Outboard Purchase by PayPal

[Woodeneye]

I'm looking at purchasing a used outboard from out of state (AL to MA) and was wondering if any one has had any experience doing this through PayPal? I'm thinking this way because of the Buyer Protection Plan, but the kicker is there are some exclusions,e.g.:
 Purchases of vehicles (including, without limitation, motor vehicles, motorcycles, aircrafts, and boats; except for personally portab light vehicles used for recreational purposes like bicycles and wheeled hover boards),
It doesn't seem to specifically exclude outboard motors.

Anyone care to weigh in? What do you all normally do when you purchasing big ticket items like this and don't want to pay the full amount until successful delivery?

To further complicate this I'm doing this from Australia so some form of Escrow is problematic.

[wingtime]

Not sure about the PayPal limitations. Are you purchasing the motor from a dealer or an individual? You definitely want to use some form if payment that gives you recourse. Don't just send a certified check! Where is the motor? Maybe we have a member that is close that can go take a look at it for you.

[Woodeneye]

I'm purchasing from an individual. The motor is in Mobile, Alabama. Thanks.

[Woodeneye]

never mind....it's been sold.

[wingtime]

What size motor you looking for?

[Woodeneye]

200-250hp or there abouts.

[boatnamesue]

There are escrow services you can find online for such a purchase.  You pay a fee based on a small percentage of the total escrowed amount. 

Personally, in this situation, I would not buy a motor from an individual internationally.  Imagine the headache and financial risk if the motor is not in the condition as advertised.  It would be difficult to locate the seller if they don't want to be located.  Whereas a business, a reputable one, has a physical location as well as insurance.  You'll pay a few bucks more buying f om a business, but this amount offsets the risk of buying from an individual. 

[CTsalt12]

Sorry to hijack your thread, I am curious about buying motors over eBay in general.  Does anyone have experience here?  There are some really nice used/rebuilt engines in my size range that I am interested in.  I would be shipping to a local marina and having it installed there with all the rigging.  What's a reasonable cost for such a thing?

[Woodeneye]

Sorry to hijack your thread, I am curious about buying motors over eBay in general.  Does anyone have experience here?  There are some really nice used/rebuilt engines in my size range that I am interested in.  I would be shipping to a local marina and having it installed there with all the rigging.  What's a reasonable cost for such a thing?

A couple of things I can tell you: Its amazing how many people are not on Paypal and therefore ignorant of it and the buyer & seller protection it offers. I found that there was a lot of resistance, when buying a outboard, or any large ticket item for that matter, to it. In fact some sellers will do it, but slap on a extra 3% to cover their costs. Also people, rightly so, are inherently suspicious these days to scams, so that factors in as well. As The Donald would say ...."Sad".

You just can't beat cash in the hand on some things.

[Capt. Bob]

Double hijack.
Wood,
I'm a PayPal guy too. Use it whenever available. Like the fact that accessing my account requires a "pin' that is sent via text to me. Not perfect but just another layer of protection. Scammers resist it because they stand a fair chance of not getting paid.

[wingtime]

Ebay is good especially if your buying from a seller with a good history. Keep in mind Ebay gets a 10% fee so most sellers add that on top of what they want to get. So you can figure your going to pay a tad more for a ebay motor. I considered listing my 250 Etec on Ebay but I didn't think it was worth the high selling fees.

Franzen Marine in Tampa is a good Ebay engine seller that offers a warranty.

[Woodeneye]

You are preaching to the choir lads...I like eBay but struck resistance when I offered ordinary vendors, not on eBay but say on Craigslist, payment via PayPal. Weird.

[wingtime]

Get in touch with Brian at Franzen Marine in Tampa  he sells a ton of good clean used motors.

[CTsalt12]

Thanks guys.  I will definitely look into Franzen.

The engine would have to be shipped north for me.  I expect a good engine reseller can handle boxing this up and handling it in such a way that it won't be compromised while shipping.  I've heard horror stories of engines being ruined if oil gets in the wrong place if it's not drained before shipping on its side.

What can I expect for costs to install and rig an engine?  Additionally, where can I find info on compatibility of rigging?  Say I want to upgrade from my 1997 Merc to a 2008 Optimax.  I can't seem to find much on the web, I assume I may have to pay for completely new rigging. 

[wingtime]

I belive the rigging should be the same for both motors. Even if it isn't you can get an adapter