Fake buyer? (out of province sale)
 

Got a lead from Autotrader from someone in Waterloo who's interested in my Miata and after a couple emails he's willing to put down $1K deposit on the car sight unseen without a plan on how he's going to get it home (he suggested he'd drive it back which would be impossible with the current weather).

Seems super fishy to me. He's provided me a phone number so I was going to call him but has anyone else gotten these? What's the right way to suss it out? I'm 99.9% certain he's a fake.

thanks,

Tell him to send the money and see what happens. I've sold 2 vehicles with the buyer having this approach before.

Call him and talk to him. I've bought vehicles like that in the past because I had my eye set on it.

Not at all, I drove from Toronto to Vancouver in February. All you need is common sense and snow tires.

My friend sold his local '99 Integra GS-R to an Ontario buyer who never saw the car in person. Ontario buyers are willing to pay the premium for desirable west coast cars because all the older cars there rust out very quickly.

Thanks all, logic all makes sense. Surprised someone is willing to pay full price and travel out here during this time of year. Will follow up with them.

i bought a vehicle from Toronto before.. had US plates, and the owner was UK.

it was super fishy at first and i never met the guy in the end.. but i was able to complete the transaction and had it cargo'ed to vancouver.

I bought a car in TO sight unseen and had it shipped out here.

Don't write it off as a fake just yet.

Insist on interac eTransfer for the deposit, that way you know you have the cash.

x2

Sold a 90 CRX to a buyer in Quebec City sight unseen. Most of these cars are rusted away to nothing out east.

The buyer sent full payment by etransfer and then had Hansen's pick up and ship the vehicle by rail.

I bought my Element sight unseen. Did the whole deal over the phone and flew down to purchase and drive it home. First time doing that for me and the seller so we were both sketched out for the same reasons lol. Ended up going great.

Berz out.

Last year a guy from Alberta inquired about my car. Spoke with him through phone and emails. Then met up with his cousin here in Vancouver so he could look at the car on his behalf. The cousin ended up paying me cash for the car once everything checked out.

Throughout the entire transaction the buyer from Alberta never saw the car in person. This seemed fishy at first but it all worked out well for both parties.

Oh man I'd feel super sketchy not sure how you are able to do it

Without sounding like a stalker, I noticed you sold your car (as per your FS thread on RS.)

Did you end up selling it out of province or was it a local sale? Curious how things went.

Sold it to the buyer from Ontario. Turned out to be the real thing - British guy races Formula Fords (along with his teenage daughter) and the Miata is for his wife who desperately wanted the NA Miata that came with the BBS wheels 20 years ago (they were too poor then). They're flying out in mid-April to drive it back to Ontario.

Technically, it's not 100% sold - he paid his deposit as of last night and has planned his flights but all signs point to him being the real McCoy.

Good stuff. Congrats to what sounds like a successful sale.

These things happen all the time and while they do sound sketch, there are often successful outcomes to them.

I sold a car to a fellow Revscene member from Kelowna before. he said he would show up on a certain day to buy the car. he showed up, paid me cash, and drove away a happy guy. so yeah, it happens.

Perhaps a dumb question but I've gotten mixed answers from ICBC on this. The buyer would like to send me the money in advance so we can get the paperwork settled and so that he can get plates in Ontario to bring with him.

I believe the process for that is:

1) I receive payment and then fill out the transfer form and send that to him along with the registration portion of my papers. I cancel my insurance at that point.
2) He goes to his insurance agent in ON, completes the form, and gets plates for the car.
3) He comes to Vancouver with the copies of the transfer form, pays PST in BC and then can drive away with his Ontario plates?
4) He gets back to Ontario with his temp plates and registers the car in Ontario properly.

Is that correct?

This does mean I park the car once I cancel the insurance but that's fine as I'm ready to park it.

I don't think he needs to pay PST if he brings ON plate. He should be paying HST to ON.