eBay used auto parts - orders cancelled
I'm in the market for an OEM part that usually comes with the "premium" trim of my vehicle. Rather than pay the $2000+ listed on the official parts website, eBay gave me several junkyard/recycler types that list the part for $200-$400. Each of these listing make promises about 60-day returns, warranty, etc.
However, I attempted a buy-it-now (with a CC, not through PayPal), and the sale was cancelled within an hour claiming that the part didn't pass their QA. I made the purchase at 9pm, and I wouldn't expect that quick of a turn. I did send a note thanking the account for not sending something that didn't meet their standards.
Then, it happened again almost exactly the same way, save for a 3pm purchase time and a 45-minute refund turnaround. This is raising a bunch of red flags for me. Am I just having bad luck, being paranoid, or is someone trying to maybe steal credit card info?
I'm thinking that calling local junkyards and just asking if they have the year/model of vehicle I'm looking for and potentially the part. Will take any advice, though.
There's a very common scam in Germany on the local eBay (Kleinanzeigen) where the seller offers shipping, you pay, maybe get some fictional or registered tracking number and then the seller vanishes.
Maybe something along those lines? If you were to be paying with an instant payment thing?
Calling and asking is definitely the way for used car bits!
The listings I found had free shipping, so I don't think it's that, fortunately. Full amount is definitely refunded.
You'll need some knowledge to know what to look for, if you can't find something let me know and I may be able to point you in the right direction for the search.
I did notice several *partsdeal.com type sites in my web searches. Thanks for confirming that they are just markup sites.
car-part.com is amazing! At least, it was once I found the advanced search that let me search on the part category. I already found six spots nearby for the same prices I saw on eBay, so you definitely saved me some time and money.
I've sold on eBay, the seller does not get to see your payment info, your CC is safe. eBay also offers fairly strong buyer protection too in case of a scam or other transaction issue.
I haven't tried to buy OEM car parts off eBay, but my guess is something like the vendor bought a heap of parts cheap, dug up the part once the order came in and then identified it as garbage. If the listing used generic pictures rather than user uploaded pics, that would reinforce the idea. If it was twice with two separate vendors, it could just be a standard operation for reselling this type of item. The timing doesn't raise alarm bells for me either, I just had a guy message me a few minutes after placing an order offering to cancel because he wouldn't be back from family vacation for over a week.
The official parts stores charge a massive mark up, even on after market parts, I wouldn't let the price discrepancy concern you so much either. Depending on the part, you may be just as well off calling a junkyard. It could be your best bet on getting OEM over after market.
Edit: to add, re tracking number scams. For expensive stuff, I prefer it sent to a UPS/FedEx facility, in part to avoid a costly porch pirate, but also to request they record me opening the package while recording info like the receipt with the time, a clock's current time, box's tracking number, item serial code. Never had an issue, but such a recording should be fairly bulletproof evidence.
Very much appreciate the credit card sanity check.
The listings I've been looking at include 1-2 unique pictures of the part in addition to several exterior vehicle pictures to show the extent of damage on the salvage. That's what originally endeared me to the listings I found.
Somewhat OT, but there are some categories that are so scam-ridden nowadays that I no longer use ebay and its ilk, due to almost guaranteed fraud, and unfortunately car parts are one of them.
For non-Amazon vendors, I use https://www.rockauto.com/ frequently. Their website makes it easy to drill down to what you need.