Expensive purchase on ebay...risks?

serotonin_sam

Hoping someone can help me out here. I want to buy something on ebay thats going to sell tonight for between 3-4000 euro. The seller is stateside.


I have never purchased anything off ebay - and want to make sure I dont get stung. How can I ensure that i'm not going to get ripped? The seller has 97.9% rep. - but i remember reading somewhere that this can be doctored anyways?

Further complication is that the item in question is not supposed to go for export. ie. normally when this equipment (thermal imaging camera) is put on ebay, its for u.s. sale only...no international bids allowed.
I have checked with the seller and he says he has no problem accepting international bids. Where do i stand if the item is held up by us customs following me already having done the wire transfer?

Guidance much appreciated.

Ruu_Old

I wouldn't deal with anyone who wants to deal with wire transfer, that payment method is not recommended by eBay. If it is held up by customs, then you will have to pay import duty on the item otherwise you won't get it.

lank

That's too much money to be spending on line, especially with an international deal and the wire transfer. I've been stung with transfer on ebay, but it was for less than €20 and agree with previous user, customs don't give a toss, they'll apply duty to everything, clothes, sports equipment, whatever. I'd give it a miss if I were you - not worth the risk:(

serotonin_sam

Ruu wrote:

I wouldn't deal with anyone who wants to deal with wire transfer

He also accepts paypal. Is that any better?

Ruu wrote:

If it is held up by customs, then you will have to pay import duty on the item otherwise you won't get it.

No...its not the usual scenario. The equipment is used (but under warranty). Theres no issue with duty as such - worst case scenario, it would still be worth my while paying it. The problem is that any unofficial export of this equipment is not allowed by the US (due to its nature). So, if they stopped it, it simply wouldnt be allowed to continue its journey. I just wonder if I can still get my money back under these circumstances?

I do have a friend stateside who could take delivery and post it on...its just that i may have the same problem in posting it on anyways..

Alter-Ego

Use paypal. You have comeback if the seller screws you over. Its linked in with paypal as well. Wire transfer is a bad, bad idea on ebay.

nava

Hi


if you are going to pay that much money why don't you go over there and buy the item and bring it back, not sure how big it's but if is not to big you could bring it as hand luggage, less risky than buying the item in ebay and could get damage in transit.

How much feedback does he have is not the same having 97.9 with a 15 feedbacks or 15000, what are the reasons for negative feedbacks.

Not sure what will happen with the item if it gets stopped by customs and is illegal to export, wouldn't that be like exporting fake clothes, drugs, etc.

Best of luck with it.

serotonin_sam

nava wrote:

if you are going to pay that much money why don't you go over there and buy the item and bring it back, not sure how big it's but if is not to big you could bring it as hand luggage, less risky than buying the item in ebay and could get damage in transit.

I see what your saying but he only has one of these (or at least i think thats the case. Its used (cant be that old due to the model) - a new one stateside costs $10k.

nava wrote:

How much feedback does he have is not the same having 97.9 with a 15 feedbacks or 15000, what are the reasons for negative feedbacks.

758 positive/16 negative. Most negatives were ref. slow in sorting out delivery. There was one where he sent some guy a piece of equipment that was the wrong model - but he put this right.

nava wrote:

Not sure what will happen with the item if it gets stopped by customs and is illegal to export, wouldn't that be like exporting fake clothes, drugs, etc.

Kind of...could be taken a bit more seriously because of the nature of the item and what it could be put to work at. Although that in itself doesnt interest me - bottom line, Its too costly an item for me to have to leave it behind me.

I will have to bite my lip and let this one pass - maybe do a bit more research on the delivery side of things for when the next one comes up.

He said he didnt do credit card 'due to possible cc chargebacks from international buyers'. I would have thought that theres some form of protection against this. Surely its just a case of watching your cc a/c - and informing the cc company if a duff chargeback has been made??

Beano

Bear in mind that even if you pay using paypal you will still only be covered for the first €500 so youre still taking a big risk.

serotonin_sam

Now trying to source this from a specialist supplier who has an online presence and staying away from ebay. However, still have some concerns that people might be able to help with;

1. If the vendor were to ship this to me and label it as 'preowned' - would it then no longer be liable to have import duites added?

2. The vendor accepts credit card payment. There will be a 4 week delay initially (the equipment can only be shipped subject to it getting an export certificate) before it can be shipped. Does credit card payment in this instance offer me enough protection in case the worst happens ie. i dont receive the goods/ or receive goods not as described/damaged, etc.??

My credit card limit may not extend to the amount required to complete the purchase. I wonder how amiable the banks are in raising this limit on request??

jor el

Not too sure about the first one but I don't think pre-owned will get you out of import duty. Like if you import a 2nd hand car you still pay VAT (if it's from outside the EU) and duty. Something with a value of $5000 on the box is sure to grab their attention. Best thing would be ring a shipping company (like Fed Ex) who deal with imports all the time, or try contact Revenue.

serotonin_sam wrote:

My credit card limit may not extend to the amount required to complete the purchase. I wonder how amiable the banks are in raising this limit on request??

In terms of credit limits it's never been a problem getting an increase in my experience. The problem I've always had is getting them to stop increasing my limit. Anyway, call the bank and see is the only way there, if you're working and have a clean credit history there shouldn't be much of a problem. You could always lodge money onto your card to cover the excess, however if the worst does happen then you will not be covered by the card's insurance for your money if the sale goes south.

If you don't receive the item and the seller is a legitimate business then you should be able to do a charge back. You'd need to prove the seller hasn't sent the item despite charging your card.