A lot of you probably look on Ebay.com or Ebay Motors for trucks, truck parts and tools, among others things. If you haven’t checked it out, take a look. Anything you want is probably there. If it isn’t, just wait a little while and it will show up. I have bought and sold on Ebay. Mostly I’ve sold tools that I don’t need or want anymore. On occasion, I buy a new tool that I find in great shape or that I need. Those things aren’t big investments if for instance someone decides to misrepresent an item, or simply doesn’t ship it to you. Yes, it’s fraud and there are some things that Ebay can do to help settle or prevent these things from happening. The point is, lower priced items are lower risk, because of the potential loss. If you’re buying or looking at buying big ticket items, there is nothing Ebay can do to get your money back if the seller disappears with your cash. Most people I’ve dealt with on Ebay are honest users, but there are always a few rotten apples in the bunch. It would be very easy to try and sell what appears to be a $10k or 15k classic truck on Ebay. Put up a good listing, complete with photos (of someone else’s truck) and you would have what appears to be a good listing – totally legitimate looking.

How do you prevent or decrease the risk losing a lot of money on the sweet truck you “bought” on Ebay?

Here Are a Few Tips on Avoiding a Scam & Losing Your Money:

  1. If your instincts tell you you’re going to get scammed, then you probably are.
  2. Read the listing carefully. If something doesn’t make sense in the listing details, it might be a case that the person listing the vehicle doesn’t know much about the item they listed or they don’t even actually have the item to be accurate. The probability of a scam goes up.
  3. No photos of the truck? Be careful.
  4. If the payment details demand payment too quickly, don’t bid on it. A deposit is one thing. If you can’t go inspect the truck, pay and pick it up, something is probably wrong.
  5. Feedback – Sellers with no or minimal feedback can be a sign of a scam. The probability that they are running a scam goes up. Feedback is Ebay’s way or system of giving credibility to sellers. The more you sell and get positive feedback from the people you deal with on Ebay, the better your rating.

Take this for what it’s worth. You can find good deals on good items on Ebay. And, for finding rare items, there probably isn’t a better place to find rare items. Just be careful!