Dodgy bike buyer?

[Barron]

Hello all.

I am currently in the process of selling my CBR in preparation for receiving my RR in March.

I have had a buyer interested, male called Josh, sounded mid twenties, Mancunian accent. Josh lives in Manchester and wanted to come to me in London to look at the bike as he was very interested. The bike is for sale at a good price because i want it gone. Josh arranged to come down today after i finished work at 4pm with a view to look at it and if he liked it, buy it via bank transfer. For that reason i gave my address (I know in hindsight i shouldn't have - before you bollock me) and the reg so that he could do a HPI check.

Josh has text me since saying that his mate who was going to give him a lift down no longer can do so and has therefore asked me to send him some good quality pictures and videos so he can make his mind up about the bike without having to come down, he said if he wanted it he would bank transfer the money to me and arrange a courier to collect the bike on his behalf. I have sent him the pictures but after speaking to suspicious colleagues at work, i am now slightly worried.

If Josh was to say he wanted to buy the bike and sent the money via bank transfer, what risk would i be at in terms of transfers being reversed etc.

Has anyone had or heard of this sort of thing before and is sending a courier to collect a bike which is a few cities away a normal thing?

I'd appreciate your input. I am now also worried that this guy has my address and knows what bike is parked there, hence my window is open and my baseball bat is by my door.

Cheers,

Barron

 

[MacRR]

I think you'll be alright, sounds like a time waster who can't be bothered to come down. Forget him and sell to someone else, I've only ever done cash transactions on all my bile sales, suggest you do the same.

 

[Barron]

I think you'll be alright, sounds like a time waster who can't be bothered to come down. Forget him and sell to someone else, I've only ever done cash transactions on all my bile sales, suggest you do the same.

To be fair he didn't strike me as a time waster, sending him photos on whatsapp was neither here nor there. Looking at other forums via google, apparently bank transfers can no longer be reversed so once its in, its in (Bumchikawowow). Just seems moody with the whole courier escapade.

 

[soofsayer]

Bank transfers are not reversible unless the law gets involved or the recipient agrees to the money being returned so you're ok on that. Bike couriers / transports are very common, not what I would do but that's just me. It's always tricky selling something valuable from your own house so a little bit of faith in human nature and a big bat are the way to go .

 

[Barron]

Bank transfers are not reversible unless the law gets involved or the recipient agrees to the money being returned so you're ok on that. Bike couriers / transports are very common, not what I would do but that's just me. It's always tricky selling something valuable from your own house so a little bit of faith in human nature and a big bat are the way to go .

I have a massive 28" all metal baseball bat just for that reason! haha, cheers for the info mate. Unfortunately i work in a profession that begs suspicion.

 

[ekdg]

I have sold bikes with bank transfer and collection by courier, so long as you have been honest regarding condition and any defects in your communication and photos then there is no problem.
All the bikes I have sold like this have gone very smooth as the courier just turns up takes some pics then loads the bike and off he goes, no haggling as the money is already in your account.
If you are worried about reversal of the money which can not be done unless the buyer states that you have defrauded him of the money, the money would then be held by the bank during the criminal investigation. if you have messages etc then there is your evidence.
Best practice is have the money paid into one account then move it to another account that you hold. This ensures that the buyer does not have the details of the amount the money is held in.

Regarding selling from your house, I always give the post code and then ask the buyer to call me when on the street then give them the house number.

 

[bananaman]

Sounds extremely dodgy to me. Address, pictures what it looks like, can't get down to view but will still buy it?
Tell him to catch the train with the cash
I'd be inclined to move it 'till it's sold.

But there again I am a suspicious person lol.

 

[Barron]

I have sold bikes with bank transfer and collection by courier, so long as you have been honest regarding condition and any defects in your communication and photos then there is no problem.
All the bikes I have sold like this have gone very smooth as the courier just turns up takes some pics then loads the bike and off he goes, no haggling as the money is already in your account.
If you are worried about reversal of the money which can not be done unless the buyer states that you have defrauded him of the money, the money would then be held by the bank during the criminal investigation. if you have messages etc then there is your evidence.
Best practice is have the money paid into one account then move it to another account that you hold. This ensures that the buyer does not have the details of the amount the money is held in.

Regarding selling from your house, I always give the post code and then ask the buyer to call me when on the street then give them the house number.

That is also very good advice re the postcode, wish i thought of that one. I have my RR money in a seperate account so will just move it over to that one once it is paid. Ill try and explain a little crack is has on the bottom of the fairing under the bike but besides that there isnt much to report! Cheers for the reply mate.

 

[Cavey]

personally i much prefer a bank transfer than cash any day! .....obviously there's a risk of counterfeit notes and the fact the buyer knows you have a ton of cash stored at your home.....especially if the deal is done in the evening when the banks are closed! Also, you'll know the buyer is genuine before they show up at your home (presuming they have already transferred funds) as opposed to the possibility of some loon showing up with the intention of stealing the bike and not handing over any cash??! ...Bank transfer all the way for me

 

[DL84]

personaly I would always like to meet the person face to face and deal in cash , if your worried about counterfeit cash a wee trip to the bank will sort it. I remember years ago my brother bought a escort cosworth from a guy in penrith, me my Bro and a mate were all 23 , turned up to the guys house in a banger of a hired festa with an envelope full with ?13500 in Scottish 20 quid notes lol needless to say he wasn't keen to part with the car so we all jumped in the wee hire car and drove about looking for a bank but they were all shut , he ended up jumping into the local bookies and came out a happy man lol

 

[Barron]

Update - So far seems the chap was genuine. Bank transferred all the funds, courier picked up the bike the next day, contract all written up and signed by both of us. Better to be safe than sorry, thanks for all your advice.