**WARNING on a Buyer who lied to me!!

[Nick A]

Jim,
You're right... Point taken!! (So am I, to be honest, but I'll let my pair of German Shepherds do my talking for me if there's trouble here at home)

He seems nice, he had originally said he thought I would "hold it" for him. I never said that. Tonight, he said he was wrong on that point, so I think we'll get along OK. :-)
Nick A

[moosetags]

I've sold a number of antique automobiles and I have observed the following:

-nobody buys sight unseen.

-the deal is done when the check is delivered.

-first come, first served (the guy who shows up first with the money owns it)

[JBK]

"when I called him he said he had changed his mind! Then he called weeks later when I did have it sold, and said he stil wanted it."

You could have said "Fine, fly on out." and told him it was sold after he showed up. A little Tit for Tat.

JB

[85MH325]

Nick, I read this with only a couple of posts and didn't post then. Now that you've got your potential buyer lined up again, I hope it works for you. The rule I never violate is that I deal with one buyer at a time, and I'll hold the trailer for a couple of days if someone commits to coming and looking at it and makes an appointment. I take names and numbers and make a list in order that they call so I can call the next prospect in line back if it didn't work out. If someone down the list wants to come immediately, I always call the first person I'm working with to let them know what's going on and to at least give them the opportunity to respond more quickly than what they may have had in mind. If they don't, at least you gave them the opportunity.

If you do that, you will never have a prospective buyer complain about the way they were treated, and it tends to make prospective buyers a lot more comfortable about the purchase if you've treated them ethically.

Roger

[JimGolden]

I got hosed bad once on a '69 Dodge Charger that I'd restored and had to sell when I was tight for cash. This guy calls up, offers me what I was asking sight unseen. Said he'd be there in a couple days. I turned away probably 40 other people who offered me as much as 50% more than what i was asking. Well on the appointed day, the guy shows up. Starts ranting and raving about how the car wasn't as good as I'd said (he was full of it) and jooked me down $300 less than I was asking. Being strapped, and in a rage, I sold it to him. He then came back a couple days later when I wasn't home and told my dad (the car was stored at my parents' house at the time) that I said he got a bunch of other parts I had in storage there too. Dad let him take the parts. I got back and found out about it. Not only had he beat me down in price on my pride and joy mopar, but he came back and stole a bunch of other parts I had. I was furious. But not enough to go after him on legally (how could I prove ownership on a bunch of 35 year old car parts?) and the guy is a nut who's actually shot people for getting into arguments with him. (he owns a junkyard and always says they were trying to "steal" from him....he's never gone to jail but has given a few guys some buckshot...)

So, I learned a lesson there too about being naieve and trusting. I generally tend to give people the benefit of the doubt....too often I'm afraid. And I got taken advantage of.

Happens to the best of us.

[Aria]

Nick the "selling journey" was not good. But now let's hope you do make a sale and all will be fine. Keep us posted.

[Nick A]

Thanks for all the shared stories, guys! It's nice to see I'm not the only one who has had the same type of thing happen, I guess I'm not alone.

Jim,
I also had a Mopar a few years back that I wanted to keep, but sold for less than I should have, too. It was a 69 Dodge Super Bee, Orange with the black stripe over the rear. All original numbers with a 383 H.O./335 HP, and an auto trans, and two functional scoops on the hood. Very cool and very fast! (So fast it was scary at times!) Original paint, too. I was building a home, and needed to dig a well I could not afford, but it had to be the first thing - the bank would not finance that during construction, so I sold the Bee. Had I kept it and held out for more $$$ I may have made more on it.
Nick A

[davidz71]

Originally Posted by moosetags

...-first come, first served (the guy who shows up first with the money owns it)

Nick A and Moosetags,
I had a wonderful experience when I purchased my '86 Sovereign. I saw a 2 hr. post on another forum advertising a nice 25' '86 Sovereign. I contacted the forum owner who posted the trailer for a friend. They told me that they would buy the trailer themselves if they didn't have a newer widebody of that length. While knowing the forum owner only informally but long enough to know they were of outstanding character, I took them at their word. I contacted the seller by email then phone. They sent electronic pictures and I was pleased with what I saw. During the conversation the trailer owner said that he had 2 individuals who had offered $1,000 each to hold the trailer until they could fly or drive to where the trailer was. He said that he had not taken either offer and that the first person who showed up with the money would get the trailer. I went to the bank that morning, got the loan and called him back not knowing if the trailer would still be there. I mailed the check overnight express and I was the owner.

I realize that this might seem rather risky buying sight unseen but I had two Airstream owners in the WBCCI who knew each other, one had a reputation to uphold and I felt good about that. In discussion with the trailer owner, I found that we were both in the same business of law enforcement (he casually mentioned it first). I felt even more comfortable. Could they have been in cahoots? Not in this case but you always have to be careful. I just weighed everything and the alarm bells just didn't go off.

Nick, I have found that when purchasing a used Airstream, if you snooze you lose. I missed out on several trailers because I didn't act fast enough with a level of caution. If this fella likes your trailer then it will be all that more special to him later on. You know, "the one that almost got away". Hey, a good forum or trailer name, Second Chance.

[kitchenclose]

Originally Posted by overlander63

At least you still have the trailer. Sometimes people will show up with a fake money order, or cashiers check, hook up to the trailer, leave, and are never seen again. So, while you are kicking yourself, it could have been much worse.

Good point Over. Nick A - My fingers are crossed that Tampa will call you back. K

[boatdoc]

Originally Posted by markdoane

Thanks for the heads up. I guess we need to resist the impulse to call it 'SOLD' until the check is received and clears the bank.

Peolpe like that just make it tougher for honest folks.

No one could not have said it better. I am in a business and for past forty years I have been honest with the buying public. First person to place money in my hand gets it no matter what, because I am here to sell. Good statement Mark. Thanks, "Boatdoc"

[Nick A]

HEY, Everyone!
The buyer who came up to see it today bought it this afternoon, with no questions at all. He already had a 23 ft International, and wanted a little more space, so he was familiar with he was looking at. He was very happy. Now I have to get something to roll away in for this next summer. I was hoping for a nice motor coach; I tried for years to talk my dad into buying one when I was a kid, and he always said he didn't want one because the drivetrain would not get enough use to justify the expense. (I think the answer to that is to USE IT MORE OFTEN, Dad!) Now I can get what I wanted, if I can get something at the right price... Any suggestions, Argosy or Excella??? I think I like paint better than clear coat finishes.
Thanks for everyone's input!!
Nick A

[davidz71]

A happy buyer and a happy seller! What more can you ask for. Glad things worked out for you Nick.

[Silver Threads]

A friend of mone put her camper (SOB) for sale on the internet last summer. She got an offer from a guy in Fla, who told her he would send her a cashiers check for half of the money and enough to cover having it shipped to him. Well, he didnt lie, she got it in a couple of days. It was in a brown envelope, no return address. She was so excited, she didnt pay close attention. She didnt have time to put it in the bank that day, so when her husband got home she showed it to him. Something she didnt notice, the check was from a bank in Ca. Her husband was suspicious and so they took it to the local police station and he went with them to the bank. The teller told her, yes it is a cashiers check, but it isnt any good. It apparently is a new way to rip people off. The police in fla said they get you to ship whatever they buy, usually something big and by the time you figure out the check is bad, its too late. So be careful. Make sure the check is good and that it clears!!

[davidz71]

John and Tammy,
You are definately right about checks. I'd be suspicious of anyone who sends a check, whether bank check, cashier's check, etc. and includes money for the trailer to be shipped. The buyer of my '77 from Germany wired money from his bank to a shipping company who then wired it to my credit union in a temporary account. When the money was verified that it was indeed in the bank and secure, the trailer was free to be picked up. It was not picked up for at least 3 weeks afterwards. I would not have let the trailer go if a shipping company showed up at my door with any kind of check and would have balked at cash unless it was checked out by my bank ahead of time. Scams today have had people take a bad check, the person would pay for the shipping out of their account and would then lose not only that money but also the trailer. That's a slap in the face.

[juel]

Congratulations on the sale. I vote for your next toy to have PAINT. It's still an Airstream.

[clancy_boy]

This bad check stuff works both ways. I wonder if any of you see the scams on ebay where its obvious that the trailer for sale is a scam and you send money to the guy and get nothing. How do some of you by cars and homes? Do you walk in with $50K for a truck in cash or $250K+ in gold for a home? I doubt it - you require them to assume risk and expect the item up front. But for you - no way.......

I say all this because of the last trailer I bought from the owner - he required me - like some of you are saying - to wire the money directly to his account 48 hours before I could even get to pick up the trailer - what a warm and fuzzy feeling. I had already had a certified bank check drawn out and talked with his bank - even had my financial institution call his and do the banking thing over their network - NO GO - he wanted cash in his account. DON'T TRUST THOSE CHECKS, yet you walk into a store and swipe your debit card - do they say "come back tomarrow and pick up your groceries."?

These deals are a warm and fuzzy for both parties that are honest today - but some of the criminals out there have learned how to dupe the honest dealer on each end. There is nothing wrong about checks - business has been done that way for years - you need to understand the process and how the money is transfered - then make it clear to the buyer your intentions on closing the deal - there will be a waiting period until it clears and the product is transfered.