From the too good to be true realm, I find this: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...TRK%3AMEWA%3AIT His respone-too much info and too many stories. "Thank you for your interest in my 2005 Toyota Prius Hybrid. I want you to know that I cannot accept financing as time is a real issue for me. The price I want to obtain for it is $12,000 US (this price includes shipment and insurance charges). My wife was recently promoted so we had to move in Greece. We brought the car with us, wanting to register it here, but I couldn't because it is a US vehicle and to get it registered here it will need serious engine modifications in order to comply with the EU emission standards, it is an US model (which complies with the US emission standards: DOT and EPA) and Europe regulations are different from these ones. Also we didn't pay the duties for bringing it here and if we resell it back to US there will be no more duties to be paid. So that is why I prefer to sell it quick now and get rid of it while I still can, because time is running and I can't keep it like that, there is a deadline term when I must pay the import tax, so I can't afford to lose time and I prefer to make some money while I still can. The car is like new, completely working, perfect running condition, with no hidden damages or accidents, it has always been garage kept, low miles, 2005 model, with 3 years EXTENDED, INTERNATIONAL and TRANSFERABLE warranty, which will be honored at any dealer from there. It is US model with US specs and passed the US test emissions. It will be as if purchased locally. The car is insured in case of damage and you will receive it in 8-9 working days. It will be shipped via air freight to the nearest international airport from your area and from there with ground freight to your door. It will come with all the necessary papers (clear title, bill of sale, warranty documents, user's manual, insurance etc). The title is clear and you will register it in your state without problems. I will send the car having written on it 'gift' so you won't have to pay any additional taxes. The shipping costs and the insurance taxes of the package will be down to me and you only pay for the money transfer commission when you wire the funds, which is about 4% from the total amount sent. My wife works for the carrier and her employer will help us out with the shipment (as part of her job benefits). The car is being shipped from Greece and you won't have to pay for customs or any additional taxes when it will arrive. There may be some customs for you to pay, but if you wish we can avoid them: you'll declare you send money to a friend and I will declare the shipping as a gift/donation. I am requesting $6,000 US refundable deposit prior shipping and the balance to be paid after delivery and inspection. If you are not 100% content with the car you will ship it back on my expense to get your deposit back. I am sure this will not happen, because it is a state of the art vehicle and you will have no reason not to be content with it. This is a large purchase and I would like to use a third party for this transaction as I want a smooth and safe transaction. We will use Secure Trade, I have completed a lot of successful deals using them. I have a purchase protection account of $20,000 with them. If this is your first time using Secure Trade here are their terms: if you will not receive the car exactly as advertised or you won't receive it in 30 days since you made the deposit, SecureTrade will refund you from my Secure Trade account. If you agree with these terms, please send me your full name, home and shipping address so I can register the transaction with SecureTrade ASAP. Regards, Martin PS: Please keep in touch with me on this email address because MSN is delaying all my emails." (I add 'from prison!')
Yes, it sounds very scammy with the "up-front-before-inspection" $6,000 and the "oh by the way, I've leaving the country" sort of thing. Oh the surface the guy has some positive feedback, and has evidently been around for awhile, but when you look closer the feedback is a few months old, the car was the only thing for sale, and he doesn't want you to use his eBay address. This makes you wonder if someone hasn't hi-jacked a dormant ID or something. It is interesting that bidding ended for this item yesterday with no bids. Evidently, no one wanted to risk even $100 for a pretty new Prius!
Options Cassette Player CD Player Passenger Airbag Driver Airbag Anti-Lock Brakes Side Airbags Cruise Control Power Windows Air Conditioning Power Seats Power Locks He should be asking much more for this- he's got the only prius made with power seats! Unfortunately there are lots of people that fall for scams as obvious as this.
You can't go by the feedback. I was looking to buy a bicycle on ebay and when the deal looked too good to be true, I investigated thru ebay. Turns out someone had "hijacked" the account of a "real" ebay person. Similar story, where they wanted me to wire money etc...
AHA!! a variation on the Nigerian "quick, send me money" scam. Same basic theme, this time using a Prius as the bait. And, yes, RUN don't walk away from this one. This guy would have no trouble unloading his Prius at very nearly what he paid for it, by lunchtime, if, in fact, there was an actual Prius needing to be sold.
Nice catch. Looks like a hijacked account to me - used to belong to a woman in Indiana who made shirts, now a guy in Greece selling a car he shipped from the US. Right. Look what Google tells us about "Secure Trade": http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:qUYqMoY...22+escrow&hl=en " Some guy in Greece has a fake Escrow called Secure Trade. His email address is [email protected]. His ploy is selling Tacoma trucks that are really cheap. Watch out." "Yes, there is another or the same guy "[email protected]" selling BMW's as well. It loooked to good to be true and I am glad that I hesitated for a while. Look out for these guys. I thought that it was wierd that they had no phone number!! This guy is in Greece also. "
