eBay/Craigslist Buying through Ebay/craigslist is it safe.

[jim442]

Buying equipment that does not have a title is risky. Usually any liens are registered with the Secretary of State, but what if the equipment is taken out of state? You check and it looks clean but who knows? When you buy you should also ALWAYS get a bill of sale that states the equipment is being sold free of liens and encumberances. I want to look the seller in his cold dark eyes

 

[boggen]

i hit tractorhouse for a loader/backhoe. the pictures look good, and followed up by phone calls to each one. then once i settled on good possibilities, i took a road trip around Illinois. and looked at all of them. boy some folks know how to take really good pictures, while others not so good pictures. when looking at them up front and personal. and then a test drive. there was even larger difference. and some there was very large night and day difference. some looked ugly but worked much better, while some of the better looking ones, ya had to wonder, why it wasn't being sold out for parts.

3,000 bucks and over, take a vacation day off of work. after ya did your home work and searching and go take a good look at different equipment, the better dealers and folks personally sealing stuff. normally give ya break down of things. toss you the keys and let ya go for a test drive, sometimes ya gotta ask for the keys, you do get them chatter boxes once in a while generally dealers selling stuff will have dirt pile some place, or some area, were you can dig stuff up, pull a post out of ground, work backhoe a little bit, plow or disc a little bit. not everything can be done. to test things out. but enough to get a general idea of things. if ya never done it before. then go be a bozo to some local dealers. and drive some tractors or what ever around a little bit. and gives you a chance, to find a local dealer you can trust for parts and help.