Mercedes-Benz Forum banner

Ebay Honesty

1K views 7 replies 6 participants last post by  dreyfuss 
#1 ·
I cannot hold my tongue any longer. It seems it pays to be vague on an ebay auction. The 87 on ebay was owned by me over a year ago. It is not from santa fe unless it was driven thru there one day. It is a 230 ge 4 cyl rebuilt engine. It does not have a catalytic converter and will unlikely pass a smog test in most states. It has as much rust as I have on my 85 that is legally imported, I see no mention of that. When I bought the 87 it was implied to me that it was legally imported I did not sell it that way. The business partner that the seller alludes to is the guy who bid up my previous auction under the pretense of helping me. It seems as if he bids on every older G, I guess ,to help out his future sales. He doesn't seem to follow thru on recent auctions judging by his feedback and my history with him. It was not worth leaving him bad feedback to risk scarring my perfect feedback. He basically ruined my auction and now has everyone asking me why I didn't follow thru on the auction, including a few people from this forum. My G Wagen sits at $1100 dollars for no reason other than what happened on the previous auction. I am honest to a fault and would never force anyone to buy something if they thought I misrepresented it. In fairness the 87 does have a perfect interior and I loved it but it just did not have the power I wanted. Just wanted to set the record straight. Thanks
 
#4 ·
I bought my 85 through EBay and was suckered. I like it so much that I have put money (too much) into it and love it. I only wish I had found this forum earlier. It is my daily driver and though it has some rust issues at the back I have preferred safety to beauty and accordingly have invested in it. Call me silly but like a favorite pet for whom I will pay the vet bills I will baby this baby. EBay can be a trap so buyer beware and do the homework I did not do. Then having made a decision accept the consequences. Even if my seller was dishonest I resolve never to be dishonest. Somehow that works. My parishioners seem to appreciate it - I am a pastor - now they know I can get to them in emergencies even if the snow is deep. It is so distinctive up here in central WI that nearly everyone waves in town. My alternative was either a Jeep or Land Rover and neither works for me. This one does work for me.
 
#5 ·
My G500 was an Ebay truck, too; and it was everything the seller said that it was. The only thing I wish that he would have done differently was to NOT have had it detailed. The detailer was a little bit heavy handed with his buffer (or had a dirty pad), and there are some scratches that won't polish out. Minor detail. I paid $63,000 for a one owner 18 month old truck with 22,000 miles that had sold new for $160,000. I was/am happy.

Look at the seller's feedback both for quantity and quality. If he keeps something "private", watch out; as he obviously has something to hide. If possible, pay a minimum deposit and personally inspect the truck prior to making the rest of the payment and taking delivery.

I buy and sell frequently on Ebay; and have yet to be burned. Perhaps tomorrow, but not yet.
 
#6 ·
After pondering my e-bay auction it is not worth all the aggravation. I think it is best to enjoy the vehicle a little more and sell it by conventional means. I guess I would feel better if someone were to come over to my house for a test drive and see it for themselves instead of trying to buy through e-mails and photos. E-Bay gets the message out but the amount of bad transactions makes buyers and sellers including myself rightfully cautious. If someone down the road is interested I would pick you up at Manchester Airport if you wanted to fly in and try it out. Thanks for letting me vent. This forum solved my earlier problems last year with the 87 230 and I hope to you use it again for something other than an old soapbox to stand on :) Have a nice weekend! Joe
PS I did have a local lawyer offer me their 2002 Mercedes C240 in a straight trade for it so that made me feel better about the value of an old G Wagen.
 
#7 ·
The wise course of action when buying a vehicle, any vehicle, is to see it for yourself BEFORE you spend the money. Everybody has a different definition of condition, buyers are picky, sellers omit things. At least if you see and drive before, you KNOW what you are getting, for better or worse.
 
#8 ·
Hi after weighing my options for advertising I have decided to use e-bay as a classifed. I put my asking price on the auction at $10,699.00. Due to the many questions from members of this forum on my last auction I have revised the format of the auction. Thanks item # 4580248391
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top