I've made a deal to buy a bike I saw on Gumtree and eBay. Ordinarily, I'd go and see the bike, meet the seller, do the deal, pay and take away. In this case, I can't due to the bike being 500 miles away and there being lockdowns in the three countries I'd be visiting. I've spoken with the seller on the phone, been shown a video of the bike running, been provided with specific, requested photos of areas of the bike, seen photos of the front page of the new style v5, the mot and a letter from DVLA regarding the bike's first registration in the UK. I paid a £250 deposit into the seller's named bank account (the name was checked against the account number). I've arranged for a specialist bike courier to collect the bike for me. The seller has agreed that I pay the balance when the courier collects it, which seems sensible. I'm pretty certain all is above board, but you hear stories.. I was wondering if I should go further, eg asking the seller to show me his driving licence and a copy of the chassis number from the bike. And maybe a receipt from when he bought it (from West Coast Imports) Alternatively, I wondered about asking the courier to check the driving licence and chassis number. Any downsides to my "belt and braces" further checks? Anything else I should do?
re: Gumtree - they are starting to get profiles built up for each seller/buyer and although it's no guarantee of trust etc, you should be able to see how long they've been buying or selling on Gumtree and gws the longer the better generally. They also try and get people to rate each other and attach it to their profile but this bit still needs some work and it's not compulsory.
Always produce a receipt from your end on the P.C for him to sign on the day with two copies,including the registration / chassis & engine numbers etc.
I bought a bike on EBay that I wasn’t able to look at. I found a local surveyor who put me in touch with a local independent motorbike shop. I contacted them and arranged for someone to look at the bike and email a report. They were able to examine the servicing records that the seller had kept, the service book etc. I can’t remember what it cost but it wasn’t more than £200. On a purchase of about £6k I thought it was worth it
Assuming you’ve done an HPI check? I used a courier a few weeks ago and part of his service was to inspect things in the bike that I had concerns over. Hopefully your specialist will do the same. Sometimes they just want to get it loaded and on their way but task him up with VIN checks etc.
Now before we start I’m not accusing anyone of being dishonest or sellers trying their luck. There is no harm in taking every precaution possible as like you say you can’t see the bike in person. Remember there are some sellers who will do anything to get rid of their bike and of course there are always a select few who are completely dishonest and will try anything to get your money. So speaking from experience after buying bikes from the USA and obviously not being able to see in person you have to take EVERY POSSIBLE PRECAUTION as it’s you who is parting with the money and it’s a hell of a lot harder to get it back if something is not correct and you have the bike. Like you said you’ve spoken with the guy and all appears good but asking for every check you desire would not be a problem for any genuine sellers. What I used to do when buying bikes from USA was to ask the seller to take the same pictures as was placed in the original ad but now with a Banana in each shot and while some of them would go crazy after I explained that it’s me taking all of the risk in sending payment. They understood that the banana shots show the bike in the current day rather than maybe pictures taken years before. So yes why not ask for pictures of the frame and engine numbers on the bike and the V5, ask for a copy of passport or driving license and anything else bike related. I’ve had all sorts of issues when buying from the USA , but the main one is ALWAYS THE SAME which is everything is OK up until they receive payment then nobody wants to answer any e-mails, correspondence etc. But if you take every precaution then I’m sure the bike will be as stated. Like I said any decent seller would fully understand your requests especially after like I said you explain that it you who is parting with the big money without seeing the bike. Good luck and hopefully everything goes to plan.
Thanks for the suggestions, the banana shot I like! The bike is near Swansea, but I'm pretty happy with the answers, videos and photos provided by the seller. Just a few years ago, a video of the bike running would have been tricky, but with whatsapp, it's no bother at all for seller. The way I see it, the risk is all mine, so an honest seller should have no objection with reasonable requests. The bike is quite a large sum in my view. I'm going to speak to the courier about some basic checks upon collection and email a receipt for the seller to complete. I'm not sure the HPI check will be of much use, as it's a recent import, there's not likely to much to gain by this, but I suppose it's worth it bearing in mind the value of the bike and I think there is some form of insurance provided.
Which courier, out of interest? Curious to see if it's the one I'm using, who seems to use facebook as his main source of work. I asked four different couriers and eventually got three prices. Both the seller and I could afford to wait a week or two so it could fit in with other loads, which seems to have made a big difference. Realistically, it would have been a two day trip for me and about 170 litres of diesel in the land rover with trailer in tow....
Hi, I have just done exactly the same and bought a Ducati Monster 1200S from the Shetland Islands. I called the seller and he told me about the bike condition and service history et cetera, how he had used it and maintained it. I then called him on WhatsApp and we did a live video call and he showed me all aspects of the bike in detail plus the documentation. The seller I dealt with was great and totally understood my concerns, he sent me pictures of the logbook with matching shots of the frame and engine numbers one of his current utility bills and driving license plus a picture of himself with a current bill. He rode the bike to the ferry terminal in Shetland where it was shipped on a boat to mainland Scotland, I then had to wait wait fortnight for it to be couriered down to me. I think most people are intrinsically honest but you do need to make that judgement from the contact that you have with them under the current circumstances. End result, I now have a great bike but unfortunately haven’t been able to try it at all due to the weather conditions and lockdown. Speaking to the courier companies they are really busy with people doing this at the moment, so if you are confident with the condition of the bike and the deal go for it.
Went to do an HPI. Most of the ones with "insurance" won't cover a bike without an MoT (expired in November in this case, bike's done 6km since), many insist you see the bike in person, others won't cover a bike that doesn't have a 17 digit VIN (this is a jap import). Oh well, I suppose I can get the info for my own peace of mind, at least.
