Sold a car on ebay, and I still have it. What are my options?

I sold an '84 928 parts car on ebay. Unfortunately I didn't state any guidelines in the auction about the time frame in which the car must be paid and picked up by, although ebay policy has always been that the item should be paid for within 10 days. I know, big berkeley up on my part. So anyway, long story short, I don't hear anything from the auction winner (a 928 parts specialist) for a week or so after the auction, so I write them asking when they plan on paying for and picking up the car. He says that they are weighing their options of having it shipped or picking it up themselves. Fine, I write back that if they want to pick it with in the next week or so, they can pay in person, otherwise pay via paypal, since I sold the car because I kinda needed money in the first place. I send them a message once a week asking about their plans, and get no definitive answers. Finally, after a month and a half after the end of the auction, they pay via paypal and say they will be here to pick it up the following week. The following week comes and I don't here anything. So I email, and they say they'll be here the following week. Guess what? Still didn't hear anything. So now it's been over three months since the end of the auction, and almost two months since they've paid for it, and a month since they've contacted me. BTW, every time they've messaged me it's been in response to an email I sent them. They've never tried to get in contact with me without some prompting. So what do I do? Wait for them to come get their car? Sell it again? Burn it and act like I've never seen it before?

Had the same problem. Took ~6 months. Not much you really can do they own the car there was no stipulation on when to pick it up.

If its paid for and you want it gone, get a lien on it for storage after sending them a letter requesting storage payment due to non retrieval. Normally wakes them up.

next time I would definatly stipulate timeframe and storage fees after that point.

In reply to 16vCorey:

refund their money and relist the car. They can complain to ebay, but you have a fairly strong argument for giving up on them.

I did the same thing...sold a truck to a guy a state or so away...asked him to send half of the money to hold it...weeks go by with no definitive time frame of when he is going to pick it up.

Approxinately 123 days later, he calls and I explain to him that I was going to send his money back and just keep it. He understands...get another call back, asking if I would reconsider...tell him no...it's been over 3 months and I'll just send him the money back.

Again, he was very apologetic, saying it was his fault, he should've came and got it.

A couple of days go by ad I get an e-mail, saying that there was no time frame, and that he is going to sue me. I laugh. I tell him that he had ample time to make arrangements, but did not.

He sues me, wants the truck. He doesn't show up for the first Court date...I win. He writes the Judge with some BS story about how sick his Dad is and needs to re-schedule.We go to Court...he doesn't show. I win. I go home. I get a call from the Court....he didn't know enough to sign in. We go back to Court. I win.

Send him a certified letter stating that he has X amount of days to either come and get it, or have the it shipped.

Post this story on Rennlist in the 928 section. My money is that a 928 dismantler watches that forum enough to not want the bad press.

First off, you need to refund the money and insist on cash only for a pickup. With Paypal if you don't have an electronic tracking # and proof of delivery all the guy has to do is complain he never got it when he gets home and Paypal will take the money back from you and give it back to him. Then he has both the item and the $ and you have nothing. You can take him to small claims court if you have a receipt he signed when he picked up the car, but good luck with that.

So, refund the $ via Paypal, then tell them they have X number of days to show up with cash and collect the car before you re-sell it. Being the guy I am I would start out with: "This is an unacceptable amount of time for me, come get it, bring cash, and starting now the price goes up $x every day."

Next time, stipulate a non-refundable deposit due within x amount of time (and deposits can be via Paypal, they can't get those back very easily) and a pickup time frame.

I had a similar problem a few years back, sell my Audi 80 on ebay to some guy from Canada. Listing says 200$ deposit within 7 business days and pickup within 20 or unless prior arrangements are agreed before listing ends. Okay, I get the deposit via paypal and he emails he be by to pick it up on a certain date. Time goes by and he never shows, email him and he says he needs to have paperwork for customs before he can cross border. I say, pay me and I'll send you the title, he says he just needs a declaration and bill of sale for customs. Ok, I send him a certified letter with the info he needs, he says he'll be by on a certain date, day comes and goes with no sign of him. Now it's been 2 months already, email, no response. A month later, email, no response. Another month, I get a response, " sorry, I was in France helping out family with a vineyard harvest", yeah,right. We're at 5 months now, so I ask alawyer friend about my recourse and she tells me it's covered by International Law which is more work to understand than US law.

I take her suggestions and mail him a certified letter informing him that if he doesn't pick it up within the next 30 days,by Intl Law I can charge him a storage fee of 25$ per day. He showed up on the 28th day.

Now I state no sales to Canada.

there are time limits on complaints submitted to paypal. I know this because i burned myself by waiting too long to file one (guy kept promising to fix the problem , stalling me, once the time limit passed i never heard from him again.)

figure out what that time limit is, make the day after the final pick up date, notify him, and if he doesn't show, consider the $$ as compensation for your frustration. once the guy knows hes going to loose his money, hell be there quick to pick it up...

I had a similar thing happen. I asked for a deposit via paypal and got one rather quickly, and then the guy sat on the car once he found out how much shipping a $200 240sx from west virginia to california was going to cost.

Finally I told him the deposit was non refundable and I was going to keep it and sell the car to someone else if he didn't pay in full. He sent western union for the balance, but never did anything with the car. I mailed him the title at his request and left the car sitting on the street.

Finally he sent me a couple hundred bucks extra and asked me to deliver it to a shop a few hours away and I did. but we are talking 60 days after the auction ended.

sigh

I think non refundable paypal deposit holds the car for 10 days then cash in person is the best policy. Then you get the deposit and you get to keep the car if they dont' show up.

JFX1001, that is an amazing story. I give you props for sticking with it and not giving in. Amazing that the courts would allow such BS.

The way I see it, he has paid for something, and now his property is sitting on your property. There is no unwritten rule that he can store a car on your property forever. Move it to the street and it will get impounded. At the impound yard, if the registration is already in his name, it is his car and his problem.

pinchvalve wrote: JFX1001, that is an amazing story. I give you props for sticking with it and not giving in. Amazing that the courts would allow such BS. The way I see it, he has paid for something, and now his property is sitting on your property. There is no unwritten rule that he can store a car on your property forever. Move it to the street and it will get impounded. At the impound yard, if the registration is already in his name, it is his car and his problem.

Yeah, that's pretty much what I thought. I figured after the paypal time limit was up for any sort of recourse, I'll write him and tell him that I'm out of room and it's going on the street, where it will be tagged by the police and have 30 days to move it. It was sold with no title, so once it's impounded, no one is getting it out until the impound auction.

I sold a 69 Ford F100 via eBay the guy was from Canada, he came by on a trip and paid for the truck and took the title, I had the truck wrecked 18 months later, never heard from him again, I often wondered if he died.

aussiesmg wrote: I sold a 69 Ford F100 via eBay the guy was from Canada, he came by on a trip and paid for the truck and took the title, I had the truck wrecked 18 months later, never heard from him again, I often wondered if he died.

The same thing has happened here at work a few times. I sold an old Jeep 360 engine for $350. The guy paid in full and said he would be back to pick it up on Saturday. Never showed up. We also sold a set of extra long loader forks on ebay for $1000, the buyer paypal'ed immediately, then never came to get them. I wonder what happens to these people?