How safe is Ebay?

[Noble Ox]

Im looking to buy an engine. Obviously I'm wary to send hundreds £'s over t'internet.

If I get shafted, i.e dont recieve the engine, will I be able to get my money back?

The user is a massive user, sells lots - a bike breaker. 99% positive.

Ta

[pookie]

doesnt necessary mean anything..always factor in that the condition may be worse and bits missing. That way you are not disappointed. and also may be pleasantly surprised if it is ok. Call them and ask for more details and photos.


For something that big are you really going to foot the cost of sending it back for a refund? Which may come out of your own pocket. Use pay pal at the very least to get some sort of buyer protection. Good luck

[arenalife]

If you pay by paypal, it's certainly safer than doing it privately with a breaker as normal. Paypal favours the buyer greatly. If you don't use paypal, I think eBay's protection is pants and I wouldn't rely on it at all. You could offer to send your own courier, it's pretty cheap.

[Bunks]

I've bought loads of stuff on E-bay for my bike. Including a full GSXR front end, leathers and other more minor bits but never had a single problem. However not sure what the protection is like should there be a problem.

[wyrdness]

If they've got hundreds or thousands of positive feedback then you should be OK. Your main concern should be the condition of the engine. Are they located close enough to you, for you to go to inspect it before buying?

[Mej]

pay pal, is the way ahead. you can have it so that it wont release the money to the seller until you (the buyer) give the seller positive feedback to confirm that you are happy.

[Noble Ox]

There is a 60 day warranty. They arn't close to me, but if they were, what could I tell of the condition of the engine just by looking at it?

[fastdruid]

As a sometime seller on ebay, when someone pays via paypal the funds are held for 21 days or until positive feedback is given. Paypal/ebay seem to find more in the favor of the buyer than the seller. Bare in mind that the seller may ask you to return the engine which is going to cost a fair amount (especially as you won't get the same kind of regular user discounts he would).

There is a 60 day warranty. They arn't close to me, but if they were, what could I tell of the condition of the engine just by looking at it?

Nothing really apart from any external damage (broken bolts, cracked cases etc). On the other side of this coin I've bought an engine off ebay from a dealer, found it had a broken clutch plate and returned it. You can't afford to have it sit round for ages though, a case in point I bought what was claimed to be a VFR750FK engine (108hp, 6 speed) only to find out when I finally got round to fitting it (a year later) it was a VFR750K engine (75hp, 5 speed) by that time it was too late to return.

Druid

[TheOnlyNemesis]

With paypal mate you're extremely well covered.

When working in my last job we sold alot on ebay. One person claimed to not have recieved the product so my boss sent paypal the proof of postage and the man's signature for it on arrival and they still gave him his money back.

[Dave20046]

There's a lot of horror stories about paypal on the net.

[fastdruid]

Yes, it worries me to use it as a seller. As a buyer, not so much but still a little.

Druid

[Dave20046]

Yes, it worries me to use it as a seller. As a buyer, not so much but still a little.

DruidTrue, I've only ever been raped by paypal as a seller.
However ,reportedly, they'll screw the buyer if the seller has pulled a fast one and they were otherwise going to be out of pocket.

[CheGuevara]

I'm selling a genuine Van Gogh on ebay. Cashiers cheque only accepted for deposit of 70% of auction price and this must clear before arrangement for collection. I have 25 of these original paintings on auction, and if you are a serious collector you will not doubt my credibility. Ebay...? Of course its safe!! :)