I found this car and I emailed the guy and he said:
It is still available for sale if interested. It is in immaculate condition, non-smoker, meticulously maintained and hasn't been involved in any accident. It is gently used with only 113,295 miles. The car is sealed in a container in Sacramento ready to be shipped.
The price is not negotiable, $1500 is my last price. If u will take it for this price, I am willing to handle the shipping. I want to be protected 100% and I want the deal closed only through ebay. If u want to buy my car reply with your full name and address, and I will start the process with ebay. U will receive all transaction details from them
Also, feel free to ask me any question u may have.
Thanks and have nice time
Then I asked for more pictures of the car and he said:
Please enter here to see the pics: http://www.mypicx.com/10192010/mycar1997AccordEXLc... . As I've previously told u, my car is sealed in a container in Sacramento. The shipping won't be a problem, so I can handle it by myself. The car will be sent along with all its documents including title, bill of sale, 2 sets of keys, full service records and everything else you'll need.
The final price u will have to pay is $1500. The payment will be done through ebay. U will send the money to ebay and as soon as the payment is confirmed they will notify me to proceed with the shipping. I will ship the car, u will receive it and will have 5 days for inspection, both the car and the paperwork. During all this time ebay will hold the money. If u are satisfied with the car and decide to keep it u inform ebay about this and they will release the money to me. If the car is not as advertised and decide not to keep it ebay will refund u the money, no questions asked, and shipping back the car will be my concern. I think this is more than fair for the both of us. Please take into consideration that I will get paid only after u receive the car and make sure everything is as agreed.
Then I asked if we could meet and talk about this and he said:
I`m sorry but I only have access to a government computer here because i`m in mission write now, so we have to make this via mail. That is the reason for which I want to use ebay. If I wasn't in a mission, the transaction was much more simple, because I given you my address and you could come to pick up the car.
What do I do?
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
SCAM, SCAM, SCAM (repeat as needed)
When I was looking for a car for my daughter a few years ago, I came across similar Craiglist ads. One "seller" had his car in Sacramento, but offered to mail me the keys and paperwork. He offered some "scam" protection for my exchange.
After googling a bit, I found the exact same car listed on 7 or 8 different Craigslist sites.
Do this. Ask for the VIN# and do a Carfax check on it. For one thing, you'll find out the selling history and repairs to this Accord. If it's not in Sacramento, you may as well send your money to Nigeria.
It's obviously a scam - read How to Recognize a Vehicle Scam Attempt on Craigslist
http://houston.craigslist.org/cgi-bin/autos.cgi?&c...
"How to recognize a vehicle scam attempt on CL:
# Shipping a vehicle to you is suggested by seller
# eBay Motors or another intermediary is specified by seller
# Payment by Western Union or a money wire is requested
# Price is unusually low (fraction of blue book value)
If you see these tell-tale signs, flag ad as "prohibited" and avoid
Offers to ship a vehicle are virtually 100% fraudulent
eBay has no involvment in craigslist for sale ads, and any eBay or similar emails or web pages you receive are fake
Never use Western Union or wire transfer to pay for goods - only a scammer will ask for this, and any funds sent will be lost
Do not buy vehicles site-unseen, regardless of low price. The vehicle does not exist, and any money you send will be lost.
Stories about divorcees or departing servicemen needing to sell quickly at a low price are generally fraudulent
If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is!"
Report the ad to Craigslist ASAP to get it removed and cut off ALL contact
You NEVER buy any car online that you cannot see in person, test drive, have a mechanic check out and verifiy in person that the seller's ID is the same name as on the title. Not only are there scams like this where there is no car and they are just stealing your money. But there are lots of stolen cars sold online. They are stolen in one city then immediately listed for sale cheap in another city for a quick sale. If you don't verify the seller's driver's license has the same name as on the car title before handing over any money, you'll discover the car was stolen when you try to register it and lose the car with no way to get your money back becuase you have no idea who sold you that car since you didn't check his drivers license
Yes, of COURSE it's a scam.
Among the MANY obvious signs, why would EBAY be a willing participant in a sale taking place over CRAIGSLIST? Ebay does NOT hold money for anyone.
Also, why would a seller voluntarily pay the entire cost of shipping a car, when the shipping is undoubtedly going to cost more than he's making on the car?
(The "I only have access to a government computer" is a nice touch, though. Did his e-mail address end in dot-gov? I'll bet it didn't.)
Yes. It is a scam. There is no car.
1) Never buy a car without seeing/driving it first.
2) His response is poorly written. English is not his first language.
3) What does Ebay have to do with a Craigslist listing?
4) The pictures show a paper mat on the driver's side. Dealers use these mats but I have never seen a private seller use them.
My guess is that you are dealing with a scammer located in Nigeria and he just pulled the photos from some dealer website.
Like I said, there is no car for sale by him. He only wants your money.
This really sounds like a scam. I would not trust anyone selling a car without first seeing the car in person and driving it. And paying electronically may not be a great either. I would not trust this guy if I were you. I tried to buy a car from craigslist and the guy kept delaying me seeing the car. I'm pretty sure the car never existed.
It's a 419 scam. If you want to be sure, make arrangements with your bank, they can offer a special contractual notice whereby they hold your money until you are satisfied with your purchase at which time you notify the bank and he gets the money deposited. Importers and exporters use them to guarantee payment overseas where merchandise is at stake and the buyers and sellers incur great risk to ship and recieve merchandise with no abilility to inspect merchandise. But thats only if you want to go through the trouble. It says right on the website not to do business with people overseas.
Sounds like a scam to me. There is a saying "Never buy a pig in a poke (bag)". I'd say " Never buy a car in a sealed container ".