How do I arrange payment

[r65lsk75c]

I am considering a long-distance cycle purchase. Having never done this before, I'm uncertain about the best method for handling the money exchange. Can anyone offer suggestions on the best ways to minimize risk when purchasing a cycle from a private owner in another part of the country?

Thanks,
Rick T

[BradfordBenn]

What I did was a shipment upon receipt of payment, but I did not send the title until after the check cleared.

[tommy]

you might arrange for a bank to set something up - last one i sold out of state i held the bike & the title until i got the cashiers check - it takes a certain amount of trust i guess which is a little spooky in this internet business - i also sold a car to a guy in Washington state - he flew down with a cashiers check - there's also alot of bad cashiers checks out there now also - this guy on the car - well - i kind of got to know him - he had sent me 49 e-mails asking me question's about the car before he bought it!!! yes 49!!!! - i figured a crook is to damn lazy to send 49 e-mails - t

[username]

I am considering a long-distance cycle purchase. Having never done this before, I'm uncertain about the best method for handling the money exchange. Can anyone offer suggestions on the best ways to minimize risk when purchasing a cycle from a private owner in another part of the country?

Thanks,
Rick T

rick - if it's an amount of money you arent comfy just sending off, spend an extra $300 and fly there and do the deal in person. i've done plenty of trips in my life for other purposes where i zip into a town, work a half day, then zip out. something like this is perfect for that. this would decrease the risk. to further minimize it, walk away with the title, and watch the bike get put on a trailer.

another idea might be to cut him a check for half the bike up front, half when you get it. i assume it has a clean/clear title that the seller can just sign over to you as well? thats the other piece. when i got my bike (local) i was hanging out without a title for a bit. guy had to clear it with the bank, etc. i was ok with it though because i spent enough time with/talking to the seller that i didnt think he would jam me. if he did, well, let's just say i was prepared for that also.

bottom line, get on the phone with the guy and tell him your nervous. see how he responds. if he offers to help you feel less nervous, and accept a little risk himself, that's good. if he doesn't, and you can't get comfy with it, you have a tougher decision to make.

do you have a gut feel regarding the seller? trust it.

[The_Veg]

I don't think there's a single right way except for the way that feels best to all parties involved.
I bought a bike from a seller in North Carolina 16 months ago. I had been given a referral, so that scored some major points in the trust category. I emailed and called the seller several times with probably every question under the sun. I also had the seller fax me a copy of the title so I could arrange a temprary tag since I'd be riding the bike home after flying to do the deal. I could have used that copy to investigate the bike but I had a high feeling of trust at this point. I sent a deposit and the seller agreed that if I found the bike unsatisfactory after flying out, the deposit would be refunded and I'd be given a ride back to the airport (I bought a one-way ticket on Southwest, who would have charged me the same amount for a last-minute ticket home should the need have arisen). We also agreed that money orders would be acceptable as a form of payment. I had to purchase several of them due to amount limits. I made sure they were securely well-hidden on my person and boarded the plane. I checked a well-taped carton that contained my riding gear and a couple of changes of clothes, which luckily the airline didn't lose. No problems at the destination airport, and before I knew it I was face-to-headlamp with a bike I hoped would be everything it was said to be. I gave it the inspection, started it, went over included accessories (and the seller mounted the mountable ones ahead of time which I greatly appreciated), then we went inside to do the deal. Title and bill of sale signed, directions to highway asked for, and I was on my way!

Good luck and keep us posted.

[Braddog]

I got good feelings ahead of time. Mine was an eBay deal, and after I won, I called the gentleman directly. We talked at length, he was real casual about the whole thing, and we arranged a pickup time. I actually drove there (approx. 360 miles, 1 way) pulling a trailer. I basically handed him a check, he helped me load the bike, and I was off.

For long distances, have you considered using a resource from maybe these forums to check out the seller and the bike? Is there any way you could do the deal in person? Sometimes shipping companies scratch and dent merchandise, which can really bug a buyer. I know a guy that shipped a 72 Triumph that had it arrive with a dent in the gas tank that wasn't there when he delivered it to the shipping company.

There's a lot of "feelings" and intuition involved here, it seems. That, plus the time and money it may take to pull of a long distance purchase. My vote is to figure out a way to do the deal "in person" if possible, although there are some other good suggestions here as well.

[JCBR1150R]

I am considering a long-distance cycle purchase. Having never done this before, I'm uncertain about the best method for handling the money exchange. Can anyone offer suggestions on the best ways to minimize risk when purchasing a cycle from a private owner in another part of the country?

Thanks,
Rick T


I think there is something called "escrow" that will hold your money (or theirs) until it is agreed by both parties that the merchandise was delivered/received in an acceptable condition.

[basketcase]

Last month, I sold the K11 long distance, and it is now on its way to Iowa after a winter stay in Florida.

Starting back in September, I advertised the bike on several internet sites, and in the Owner's News. All said, I received some 90 emails about the bike, and dozen or so phone calls.

Most of the e-mails looked and sounded fishy, and several were outright pitiful attempts to initiate a scam. Pretty soon, it was easy to spot the legit inquiries.

Over the course of the (4 month) selling adventure, I talked with a half dozen individuals who were legitimately interested in the bike. At the end of the day, the individual who bought it was the first person who inquired about it. It shook out like this:

1. I received a legitimate sounding e-mail inquiry from someone with a first and last name, and an address, that could be validated using Google.

2. I responded by e-mailing a lengthly written history of the bike, and a half dozen pictures. (Later, I signed up for Smugmug and sent a link to photos as part of the reply to email inquiries.)

3. The buyer called me, and we talked over the stuff in the e-mails.

4. The buyer called a second time, and we agreed on a price.

5. Initially, we were going to deal in cash. But work, the holidays, and the travel distance made that iffy. So, after talking again, he sent a personal check, and had no problem waiting until after the check cleared and posted to my account before coming to pick up the bike & paperwork.

From the other side of the deal, I've also bought five motorcycles in the past 15 years -- and all but one of them from someone "out of town." Each time, I was able to make my peace with the trustworthiness of the seller, and the accuracy of the mechanical presentation of the bike.

Some questions that typically occur to me are:

1. Can you validate the reliability of the individual you are dealing with?

2. Is the bike being presented as a pristine specimen of the model, or has it been candidly described "warts & all?"

3. Is the seller someone who is an avid motorcyclist with a history of loving the sport, or is he/she a nominal rider who might be simply unloading an albatross about their financial neck?

At the bottom line -- I would observe, the entire American economic adventure is based on simple trust.

Good luck.

[Bfish]

most shippers (i know ups does it) can ship COD. when the items arrives the buyer gives the freight company a certified check and that's it.

[username]

corvair - where's your head at on this now?