Scammed on eBay

Three weeks ago I thought I had purchased a 2018 Tri Glide Ultra on eBay. Price on the auction began at $22,800 with the seller explaining his medical issues as the reason for the sale. Being a retired pharmacist, having had over the many years (42+) of patients that had experienced the same medical condition. therfore the reason for selling seemed reasonable..I raised my bid to $26,000. Well guess what...yep eBay said I won. How I wish. The listing stated that the trike was still covered by a H-D ESP warranty. Before placing my final bid I called our local H-D Dealer that confirmed...yep, coverage exists until 08/20/25.

Sadly after sending a Wire Transfer I was informed that some "unauthorized third party" had accessed the Seller's account. Thankfully eBay does have Vehicle Purchase Protection. Auction Insurance will issue a refund check once they are totally satisfied. Whew...thankfully. So now I am in the process of purchasing a 2019 Freewheeler from a dealer in Wisconsin. The few dealers around here want the Moon and the Stars for anything on 2 or 3 wheels. C'mon...$31,995 for a used 2019!! Beware of the dealers in Myrtle Beach. Paying $24,500 for my Vivid Black 2019 with 1400 miles on it.

But the story doesn't end there. While waiting for HaulBikes to honk their horn alerting me my Freewheeler is here, I snooped around eBay again. Yep...different VIN...similar ESP warranty...this time good until 2026. Tri Glide for sale on eBay from Yakima, WA. Calling our local dealer again...yep ESP is indeed valid. BUT..the history indicates the trike is in Texas. Called Paris H-D in Paris TX. Service Manager very familiar with that particular trike. Owner lives in Dekalb TX. And he was going to call the owner and inform him that his trike is listed on eBay.

After the 1st debacle I called H-D ESP HQ. They are keeping notes and records of my conversation and information. The first trike is owned by a guy in Missouri not Illinois confirmed by H-D. When I called H-D ESP HQ about the 2nd trike...seems my information is getting kicked up to more Senior Management. Someone, somehow is able to access the ESP information and create with that information postings on eBay. And yes..if it seems to good to be true...might be a scam.

Thanks for posting. It seems bad guys keep finding new ways to separate hard working honest people from their money. Good that eBay is taking care of you.

Good on you for checking all the facts

I am not a fan of Ebay

Sorry dude that you had to go through all that Ebay crap. They will always stand behind their buyers and even though that whole experience had to suck for you, Ebay will make it right. That being said ... I researched for 6 months, all over the country before buying my 17 FLRT. I restricted my search to HD dealerships and credited shops that sold quality used trikes. When I found the trike that checked all my boxes, at a speed shop in the Florida panhandle, I worked with the owner through FaceTime walk throughs, email, text exchanges and actual phone negotiations for weeks before closing the deal. You have to do your do diligence extensively before you hit that wire transfer button. They shipped the bike right to my door and I'm having a pisser playing with it every day ... Warehouse Of Speed is the shop I went with in Ft Walton Beach, Fl.

Last thought ... I live in Myrtle Beach and other than spending my money with them I have no skin in our HD Dealerships. I do frequent both MBHD & HD At The Beach and find them to both be spectacular. The parts people, motor clothes, service guys and sales people as well have all been nothing but great. They charge the same ridiculous prices for their used bikes as everyone else, the same MSRP for new ones as everyone else and parts are parts. If their HD they cost the same everywhere. Just my little hometown kudos to the HD Dealerships in Myrtle Beach.

Glad you getting straightened out. Keep us posted and post lots of pics

I stay far far away from ebay after my card was hacked 3 times. There started to be a lot of Chinese sellers listing a US warehouse and I began to stop buying from them all together. Wouldn't be surprised if the Harley Davidson computer system wasn't compromised and the info is in the hands of criminals and then 'Fake' ads are getting posted on ebay. Craigslist is still notorious for this behavior, ads that read "2009 Goldwing trike $2000.00". Crooks are everywhere and we need to be careful.

Thought I should give an update. Today, 02/06/2023, I received a call from H-D Corporate. The H-D management as well as the division that handles ESP want me to call them tomorrow with any more information that I may have discovered. Corporate also wants to talk to the local Detective as he has been able to use the clout that is afforded Law Enforcement, info not necessarily available to you and I. Det. Mahoney was even able to talk to the actual owner of the trike that created the original scam. Whether or not he has communicated with Paris H-D or the owner of scam trike #2 is unknown. As more is discovered..will continue to post. As I merely speculate...someone, somewhere has ESP information and is using that info for criminal activities.

What is ESP HQ?

ESP HQ I would guess as HD Extended Service Plan Headquarters.

[QUOTE=Rmitchell55;916433]ESP HQ I would guess as HD Extended Service Plan Headquarters.[/QUOTE]

You are correct. Unsure what my next step will be. Holding onto some HOPE that Bank of America and JP Morgan Chase are able to retrieve funds. In the meantime, found the Freewheeler at a dealer. Purchased that and now waiting for shipment to our home. Spending time collecting goodies to add to the trike..LED turn signals..Bumper...LED Headlight...Passing Lamps...the list goes on and on. Buying a Harley is like buying a Christmas tree. Got the tree...next comes the ornaments!!

I used to purchase vehicles on ebay... no more. What the seller thought was nice never turned out that way. A lot of scammers on ebay. I stay away from any chinese seller due to bad luck in the past. Best of luck :-)

Maybe i've been lucky because of all the years that eBay has been in existence i have never been scammed by anyone on eBay........

But then again I've never had bought or sold anything on eBay....