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I've been offered a bike for sale from someone based in Warsaw,but the bike is in the highlands (Inverness area ) . He wants to set up a transaction through eBay using PayPal pay after delivery. Reading pay pals terms this should be a safe way to purchase something as you have 14 days after the transaction before any money comes out of your account.
Has anyone used this before and can anyone smell a rat?
The price of the bike does seem too good to be true, but as they say " a faint heart never shagged a pig "

If it seems to good to be true then it probably is.
How come the bike is in Scotland but the owner in Poland ?
How come no Scots mates to sell it on his behalf?
An irresistible asking price and all the very loose ends seem to point to new scamming methods.
As you say, a faint heart ect. But one word I hear anything but faintly is CAUTION

Wouldn't touch it!

The bikes in Inverness because it was his brothers who sadly passed away 3 months ago. He wants to know my eBay user id,PayPal email along with a phone number and my name and address where the bike is to be delivered so he can register the sale with eBay to proceed.
I Can't see how I can be scammed by this. The only thing I'm worried about is if he sends a bogus link to PayPal and so takes the payment and I dont get the bike.

nicketynoo wrote:The bikes in Inverness because it was his brothers who sadly passed away 3 months ago. He wants to know my eBay user id,PayPal email along with a phone number and my name and address where the bike is to be delivered so he can register the sale with eBay to proceed.
I Can't see how I can be scammed by this. The only thing I'm worried about is if he sends a bogus link to PayPal and so takes the payment and I dont get the bike.

Your last sentence is the bit that would worry me Nick, you might just be safer with the pig!
You could query the process with eBay/Paypal for their views.

This is common place in Australia and AFAIK the money doesn't leave your account until Paypal asks for it and up until that time you can choose to not pay, I'd assume you need to give good reason though.

So effectively pay pal fronts the money for you and takes the risk up front.

It's your call in the end, just my 2p worth

If the bike is in inverness then surely the seller has somebody he trusts to take the cash on collection nick.

There needs to be trust on both parts that's what makes ebay so good, he is not giving you a choice?.

The bike is way to cheap for what they normally go for, Below half price which is what is the tempting part to make you hand over the money?

You don't know if the bike is as listed as he is using somebody else's account to sell the bike.

I would give the seller the ultimatum. Point out that you have good feed back on ebay and are an honest buyer.

If he wants to sell then he would accomodate your payment needs.

Also point out cash will stop any paypal fee's and its a win win situation for the both of you.

If you can't agree on payment then walk away mate as you are better off putting the money towards your dream bike and paying a premium than loosing everything.

If he does meet your payment needs then the bike trailer is here waiting for you to fetch the bike

Just out of interest, what's the bike anyway, could it be a stroker?

P.S.
Dale's comments about how this payment method works in Oz, make it sound safer,but I would still talk to eBay or do as Jay suggests.

HowardQ wrote:Just out of interest, what's the bike anyway, could it be a stroker?

The ultimate

Never used it so don't know the ins and outs but doesn't he just need an email addy to request a payment Iean if I were that way inclined I would tell PayPal I had forgotten my password and gave a reminder sent to the phone and access the eBay and PayPal account heck why not give your password too?

Also google anything you can about the seller. Ie. Name, any descriptive phrases etc. If its a scam they often have multiple adds out there as bait...

let me see if I've got this right.

He sets up sale / transaction through eBay / PayPal.
You confirm the transaction but no money leaves your account.
He delivers the bike.

What happens next at this point? Do you have to authorise the payment to leave your account or does it do it automatically (in the 14 days)? Or what if the bike isn't as described? How hard is it to cancel the sale / transaction and stop the money leaving you?

I rang Paypal to ask about pay after delivery and it all sounds kosher, the money leaves your account 14 days after the purchase and gives you time to inspect and decide whether the item is as described. All sounds good ,but I've sent the seller an e-mail stating I wont purchase the bike bike unless I can view it at the address on the V5.
Its a long way to travel but I definitely smell a rat! like people have said if it seems too good to be true then it probably is.
Thanks for the advice, I'll wait and see what response I get

Ask him to e-mail you clear pics of the V5 and any other documentation - receipt for the bike, OT certificate etc. etc.

Hi and thanks for the email. I am sorry for the late reply. The bike is in very good condition, no problems here, all documents available. I must tell you that it belonged to my brother who unfortunately passed away 3 months ago. The price I am looking for is £3,750.00 (I can also have it delivered within the UK for £150). Please see the attached pictures. Let me know if you are still interested. It's located in Inverness-shire, Highland.

See below some info on the bike:

Yamaha RZV 500R 1986 2 owners

Originally sold by fast line Preston.

It was bought and only covered approx. 160 miles on the road by the previous owner. He decided it was not for him and traded it in. I saw it advertised as a RZV500 restoration where required. The paint work and the plastics were done to a professional standard, so I removed all the plastics and spent hours cleaning the frame, came up really nice, so I decided to leave the bike all original. In my ownership I have only done 4202km = 2611miles. Only ever been ridden in dry weather. The bike currently has 17663km=10975miles on the clock. It has matching frame and engine numbers. Got all the paperwork, v5, MOT's, tax disc, etc.

Additional photos:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/mnsjmy1cnkgn ... Y1RHJHPiXa

Thank you,
Anna & Ian Whittley