Full Car Boot

Buying online has become one of the fastest ways to obtain goods and services without leaving home but at the same time you need to use precautions when you buy online.

To help you we have compiled a checklist of steps you should take before committing to buy online.

Below is a list of steps you should take for ALL online purchases, but we also have a list of steps you should take when purchasing a vehicle or real estate.

Read through our section on at the bottom of this page.
Make sure that you know exactly what you are purchasing. Always ask plenty of questions and ask for more photos if you need to. Also make sure that you know where the item is coming from, if it is coming from overseas it may well be a scam.
Make sure you understand how the item is being delivered and if postal insurance is an option. Where at all possible arrange to pick up the item yourself. This ensures you know exactly what you are buying and allows you to check for any defects. You can also arrange to pay for the item when you pick it up ensuring that you’re not paying for something you don’t want.
Choose a secure method to pay for your item. Paying for an item in person, once you’ve had a chance to inspect it, is the best and most secure method but is not always practical. Escrow services and PayPal can offer you some protection against fraud.
Make sure you know where your money is going. If you are asked to deposit it in an overseas account you should be very suspicious of the seller.
DO NOT send cash by mail and NEVER give out your credit card or bank details.
If an item is “too good to be true”, e.g. if it is very cheap, we suggest that you look around for similar items in the same price range. If you don’t find any you should be suspicious of the item.
If you are at all unsure about an item, its delivery or payment method, question the seller and if you don’t receive a satisfactory answer DO NOT BUY IT!

Cars

Test drive the vehicle.
Do a background check on the vehicle to make sure that it hasn’t been in any accidents or is stolen.
Check that the person you are purchasing from is the rightful owner of the vehicle. Ask them for documentation of ownership.
Check the vehicle’s log books
Check that the vehicle’s registration is current.
Have the car inspected by a professional like a mechanic or motoring body.

Real Estate

Thoroughly inspect the property.
Have the property inspected by a qualified building inspector.

These lists are not comprehensive and we recommend them only as a basic guide to purchasing and applying for work online.

Protecting yourself from Internet Scammers

How can I tell if someone is trying to scam me?

Internet scamming is a rising problem. To help protect you from possible internet scams, we have listed some of the popular basic scams for you to be aware of and avoid.

Please tell me your bank account details so I can deposit the money electronically.

NEVER give out your bank account information. If a person must pay electronically then use a system such as PayPal where your bank details are kept concealed and secure during the transaction. Identity theft is a growing problem and once a person has your bank details it could open a flood of problems for you.

I will forward the remaining balance of money but can I just pay you a part now?

Unless you can verify the identity, address and methods to communicate with a person in future beyond doubt, NEVER accept part payments for any item you are selling. It is unlikely that you would ever receive the full balance.

I live overseas, my agent will forward payment once your item reaches me.

We advise you to only deal with residents to Australia. People who claim to use agents are often going out of their way to conceal their identity.

My agent won't pick up the item unless I pay him the agent commission fee first, but I'm out of the country. Can you pay him for me and I will send you the commission fee when I'm back?

We advise you to never pay any of a buyers fees or charges unless they have compensated you for these extra funds first. If a buyer or their agent is unable to pick up their item for any reason we suggest that you offer to hold the item until their are able to arrange collection of their purchase.

Please only contact me using my mobile phone.

Where possible try and always get a postal address and landline phone number for anyone you are selling to. Speak to the person to see if they are genuinely interested. They are more likely to be helpful, open, responsive and friendly and won't mind you checking (discretely). Be suspicious if they offer to buy your item straight away without asking any questions first!

I have been contacted by someone claiming to be a Full Car Boot Staff member and they are asking for my username and password.

Our Staff have no need to contact you requesting your Username or Password, and we will never contact you asking for this kind of information.. Never give out your Username or Password to anyone under any circumstances!

If you feel that someone may be trying to scam you, please Contact Us with your concerns.

For your own safety, it is your responsibility to take steps to verify the identity of anyone you wish to correspond with. We would advise BUYER BEWARE because we are not able to guarantee the honesty and integrity of all our site users. We do, however, take all the steps we can to protect our users from potential scammers once we locate them.