, how often your find it's BS.

South Jersey Craigslist, same exact 4 day old ad
https://southjersey.craigslist.org/mcy/d/marlton-1974-kawasaki-s1-mach-triple/6949160488.html

 

[Adieu]

I'm more impressed by the quantity of buy-a-fake-VIN-report scammers

Although yeah, Craigslist sure is getting odd

 

[1955moose]

We have an area in the parking lot of the Daly City Police station to handle internet transactions. It's 2 spots that are under the watch of a camera. It's a great scammers deterrent. Large dollar item sales, you might be able to get a police officer to come down. It was put in about 5 years ago. Pretty cool idea.

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[TobyU]

Different scenario. Buddy wanted to sell his Harley $20k on Craigslist. Guy out if town sets up deal and my buddy drives couple hundred miles with bike and wife in car to return home. Yes he's a nice person.

Gets there and guy starts playing games with price. Deal falls through. A hole.

I was selling my snowmobile last year on Craigslist. Buyers all try to lower the price until I started saying forget it, I'll have it sold today then suddenly willing to pay asking price. Buyer told me his name and info so I googled him and he was a cop and had been in the news for being injured during arrest. Next time on the phone I sneakily inquired about that and he had details. I bent over backwards to work with him and get him the machine! All cash deal

I learned a long time ago NEVER drive to meet someone with car unless it is a blocks from your house....then it's a good idea.
But never wast time.
Many people do this on purpose knowing that once you have invested the time you are more likely to come down on price instead of driving it back home.

Never NEED to sell anything and act like it.