There are so many eBay scammers active I think I should post another topic. I had written one on the previous board that was pinned to the top, but its since been removed.
In a nutshell, if it looks too good to be true. IT IS.
A $45,000 car is worth the same amount anywhere. If the owner was to sell it to a dealer, or trade it, they may lose a few thousand, but not tens of thousands. So, Rule 1 is
If a car is listed as a buy it now for less than half its value, its it typically a scam.
Next off, eBay DO NOT, WILL NOT and HAVE NEVER offered a ESCROW program for ANYTHING. You DO NOT send money to eBay, who in turn release funds to sellers upon you approving the condition of the car. eBay is a auction venue. And a slack one at that. So, Rule 2 is
ANYONE who claims that the transaction is done that way is a LIAR, a THIEF and a SCAMMER.
Buyers, please use common sense. If a seller is registered in NSW, but says the car is in another state and that he is out of the country, THEY ARE SCAMMERS. The probability of that being true is less than 1%.
Next off, interstate car shipping is VERY expensive. No one would include free shipping on a car that is already way under market value. No one is that desperate to get rid of their car. I might drive a car a few hours drive to meet a buyer, but interstate, even SAME state shipping is thousands of dollars. IT IS A SCAM.
The people doing these scams have been doing it for YEARS. It started as a letter in the post from a long lost relative, who had died and left you thousands of dollars, turned into a email with basically the same thing, but with more money and now its cars, bikes, boats, houses, basically anything of value that can easily be photographed and listed without being able to be verified as the owner.
The cars used in listings are usually nothing more than cars parked in a public place. The people listing are usually middle men, working for bigger scammers, typically in Africa-Nigeria. They will list the items with a sob story and can list 10 or more at a time. If you ever phone them, they often forget which car it is you're ringing about.
Please, don't forget these people are CRIMINALS. They're paid a fee for doing this. They can also be dangerous. So the best, safest, smartest bet is once you get a fishy looking email once you inquire about a car, delete it and have no further contact.
People, unless you can see it, drive it and touch it, DONT PART WITH THE CASH.
Going Ford is the Going Thing.