Buying Product Unseen?

I just bought a Harley FLHTCUI/sidecar rig sight unseen, (just 3 pictures, no close ups) off cycletrader.com. The price was quite good, the bike looked good. I spoke to the seller who gave me the # of the Harley dealer that had done most of the work the last couple of years. While the person at the dealership didn't want to make a committment and kinda hemmed and hawwed, they finally said if they had the money they would have bought it. I used a broker for the shipping company, cycletrader had the link to the broker, so I had a quote before I purchased. I just mailed the person a check, while I felt there was some risk, I had the serial # for the bike and since I used US mail rather than an overnite shipping company it would make it mail fraud. (something to remember if they insist on Fedex). I believe the link through the brokers will allow you to make payment through an escrow service.
I was a little worried but got the bike last week and am quite pleased. The appearance is a good as I expected, the bike runs well, so I'm happy with the deal. As I said I was worried, a lot of the bikes on Cycle trader are through dealers, but this was a private party and there's no feedback rating like with ebay. I have sold/purchased stuff on ebay, have 100% positive feedback myself and consider that when purchasing something from someone on ebay. Granted you have to take a chance but for the most part I think people are pretty honest and trust your own judgement. You arent' going to get a $10K bike for $3K so you know that's just a con job.

HEY GARY, A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS AND THE MORE PICTS THE BETTER. I AM IN NY AND JUST BOUGTH A SIDECAR IN WISCONSIN.IT IS A LEAP OF FAITH BUT ASK THE SELLER ALOT OF QUESTIONS. WHEN MY SIDECAR WAS DELIVERED TO MY HOUSE IT WAS BETTER THAN DESCRIBED AND I FINALY GOT A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP.SHIPING WAS A LITTLE SCARY I GOT QUOTES FROM $1200 to $380. $1200 WAS YELLOW FREIGHT BUT THAT WAS LOADING DOCK TO LOADING DOCK AND THEY WANTED IT CRATED FOR ANOTHER $200. I WENT WITH USHIP WHERE YOU PUT YOUR LOAD OUT FOR BID, IT'S A GREAT SERVICE YOU CAN READ FEED BACK ON ALL THEIR SHIPMENT'S. I HAD IT SHIPED FOR $380 AND THEY WRAPED IT FOR FREE AND PICKED UP AND DELIVERED DOOR STEP TO DOOR STEP IN A NEW MERCADES VAN. IT WAS A GREAT EXPERIANCE AND I WOULD DO IT AGAIN TOMMOROW. GOOD LUCK, JOE

I bought a Model A Ford from a museum, sight unseen. A dollar less than $10,000 bucks. Got the bank to approve the loan and he sent me the papers for motor vehicles. Pics were pleantiful and the Model A looked great......Now, would I ever suggest anyone else do that? No way! The car was a piece of crap that had been painted over with a nice paint job to cover up the problems. The fellow had taken many a short cut in doing what he called restoration and I called mestoration. It probably cost me another $5,000 to get the car into the condition it was supposed to have started in. Let the buyer beware was the advise I simply didn't take when I let my heart make a big scale purchase for me instead of my brain.

Will everyone get robbed and cheated by doing so? No. However, why take the chance. Most items (cars, cameras, hot rods, motorcycles and so forth can wait until you can kick the tires, check the mechanical parts and ensure your money is well spent. Having purchased from a museum, I thought I could not go wrong. Not the case. I grew to love the car, but not the scoundrel who sold it to me.

My wife knows now to hit me with a sledge hammer anytime I am tempted to do something as stupid in the future. The person who is most at fault is me, but I really, really, really, really wanted that car......and it looked so very good in the photos. It is really a crap shoot and you have to decide how badly you can take a hit if it all works out wrong. Me, I don't advise anyone to be as foolish as I was. You can do better in not taking that chance and finding something you can really check out, first.

Just my take on it though and you gotta' make up your on mind. Good luck.

Originally written by Pat Huey on 6/17/2008 6:44 PM

I bought a Model A Ford from a museum, sight unseen. A dollar less than $10,000 bucks. Got the bank to approve the loan and he sent me the papers for motor vehicles. Pics were pleantiful and the Model A looked great......Now, would I ever suggest anyone else do that? No way! The car was a piece of crap that had been painted over with a nice paint job to cover up the problems. The fellow had taken many a short cut in doing what he called restoration and I called mestoration. It probably cost me another $5,000 to get the car into the condition it was supposed to have started in. Let the buyer beware was the advise I simply didn't take when I let my heart make a big scale purchase for me instead of my brain.

Will everyone get robbed and cheated by doing so? No. However, why take the chance. Most items (cars, cameras, hot rods, motorcycles and so forth can wait until you can kick the tires, check the mechanical parts and ensure your money is well spent. Having purchased from a museum, I thought I could not go wrong. Not the case. I grew to love the car, but not the scoundrel who sold it to me.

My wife knows now to hit me with a sledge hammer anytime I am tempted to do something as stupid in the future. The person who is most at fault is me, but I really, really, really, really wanted that car......and it looked so very good in the photos. It is really a crap shoot and you have to decide how badly you can take a hit if it all works out wrong. Me, I don't advise anyone to be as foolish as I was. You can do better in not taking that chance and finding something you can really check out, first.

Just my take on it though and you gotta' make up your on mind. Good luck.

Unfortunately, on any given day there are a lot more restored Model A's available within driving distance of me than there are sidecar rigs. My experience with long distance buying has been very good. Even to the extent of having a car shipped from Italy and nearly a dozen from England. Just the same, I always try to find someone local who can do a visual inspection. Often times someone right here is close enough to a seller to take a look for you. You only need to ask. Just the same, you have to decide if you can afford to gamble.

Hi Gary:
I just got out of a deal on a Ebay sidecar outfit in AZ. There were lots of pretty pictures, but none showed the mars or dings, including a large contusion on the bottom corner of the rig. Also the seller failed to mention that the electric camber control doesn't work... Claimed it was no big deal, cause he never used it. I am glad that I went to pick up the rig, I would have been very upset if I had paid to have it shipped, and then found out the misrepresentations. I am sure there are many who are more forthright then others. I do know those who have had good success. .. In addition to my time for a 2 day trip, the seller refunded the down payment, less money for his paypal transaction. Pretty cheeky wouldn't you say?? The Ebay feedback will not be positive.

I am in SoCal, so if you come across something in my neck of the woods, maybe I can check it out for you. In addition to this forum, there are some other good sidecar forums where a member may be willing to "visit" the for sale rig.

Good Luck - ask a gazillion questions, and hope they are the right ones! LOL
Gail

Seems like folks on here that might be near by would look at it for ya at least for the visual stuff. I have half a cellar full of Indian parts I have bought on ebay with good results but you need to ask questions and preferably by e-mail so you have a record. Most folks are pretty honest if they want to continue selling with good feed back.

Hi Gary, I recently purchased a rig that I first saw listed here. I'm in VA and the rig was in Iowa. Sounded like a great deal, the pics the seller sent me looked great, and the answers I got to my questions were I thought agreeable. Seller even sent me an electronic copy of the title so I could secure a loan. I bought a plane ticket and went to Iowa. When I got there I came to find out that the pics were from when the rig was new, and the sellers memory was selective about certain details. There I was 1000 miles from home on a one way ticket (it was cheaper) and a cashiers check from my bank preventing me from negotiating a better price based on what I found. Should I have suffered through the inconvienience and added cost of getting home? Probably. But I bought the rig instead, drove it home, put it in the shop, realistically increasing my purhase price almost 20%. Now that the rig is repaired and on the road we love it. Would I do it again? No. An extemely expensive lesson learned the hard way. Try to get someone you can trust to check the rig over, and leave yourself an out if anything doesn't seem right.

Turtle

Great advice, everybody!!! I appreciate it.

I think I will err on the side of caution and buy something that I can see and have inspected first.

Gary

I just returned to Lincoln, Nebraska this weekend from Belvidere, Illinois astride a 1976 Moto Guzzi Convert that I purchased after seeing but 2 pictures and having never met the seller.
This person is well known amongst the Guzzi community, is a regular visitor to the same Guzzi forums I visit and is a regular attendee of Guzzi rallies across the country.
The above info, stated condition and price was all I had and based on that; I rented a car, drove to Belvidere and promptly rode the beast home.
Is this the actions I recommend to others? NOPE, but it is my experience and I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Hacksaw

I bought my rig based on one photograph but, to be quite fair, the rig belonged to Dave K., the sidecar installer for Hannigan, and was built for himself. I didn't expect to be disappointed and the rig was exactly what I wanted.

My case is not the normal transaction though.