Selling a car outside the US anyone have any experience their willing to share?

[Steve Firebird]

I have a gentleman from Australia very interested in one of my cars . Is there anyone here that has sold a car overseas that can tell me how they went about getting the money transferred? The guy seems pretty legit to me and will be hiring an import company to take care of all the arrangements for the shipping and import paperwork they have to deal with. He said they have it set up so he pays the importer and they transfer the funds to me. I don’thave all the details yet but just was curious about anyone else’s experience.

[andrewb70]

I don't have direct experience, but because this is the internet, I will put in my 2 cents anyway. LOL...

I would think that there are any number of companies, including many law firms, that can serve as an escrow agent. You would draw up a contract outlining the terms of the transaction, you do your part, the buyer does his. The escrow agent holds the funds and title documents until all the terms are fulfilled. You can split the cost of the service with the buyer. I can't imagine that it would be more than 2-3 hours of billable hours, so 400-600 bucks. Seems like a modest amount when dealing with a big purchase.

Andrew

[Poopy]

Have you talked to him in person? The long distance scams are abundant these days.

[Ron.in.SoCal]

Is he from Nigeria? JK Sir...:lol:

Bottom line - no $, no car. Make sure you get verified funds (as in a bank wire) sent to you if you can work that out. Your bank can set up a receiving account just for that purpose. Once the wire comes in, sweep the funds and ship the car.

Be careful of checks, even official looking ones. You could deposit it and be on the hook when it bounces. If he offers you a money order or wants to send more money via the shipper, RUN...

[garickman]

Just make sure the ball is in your court. I would not have him pay the importer and they pay you unless 100% of the funds are in your bank and cleared. I sold a camaro to a guy overseas in Finland and I dealt with him directly. After speaking with my bank to find out what information the buyer needed, I provided him with my account number, routing number and a swift code from the bank. The buyer wired the money directly into my account and once I got the all clear from my bank the buyer made arrangements to have the car picked up. Take as many pictures as you can the day the car is being picked up and some additional pics as it is being loaded. I would also inventory the car and have who ever picks it up sign the inventory. Sometimes these overseas cars will sit on a dock for weeks before they ship out and who knows what can happen in that time. Again, do not let the car leave your sight until the money is in the bank and your bank says it is clear and available.

[rustomatic]

I sold a motorcycle to a guy in Germany, via eBay, in 2008 or '09. He wanted to use it from his house in Mexico to ride across the U.S... Anyhoo, we emailed a couple times, then talked on the phone; he had a brokerage account with Merril Lynch (I connected directly with a representative from a Georgia branch office), from which he wired money directly to my bank account. I was creeped out at first, but with enough info and confirmation from the right people, I got it done, and it was a piece of cake. I even delivered the bike to Houston for the guy for a little fee (I lived in Arkansas at the time). There are people who can be trusted, but we all can benefit from a bit of research...

[JustJohn]

I lived in Germany for a couple of years...

Bank wire transfers are very common for Europeans and they are very comfortable using them for everything from paying bills to major purchases. An import/export firm that has a specialty (like cars) is very common and shouldn't be a concern if you can find information about the particular business on your own. Bottom line on payment though is they should be acting as an agent on the buyer's behalf and you should be able to confirm wire transfer funds into YOUR bank account at the time of the transaction (when you sign over the title). An absence of either of those two requirements, or a company name I could not locate on my own, would be the only reason to cause me any concern.

[sccacuda]

I've sold some very expensive parts to Australia. Large freight stuff. They usually have someone in the states that they trust. I get payment on pickup or delivery at terminal from whom ever they have handling the transaction stateside. No cashiers check! I usually get a bank wire. Payment is made before freight actually changes hands. I wouldn't do a car any other way. I've heard some horror stories on escrow agents. He has got to know someone stateside. Have that guy pick up your car and pay you!!

[Iamtheonlyreal1]

I have sold several cars to guys in Australia, and have never had a problem.. The way I do it is this.. I have them direct wiring the funds to my bank account, and your bank can provide you with the necessary wire transfer information to provide him. I will normally scan both sides of the title prior to the transfer, so he can verify the vin and name on the title, and that corresponds to my bank account info. It is really over in a day, and once you recieve your funds, it is his car, so he can make whatever arrangements he needs to make.. Normally you might still have the car for a week or two, so I normally keep the insurance on it until it is gone.

I have personally never gone through an Agent, and to be honest, I wouldnt do so.. He can arrange the funds direct to you, just as easy as he can direct them to an Agent, so there isnt any need for a 3rd party. The Wire Transfer information that you are providing him is really safe, and he doesnt have enough information to do anything funny down the line, because your bank will not allow reverse wires from your account.. I hope that helps, and all I can say is, the guys in Australia have been absolutely great to work with... I have never had a bad experience from down under. LOL

[Steve Firebird]

Thanks for all the info everyone. The reason he said he wants to transfer the money through his importer is to get a better exchange rate than what the banks would do for him. I will take all your advice to heart and proceed with caution.
Steve

[Van B]

I would make sure the importer wires the funds to your account before releasing the car.

[Greg from Aus]

I have purchased a car from the States, Just tell him to wire the money. I wired the money and had the car delivered to LA. very easy process.

Greg

[BuddyP]

Thanks for all the info everyone. The reason he said he wants to transfer the money through his importer is to get a better exchange rate than what the banks would do for him. I will take all your advice to heart and proceed with caution.
Steve

Yeah when there is a "shipper" or "importer" on "their behalf" chances are it's a scam deal. If it's not, as said above, make sure 100% of funds are approved by your bank and in your account before anything is signed or released.

I would be very cautious after hearing "importer"

[JustJohn]

Yeah when there is a "shipper" or "importer" on "their behalf" chances are it's a scam deal. If it's not, as said above, make sure 100% of funds are approved by your bank and in your account before anything is signed or released.

I would be very cautious after hearing "importer"

Not if you're dealing with any country that has emissions laws. Bringing anything back to the US can be a huge hassle if it's not exactly what was originally sold for the US market. If it's not so old it's met the grandfather clause, it has to be certified by a federally licensed facility. Even if it does meet emissions laws there's paper work above and beyond normal importing. I really wanted to bring my non-US market BMW back but it would have cost me about double the price of the car just to get it certified and shipped. Decided it wasn't worth it for a car I may or may not be able to get parts for.
Australia should be fairly easy to google for auto importation standards, not that it's the sellers problem.

[LeighP]

The reason people use an agent is we have to get government permision to import...which takes weeks and has to be 'in hand" prior to loading the car. If the car has AC, it must be degassed and certified by a recognised signatory. The exporting requires dealing with US customs and handling the original copy of the Title etc. Very few guys do everything themselves...some let an agent do all the importing work including shipping the car within the US.
Having helped a friend bring a few cars into Australia, we normally get the government approval here, and arrange the delivery of the car to the shipper in the US ourselves. The agent loads the car, arranges export and does the Australian import paperwork etc.
So, seeing an Agent handling a purchase isn't unusual for Aussies buying a car in the US.
Oh, yeah...we just send the money via bank transfer....as a buyer, theres solid proof of payment that way.

[blainemeyer]

I sold a Porsche to a guy in Holland and had no problems. The agreement was that he would wire transfer the money into one of my accounts and arrange to have the car picked up by a transport company. Once I confirmed the money was in my account I Fedex the paper work to his shippping company's main office. A truck showed up about a week later and I confirmed the car made in the truck for the guy by sending the some pictures to prove it was picked-up.

[Gates72ss]

I sold a 69 camaro to a gentleman in Great Britain , was actually a very easy transaction....What i do when dealing with online sales that are decent dollar amounts , any thing over $10k , i have them wire transfer from their bank to mine...I keep a separate account open for doing such things , keep $5 in there to keep it open and use it for any trans actions over the net, when the funds clear i then with draw them and put them into my regular account..This way if it turns out to be a scam they only have access to the couple dollars that are in there, besides banks are on top of that stuff and do not easily let someone withdraw from your account anyhow...Obviously i have talked to them and cleared up any questions at this point and feel comfortable that they are on the up & up......Give them the routing numbers and have them contact me when it is done on their part , i then call the bank and confirm that a wires transfer was started, 3 days later cash in my hand........
His shipper came and picked the car up 2 weeks after the funds had already been cleared and transferred to my other account....

[shizzy]

I sold a 69 camaro to a gentleman in Great Britain , was actually a very easy transaction....What i do when dealing with online sales that are decent dollar amounts , any thing over $10k , i have them wire transfer from their bank to mine...I keep a separate account open for doing such things , keep $5 in there to keep it open and use it for any trans actions over the net, when the funds clear i then with draw them and put them into my regular account..This way if it turns out to be a scam they only have access to the couple dollars that are in there, besides banks are on top of that stuff and do not easily let someone withdraw from your account anyhow...Obviously i have talked to them and cleared up any questions at this point and feel comfortable that they are on the up & up......Give them the routing numbers and have them contact me when it is done on their part , i then call the bank and confirm that a wires transfer was started, 3 days later cash in my hand........
His shipper came and picked the car up 2 weeks after the funds had already been cleared and transferred to my other account.... This is pretty much how my friend sold his 39 ford to a guy in Australia. he went in and spoke to the bank first, set up a separate account and waited till the finds were clear before he let the car go. He told the guy if he got one sniff of anything he perceived as questionable the whole transaction was off. The guy agreed and all went off without a hitch.

[cluxford]

US cars are coming into Oz by the shipload and I'm not joking, I know importers bringing in 20-30 cars per ship. All mostly pre 1975 stuff. As many have said, direct wire transfer, doesn't matter if it's from the buyer or the importer.

[Tony_SS]

Just make sure the ball is in your court. I would not have him pay the importer and they pay you unless 100% of the funds are in your bank and cleared. I sold a camaro to a guy overseas in Finland and I dealt with him directly. After speaking with my bank to find out what information the buyer needed, I provided him with my account number, routing number and a swift code from the bank. The buyer wired the money directly into my account and once I got the all clear from my bank the buyer made arrangements to have the car picked up. Take as many pictures as you can the day the car is being picked up and some additional pics as it is being loaded. I would also inventory the car and have who ever picks it up sign the inventory. Sometimes these overseas cars will sit on a dock for weeks before they ship out and who knows what can happen in that time. Again, do not let the car leave your sight until the money is in the bank and your bank says it is clear and available.

Solid advice here. This is how my transaction went too.

[XRQTOR]

Just make sure the ball is in your court. I would not have him pay the importer and they pay you unless 100% of the funds are in your bank and cleared. I sold a camaro to a guy overseas in Finland and I dealt with him directly. After speaking with my bank to find out what information the buyer needed, I provided him with my account number, routing number and a swift code from the bank. The buyer wired the money directly into my account and once I got the all clear from my bank the buyer made arrangements to have the car picked up. Take as many pictures as you can the day the car is being picked up and some additional pics as it is being loaded. I would also inventory the car and have who ever picks it up sign the inventory. Sometimes these overseas cars will sit on a dock for weeks before they ship out and who knows what can happen in that time. Again, do not let the car leave your sight until the money is in the bank and your bank says it is clear and available.

I purchased my 56 F100 from Texas and this is exactly how i did it, i was at risk of being ripped off but i done my homework on the guy first. I've also purchased a $45,000 engine from the states, same again done my homework on the guy, got it dropped at a shop once it was delivered i transferred the money.