Buying a Trailer on Marketplace or Gumtree: Avoiding Scams
Online listings are where many of the best trailer deals are, and where most trailer scams happen. Here's how to buy safely and get finance sorted.
Red flags in a listing
- A price well below similar trailers.
- The seller is "interstate" or "overseas" and wants to ship it.
- They ask for a deposit to "hold" it before you've seen it.
- They push for payment by gift cards, crypto or an unusual transfer.
- The photos appear in other listings or look like stock images.
- They won't give you the VIN or serial number.
Run a PPSR search before you pay anything
Get the VIN or serial number and search the Personal Property Securities Register. It costs a couple of dollars and tells you if there's finance owing or if the trailer has been reported stolen or written off. If someone won't give you the number, walk away.
Want to talk it through? Send a free enquiry and we'll pass it to a broker who does trailer loans every day. Enquiring doesn't affect your credit score.
See it in person
Meet at the seller's home rather than a car park, check their ID matches the registration papers, and confirm the VIN on the trailer matches the paperwork. Check tyres, bearings, lights, brakes and the chassis for rust or cracks.
How finance works for a private sale
Lenders that fund private sales will usually want the sale details, the seller's ID and rego papers, a clean PPSR search and sometimes photos. The lender normally pays the seller directly, which also protects you from paying someone who doesn't own the trailer. Get pre-approved before you start looking, so you can move quickly when the right one comes up.
If there's money owing
The sale can still go ahead if the seller's lender is paid out at settlement. Never hand cash to the seller and hope they'll clear the loan themselves.