Ghost brokers employs techniques straight out of “con artist 101”, but what makes this scam so effective is that it combines these ancient tricks with the anonymity of modern technology.
Continue Reading »Continuing on with exploring auto fraud outside of the online market, this week I want to bring to your attention what is known as a forced extended warranty scam. It actually shares many similarities with the spot delivery and yo-yo financing scams that I explained in my previous post, so this is one to be aware of simultaneously.
Continue Reading »I’m talking about vehicle-matching scams; third party salesman that cold-call seller's - details conveniently provided in their advertisements - touting clientele ready-and-waiting to purchase the vehicle. Their price for this attractive service? Just a small matcher’s fee up-front.
Continue Reading »I’ve already spoken to the very real and prevalent issue of online scammers targeting the used car market. The internet is a certainly a jungle when it comes to vehicle fraud, making even well-established names such as Craigslist and eBay a haunt for shady practices.
Continue Reading »Choosing a car used to be a pretty straight forward process in days gone by. Cars were either big or small, two doors or four, and with either plenty of grunt or not very much at all. But those were simpler times, and today, the industry has virtually has a car for every possible combination of lifestyle, practicality, budget, and preference on form factor. And they’re marketed to appeal to our needs in very specific ways, too; from large to small families, those that prioritize luxury or are budget conscious, buyers that are looking for form or function.
Continue Reading »The used car market has always been a thriving trade. Where there’s money to be made or a bargain to be sniffed out; punters have been wheeling and dealing automobiles since the earliest days of the industry. But the internet seen the practice totally explode, with popular online auction sites offering inexpensive advertisements that reach huge volumes of potential buyers. The game has changed, allowing any John Doe to buy, sell, or even run an online business through the power of online connectivity.
Continue Reading »In our last article, we reviewed an essential checklist of steps to prepare a car for private sale. But as we alluded to at the time, for many individuals, the hardest part of selling a car is, well… the selling part.
You see, having the car in top-notch condition is just the first phase; lining up potential buyers and converting the sale is the second. As we promised in the last article, we’re confident that if you’ve followed our preparation steps carefully, the car is going to do the hard work, but it’s still a good idea to do some homework with regards to sales techniques, too.
Continue Reading »As convenient as car dealerships are, there’s one very good reason why people chose to sell their car privately: finance. While dealerships might promise attractive-sounding trade-ins on new vehicles, they won’t ever offer the full value of an equivalent private sale, and that’s because they’ve got pay their staff to sell your vehicle to someone else later down the track. For that reason, they’re going to have to undercut you to tack on profit margin.
Continue Reading »So, you’ve found a car you’re interested in buying. You’ve gone over the basic questions you need to ask the vendor, and you’re pretty sure that you’re going to be able to spot any obvious signs of wear and tear. But there’s an enemy you might not have considered: Flood damage - a dangerous consequence of harsh weather that could have costly, or even terminal, implications moving forward, and you’d be amazed how often it is never picked up.
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