Note: This remarkable story was written for us by Tony Merrygold of The Open Road in the UK and proves that before committing to purchase a collector car in an online auction, the buyer must obtain proof that the vehicle is actually owned by the vendor. Read on:

For 10 years I have been running a classic car hire company in the UK - "The Open Road - Classic Car Hire". One of the undoubted reasons for our continual growth and the fact that we have managed to survive for 10 years, is the fact that I put a huge amount of time and effort into "our own Web site", making sure it has many people linking and watching. Customers want to know how good our cars are without coming to examine them, so the web site contains lengthy descriptions of all our cars and at least six pictures of each from all angles, including the interior and under the bonnet.

We know that many people watch our site for changes. On Thursday, March 8th, 2007, we received one email and two phone calls saying that someone on eBay was selling our Austin Healey 3000 BJ7. Somewhat gob-smacked I checked it out and there in full colour is our car, for sale with the photos and accompanying info lifted from our site. Check it out yourself "at this eBay link". You can also "see my own pictures of the car here".

The seller is also trying to sell an MG Xpower SV which he doesn't own and is currently for sale by a dealer in Hampshire. I duly filled in the appropriate eBay form to report the perpetrator and assumed the problem would go away. I received an automated reply from eBay which didn't fill me with any confidence that it would be resolved. I watched the bids increase throughout Thursday from a couple of hundred pounds to over £9,000. Even at that price, it is far too cheap. The advertiser has bounced most of these, claiming this is a "pre-approved" auction and only bids that he has agreed on will be accepted. Presumably he wants to check that the buyer actually exists and then he, the perp, can take the money and run; sneaky, nasty, and downright illegal considering this guy doesn't own my car. As of Friday morning, March 9th, the auction was continuing. Obviously eBay hadn't tracked him down and put a stop to this.

I am not particularly worried for my own sake but am concerned that someone will "win" the auction and, at minimum, part with a large deposit which he will never see again. So that you know who to avoid in the future, the seller goes under the eBay name of "seavue6" purportedly in Par, Cornwall, UK. I will continue to watch what happens and am planning other activity (which for now I'll keep to myself) but will report on what happens.

UPDATE: Tony informs me that as of Saturday, March 10th, the offending item has been removed from eBay.