The Australians have strict rules on car importation. I know that they will not register a car, depending on the age, with the steering wheel on the left so your buyer will need to check.
Overseas buyer
I have some serious interest in one of the cars I have for sale from a gentleman from Australia. I'm located near Toledo, Ohio USA. Does anyone have any experiences to share or tips to help both of us with the transaction?
Thanks in advance,
Jon
Thanks in advance,
Jon
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Don't release the car unless you have received full payment that is the number #1 piece of advice I can give you. Don't accept a cheque or money order and if you do accept one wait until it clears. Once the car is out of your possession if the cheque bounces you will have lost the car and the money. Please note it can take a long time for an international money order to clear.
With respect to everything else its up to the buyer to arrange in my view as they need to get the following:
People who need to ship a car to Australia from the United States require 1) Vehicle Importation Regulations 2) Applications to Import from the AU Department of Infrastructure. 3) Determine what shipping method to use and hire a company to do it. That company will need s and When to Use Them: 1) Location of Car 2) Year, Make, Model 3) Destination City.
The most you can do from your end is make it clear that he is responsible for any additional import/export chargers and if the port is close to you and you want to you can drive the car to the port if going by sea or airport if going by air.
And one last word of advice don't get scammed and make sure you have a signed bill or sale for IRS purposes.
With respect to everything else its up to the buyer to arrange in my view as they need to get the following:
People who need to ship a car to Australia from the United States require 1) Vehicle Importation Regulations 2) Applications to Import from the AU Department of Infrastructure. 3) Determine what shipping method to use and hire a company to do it. That company will need s and When to Use Them: 1) Location of Car 2) Year, Make, Model 3) Destination City.
The most you can do from your end is make it clear that he is responsible for any additional import/export chargers and if the port is close to you and you want to you can drive the car to the port if going by sea or airport if going by air.
And one last word of advice don't get scammed and make sure you have a signed bill or sale for IRS purposes.
'kn' oath mate. What with Oz being a former penal colony and all, there's some very shady characters over here. Particularly in the used car game where many of the direct descendants of the original convicts have found gainful employment.Don't release the car unless you have received full payment that is the number #1 piece of advice I can give you. Don't accept a cheque or money order and if you do accept one wait until it clears. Once the car is out of your possession if the cheque bounces you will have lost the car and the money. Please note it can take a long time for an international money order to clear.
With respect to everything else its up to the buyer to arrange in my view as they need to get the following:
People who need to ship a car to Australia from the United States require 1) Vehicle Importation Regulations 2) Applications to Import from the AU Department of Infrastructure. 3) Determine what shipping method to use and hire a company to do it. That company will need s and When to Use Them: 1) Location of Car 2) Year, Make, Model 3) Destination City.
The most you can do from your end is make it clear that he is responsible for any additional import/export chargers and if the port is close to you and you want to you can drive the car to the port if going by sea or airport if going by air.
And one last word of advice don't get scammed and make sure you have a signed bill or sale for IRS purposes.
:wink:
Thanks all for the timely responses.
I've done a little research on my own also and it appears the onus of responsibility (and trust) is on the prospective buyer. In other words- I'm planning on having him wire the money to my account, wait an appropriate amount of time until I feel comfortable that it's legit (or withdraw the money) and then let him proceed with shipping plans.
That's another of my concerns- does the shipping broker pick the car up from my house or would the seller (me) assist with transporting the car to a port? I wouldn't mind taking the car to the shipper if it is one of the ports within reasonable distance ( Toledo, Detroit or Cleveland).
I am hoping to hear from a member who has gone through this process to hear how their transaction went.
I've done a little research on my own also and it appears the onus of responsibility (and trust) is on the prospective buyer. In other words- I'm planning on having him wire the money to my account, wait an appropriate amount of time until I feel comfortable that it's legit (or withdraw the money) and then let him proceed with shipping plans.
That's another of my concerns- does the shipping broker pick the car up from my house or would the seller (me) assist with transporting the car to a port? I wouldn't mind taking the car to the shipper if it is one of the ports within reasonable distance ( Toledo, Detroit or Cleveland).
I am hoping to hear from a member who has gone through this process to hear how their transaction went.
I haven't been through this at all myself, but I just wanted to add to the comments above to be very cautious...
I'm aware of scams that have been tried in the past, where a potential buyer has been 'oversees'. Just be very cautious that you do not pay out anything to get the process working. I've heard all sorts of reports, including having to pay a shipper / collection company directly, even though the 'buyer' has agreed to add those fees to the purchase price being transferred. If you want to be more aware of the potential scams/pitfalls, just do a search on your preferred internet search engine for something like "overseas car buying scams" (one example I found is here, but there are many more articles on the subject).
I hope, if you're happy to sell overseas, that it all works out for you and is all above-board. Good luck!
I'm aware of scams that have been tried in the past, where a potential buyer has been 'oversees'. Just be very cautious that you do not pay out anything to get the process working. I've heard all sorts of reports, including having to pay a shipper / collection company directly, even though the 'buyer' has agreed to add those fees to the purchase price being transferred. If you want to be more aware of the potential scams/pitfalls, just do a search on your preferred internet search engine for something like "overseas car buying scams" (one example I found is here, but there are many more articles on the subject).
I hope, if you're happy to sell overseas, that it all works out for you and is all above-board. Good luck!
Make sure when you give banking info (international routing number <available from your banking institution>, local account number, etc.) that this is FOR DEPOSIT ONLY, and is not authorized for any withdrawal. Your local banking institution will be able to give you an international routing number that is good only for deposit or wire transfer of INCOMING funds only.Thanks all for the timely responses.
I've done a little research on my own also and it appears the onus of responsibility (and trust) is on the prospective buyer. In other words- I'm planning on having him wire the money to my account, wait an appropriate amount of time until I feel comfortable that it's legit (or withdraw the money) and then let him proceed with shipping plans.
That's another of my concerns- does the shipping broker pick the car up from my house or would the seller (me) assist with transporting the car to a port? I wouldn't mind taking the car to the shipper if it is one of the ports within reasonable distance ( Toledo, Detroit or Cleveland).
I am hoping to hear from a member who has gone through this process to hear how their transaction went.
If done via international wire transfer, the funds should clear in 3-5 business days. Then and only then should you release the vehicle title and proceed with driving it to a local courier. The buyer should be able to arrange for transport from his end, especially with current internet capabilities and shipping zip codes.
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