Here is some useful information about how to make a long distance sales transaction more secure for both the buyer and seller. Before you do anything else see this website: www.carbuyingtips.com/fraud.htm and check out the motorcycle buying and selling tips below.
1. Buyers/Sellers, consider using the Shippingmasters payment and/or title transfer service to make your transaction more secure.
2. Buyers, ask for detailed pictures of the bike.
3. Buyers, make a list of detailed questions to ask the seller relative to the bikes condition and maintenance history and document the seller’s responses.
4. Buyers, ask the seller to bring the bike to their local motorcycle shop. Call the service manager and ask him/her to provide an independent assessment of the bike’s condition. If there are surprises, you can attempt to re-negotiate the deal.
5. Buyers, only buy a motorcycle that has a title.
6. Buyers, ask the seller to take pictures of the bike just prior to shipping the bike in order to have a record of the bike’s condition prior to shipping.
7. Buyers, ask the seller to provide a notarized bill of sale.
8. Buyers, don’t buy a bike if you cannot contact the seller by telephone. Scams have been reported recently on bike and ATV purchases. In each case, the motorcycle seller did not have a working phone number or claimed their hearing was impaired and couldn’t use a phone.
9. Buyers, if the seller arranges your shipment through Shippingmasters make sure you contact us to ensure the shipment has been booked before sending money to the seller. Scam artists have told buyers that shipments have been set up with Shippingmasters and wired money to scam sellers thinking the shipment has been set up only to find out Shippingmasters has not booked the shipment.
10. Buyers, if possible do not wire money to a seller. It’s usually a better option to send a form of payment that can have a stop placed on it if necessary.
11. Buyers/Sellers, be careful when considering an international purchase or sale. Many international scams have been reported.