Today I had a conversation with a classic car dealer. The man was a little sad. There are apparently more and more 'pseudo buyers' who have come up with a unique approach to the negotiations, whether they buy it or not: "If you don't pay so much of the price, I will put damaging reviews on the Internet." Or simply without anything want to buy: “I want 250, 500, 1.000 euros. Otherwise I will post damaging reviews on the Internet. "" I don't buy the car. But I came all the way from Poland for it. So pay my mileage. Or ... "The last example was a business model. The prospective buyer drove the whole of the Netherlands - and possibly also Flanders and Germany - with this story. He turned out to live in the Netherlands. So take a critical look at all reviews on the Internet. Is the review posted by family, (angry) staff, blackmail, or just to generate traffic? There are of course genuine reviews. These 'tastes' often taste better already. But that is a matter of feeling.
I have sent you the money, and $ 5.000 extra
Also nice: people who blindly buy a classic, transfer the amount plus something of five billion extra 'for some running costs' via Western Union or Money Gram. The innocent trader then exports the car. And the buyer cancels the entire amount so that he has the classic, the papers and the money. So never trust an email like “Hereby I because buy your Vincent HRD as present for my 16 year old son. I paid you $ 48.000 by Western Union. Extra money is for unforeseen circumstances. You can refund what is not needed. "
Cut photos
Also do not respond to offers where 'cropped' photos and 'taken from a distance' are photos, but where little explanation is given for something that seems like a fantastic offer. The photos are often simply taken from the Internet and made 'unrecognizable'. The provider requires a deposit to reserve the classic. After the down payment you will hear nothing more ... Pay attention to vague e-mail addresses such as 'Mike121212 @ gmail' and more of that kind of beauty
So check when purchasing online whether there are names and / or addresses in the story. PO boxes and e-mail addresses with.com, ru, az, ba, hu and such shady origins must be dropped immediately without guaranteed cash payment. And don't do business with Nigerians you don't know ...
Which sometimes also yields funny results: drag the photo of the classic offered into Google Images Search. Then you could just find the classic offered in the trading stock of a renowned classic company. Or maybe the pictures of your dream classic were taken without the owner's knowledge.
Caution is the mother of the porcelain cupboard
People who propose to do the transaction in a neutral place can be genuine, cautious people who do not just want everyone in the house. Or not. In any case, ensure that no part of the transaction is "blindly trusted". If you have had the papers transferred. Then you have lost the classic. And possibly later also the money you received for it. Because prevention is better than cure. Only accept payment via reputable banking institutions and not via Western Union and Money Gram for example. They use conditions that can turn out to be very unfavorable when there is improper use. Check whether the transfer has actually been made if the buyer transfers the money on the spot with his smart phone. Rather go to a bank. Then in any case the transaction data of the possibly wrong party is stored.
Fortunately, you can also do business with people with a real business, with an address where you can view the classic. These are existing, sometimes long-established companies that value their reliability, the reason for their existence. There you can also buy 'blind' without any problems because communication and documentation are crystal clear. But even when visiting the Real World, always have someone with you to temper your enthusiasm. Simply because it is useful not to get carried away by your emotions.
Actually sad that these kinds of warnings are still needed. We all know the stories in the meantime, right? Use common sense and start from this golden rule: if it seems too good to be true, then it is usually too good to be true.
Saw an advertisement on the internet 2 years ago for a silver-gray Fiat 124 sport coupe. Very attractive and beautiful cart. Had to transfer money first, then the car would be 'on sight' at my home address and, if not satisfactory, would have the money refunded 'without delay'. Even received a copy of passport by email. Was so transparent that I thanked you kindly.
Dear Dolf, an article from my heart. I want to sell one of my cars and suddenly I receive emails from Syria that promise me anything and everything if I only invest in something first. Trading with people's naiveté is as old as ... trading. The internet goes a step further by responding to the greed that we simply have in us and “common sense” is a dying breed. Just look at our policymakers. Traders should not whine because the black sheep in this business have helped that confidence in the industry is low. Buy from an enthusiast, a garage and be honest as a buyer and seller. Then maybe it will be something ...