ebay sailboat scam???

[mcmccomb]

hi all.... been looking at sailboats over 28' on ebay.... found one that didnt look too bad but the seller will not say where the boat is located (other than canada) and will not provide a HIN number on this 1974 boat... all boats after 72 MUST have such a number..... anyway, these specifics plus a quick payment demand makes me wonder.... also wonder why ebay allows such ads to be placed... should at LEAST demand a HIN and location be provided i would think.... east coast, great lakes, west coast, middle of alberta... who knows... i have heard stories of ebay ducking responsibility for things but this seems egregious... comments/opinions???

[onestepcsy37]

Does he expect some amount of payment up front before you see the boat? This deal has scam written all over it. Keep looking...

[jeepbluetj]

How would a computer know what a HIN even was? There aren't (generally) people involved here, just a posting on a computer.

Caveat emptor - if it looks like a scam it is. You can report it to ebay for the item location policy. Item location misrepresentation policy

I don't think ebay has any prohibition of sailboats, nor a requirement for HIN. So those are legit.

They do however prohibit "Police-related items" so I'm guessing that I can't unload that extra copy I have of Zenyattà Mondatta

[SthnJeff]

Could be many reasons, I guess, such as hiding the asset from Creditors / wife in a divorce etc. All of which to me at least scream, go find another boat!

[Shrew]

What you're proposing would require that eBay develop logic which dictates that (If an item being sold happens to be a boat, then require that the 'HIN' field be populated). OK "000000000000000" or "12345678910". eBay is not in the "Validate all of the myriad of millions of items sold, nor do they care. They provide a portal to post and buy goods in a 'peer-to-peer' format. It is up to the seller to provide sufficient detail and it is up to the buyer to request the required information.
eBay does have a means of allowing you to rate sellers. Other than that it is not up to them to ensure that every product description is detailed. It is not a requirement that the seller even respond to you. Your expectations are a bit unreasonable.

[mcmccomb]

the HIN number does allow you to look up a boat in the Canadian registry which would give you at least SOME indication that the boat might be legit.... although 123456789 or 00000000 or some other such misrepresentation would at least point to obvious trouble.... just think ebay ought to require location (city???) and the HIN for boats that have them

[CarstenWL]

... have not locked for boats on ebay.com but in Germany (ebay.de) normally all sellers who want to sell a boat would of course let you know where the boat is located (you have to take transportation into account as a buyer) and would welcome you the see the boat b4 you do your final bid.

Not giving this opportunity sounds strange (to me).

Carsten

[Lake-Effect]

Ebay is a public website. Why would you expect the seller to publicly post the HIN, registration and other personal info, which could then be used in a real scam?

In my book, an ad should provide enough info to convey the condition and value of the boat, then it's up to you the buyer to contact the seller and start the discussion. If you're clearly a serious buyer, then it might be reasonable for the seller to divulge the HIN, registration, location etc. at that time.

And then, before any money changes hands, you need to see the boat.

Now, maybe the deal's so juicy and your vibe from the seller is good and you're willing to pony up a down-payment sight unseen.... it's happened... I've even had people send me stuff before I paid because they trusted me (and I did pay, pronto, so they were good judges of character ). But that's all into risky territory.

Anyway... no I don't think there's any obligation on the seller to publicly post the HIN.

[crashkahuna]

People selling cars, boats on ebay normally specify where they can be viewed. Maybe he forgot so try contacting him. Look up ebay motors protection in their help section. I sold a boat on ebay and it worked out fine - he paid deposit thru paypal and balance when he picked up the boat. He should give you vin# and location when you contact him.

[onestepcsy37]

Originally Posted by Shrew

Your expectations are a bit unreasonable.

Asking for a more specific location than "Canada" is not unreasonable, IMHO.

[MarkSF]

Are you keeping the actual Ebay item number a secret?

What is the seller's feedback like?

[darylat8750]

Not too surprising that they didn't list all pertinent info in the add. But if they won't give you a location where you can view the boat and compare paper work to actual numbers run away.. Don't give them a dime until then.

[sardinebreath]

There is no way the ebay could filter out all the possible scams and if they tried they would end up filtering out a lot of legitimate posts. It's up to the potential buyer to sniff out fishy posts, which it seems that you have here. Ebay (and Craigslist) does drop the ball in all kinds of ways, but this doesn't sound like one of them.

[Cormorant]

The only 1974 sailboat in Canada that I see on EBay right now is this 41-foot Gulfstar ketch.

41' Gulfstar CC Ketch | eBay

Is that the one? (Nice boat!)

It gives the location as Havre Boucher, Nova Scotia.

[denverd0n]

I wouldn't give out the HIN on my boat to tire kickers. I would, of course, tell you exactly where you can come to see it. At that point, if you put in the effort to come and look, I will assume that you are not just a tire kicker, and if you want to write down the HIN and compare it to the paperwork that I have, that is fine.

You say that he "will not say" where the boat is located. What exactly does that mean? Have you told him that you want to look at it, and asked him where it is? If so, and he won't answer, then your next step is pretty obvious--walk away. If you are just upset that he has not provided a specific location for it in the initial listing, then I think you are expecting a little much.

Good luck, whatever the case.