Buying from sketchy people…

After all these years of buying parts from Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, eBay, and Yahoo Auctions Japan, I thought it finally happened to me. Getting scammed out of a lot of money for some rare parts I’ve been chasing absolutely sucks.

Usually I do my due diligence and try to vet the seller out. The photos matched the description and the sellers social media presence did not look like a scam at all. He had posts of his car from a few years ago so I thought to myself that no scammer would play the long game of years just to scam for a uber rare part? The scammers today only want a quick flip and not put in all this time and effort of posting for a future scam.

End of the day, this was a expensive and emotionally taxing lesson to learn. Always pay with goods and services! Don’t be like me and send money though “friends and family”… I’d only send that way again if I meet up with sellers and see the physical part in my trunk.

But eventually the deal came through after a month of going back and forth with the worst communication I’ve ever had. I got in the van and busted mission to pick these parts up from him after weeks of going back and forth with shipping them. More on these parts at a later date…!

This entire experience has single handily changed my outlook on buying and selling parts now. If there’s anything to take away from this random blog post it’s what I’m about to write below…

From the buyer side: Vet the seller. Always pay goods and service. Do your research. Ask for detailed photos. Trust but verify. If a deal is too good to be true, it probably is.

From the seller side: Always take detailed photos. Keep communication open on every step of the transaction cycle. Ship the product as soon as possible and have it boxed and prepped as best as you can to reduce any damages during transit.

This was me recently selling some of my rare parts to a buyer. Texted him constantly throughout the process with photos and how everything was packaged. Sent him updates on when the parts got picked up and everything to help buyer not feel anything off with the transaction. When you’re sending and receiving a lot of money for car parts, the least you can do is keep communication clear and help put both parties minds at ease…!

Thanks

Kurtis