If you are thinking about buying or selling a motorcycle out of state there are many things you should consider before doing so. Through our years of providing motorcycle shipping services we have determined a number of precautions to look into prior to buying or selling a motorcycle out of town and having it shipped by a motorcycle transport company.
Buyers and sellers should check into our payment and title transfer service to ensure a safe transfer of both the payment for the motorcycle as well as the transfer of the title. Whenever possible buyers should review detailed pictures of the motorcycle to get a feel for the overall condition of the motorcycle. It is a good idea for the buyer to prepare a list of questions to ask the seller about the condition and maintenance history of the motorcycle. Another good motorcycle buying tip is to be sure to document the sellers answers about the condition of the motorcycle.
If possible, try to have the seller bring the motorcycle to a motorcycle shop nearby. Give the service manager a call to discuss the condition of the motorcycle and provide an independent assessment of the vehicle. If the condition is not what you expected, contact the seller to discuss a price adjustment. Remember to only buy a motorcycle out of town that comes with a title and a notarized bill of sale. Also, be sure to ask the seller to take pictures of the motorcycle prior to loading it on the motorcycle shippers truck. The pictures will be a visual record of the condition of the motorcycle prior to shipping.
If you cannot reach the seller by phone do not send money to the seller and never wire money to a seller. Scammers usually will not give you their phone number. Additionally, do not let the seller set up your motorcycle shipment. Another motorcycle buying and selling tip: It is always a better idea for the buyer to contact a reputable bike shipping company like ours to ensure the motorcycle will get shipped properly.
As mentioned previously, we do offer a payment and title transfer service. Basically, the buyer mails us the payment check payable to the seller and the seller mails us to signed title up front. When we receive each document we will scan the documents and send a copy of the documents to both parties via email. When the bike gets picked up by the shipper, the seller contact the buyer and the buyer authorizes us to send the payment to the seller. When the seller receives the payment check they contact us to authorize us to send the title to the buyer. When we send documents out to the buyer or seller we utilize USPS Priority Mail in most cases. Priority Mail usually takes 2 business days to deliver. We will provide a tracking number for each document via email after mailing the documents to the respective parties.
Lastly, use extreme caution if you are considering buying or selling a bike internationally. Scams involving international buyers or sellers are the most common scams in recent years.