Accepting payment and posting an item

www

I was contacted by a chap on FB who wants to buy one of my amps - we've agreed a price and I'm going to box it up and send it to him. The question is, what's the best way to take payment to protect us both? He wants to do PP as he says he's been scammed before and I'd rather do bank transfer although PP is fine if I'm not potentially going to get scammed myself. I've had a couple of Facebook calls with him and he sounds ok but I can't find out much about him online aside from an old band he was in and the shop his mother owns!

Normally I probably wouldn't think twice about this (possibly naively) but he didn't seem keen on him paying for the courier charges directly and preferred to bundle them up with the PP payment. I still might be over worrying!

boogieman

As a seller you should be ok with PayPal, just make sure that if you do it though PP that you only post it out, don’t let him collect it. (It’s a well known scam tactic as you then have no proof of delivery and the buyer can claim his money back).

I don’t see a problem with him adding the postage onto the buying price... if you’d listed it as including P&P that’s what would’ve happened anyway. 

midlifecrisis

i think there are many threads on here explaining why taking paypal is a BAD idea. its good for him but opens you up to potentially being scammed

octatonic

For a complete unknown I'd only be accepting bank transfer.

Winny_Pooh

PP friends and family protects you. Its like a bank transfer. 
PP goods & services costs a fee of around 3% and protects the buyer only.
(The only way to know after receipt is if the completed transaction gives you a 'refund' option, then it's F&F)

Only safe way for both parties on paper is an escrow service but I've never used one before.

Personally I'd drive to meet in the middle or insist on PP F&F. 

octatonic

Winny_Pooh said:

Personally I'd drive to meet in the middle or insist on PP F&F. 

I'd struggle to do that as it would put me in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

heavyrocker

If it’s overseas definitely don’t do PayPal goods. If he decides he doesn’t like the amp he can make an excuse to return it and you’ll be stiffed for the postage both ways and may end up with a damaged amp back.

boogieman

heavyrocker said:

If it’s overseas definitely don’t do PayPal goods. If he decides he doesn’t like the amp he can make an excuse to return it and you’ll be stiffed for the postage both ways and may end up with a damaged amp back.

The OP hasn’t mentioned it being out of the UK? 

rivercider

I don’t use PayPal at all. 
Someone I know at work used to sell huge amounts of stuff on ebay but got scammed one too many times and PP were very unhelpful towards him as the seller.  It didn’t end well and I don’t want that sort of hassle, I’d rather not bother selling it tbh.
I’d rather sell locally, face to face, or not sell at all, than risk it.  The 180 days return rule/loophole seems crazy to me as well, it’s a scammer’s dream.
If someone is happy to trust me and pay by bank transfer up front then fine, I’ll courier it to them, but that's their decision as I always explain to them, and I completely understand someone not being comfortable with that.
I’ll offer to meet somewhere on occasion, but with any kind of courier type arrangement I’m always careful to insure the item with the courier at the time I despatch, as things can go wrong.  Pedals via courier are typically far safer than amps, or guitars, of course, for example.
In my opinion it’s often better to hold on for a local buyer (you will nearly always find one eventually if you are patient) than risk any long distance nonsense.
I also prefer that a face to face sale allows the buyer to test the item, thereby reducing any risk of disappointment and/or bad feeling later, should buyer’s remorse or any other issues arise in the mind of the purchaser, who may then attempt to return something if bought via PayPal, for example.

www

Thanks for the replies. The buyer is in the UK (so am I). I would have preferred face to face collection but it's too far for me to deliver really and he says he doesn't drive. I've had quite a few acceptable offers for the amp (it's the Suhr Corso head and cab in the classifieds) but not one of them has been local so I feel like either I post it or I keep hold of it, and I really need to shift some stuff. 

I did wonder whether Paypal Gift was safe (for the buyer) - seems a mixed response! 

Lodious

I thought PP Gift was the same as a bank transfer?

steveledzep

IIRC  A Paypal payment for goods, the recipient pays the commission to PP, deducted from the funds.  With PP Gift, I believe the sender pays the commission in addition to the amount sent.  I suspect that's one of the reasons of resistance to PPG.

roberty

PPG is free (no fee)

JAYJO

PP GIFT. Just means the seller pays nothing to paypal. Neither does the purchaser. its a transfer of funds to a family member or a gift so you are not covered as a buyer . To paypal there is no sale so i dont think the seller/famiy friend  is covered either. I could be wrong. soon find out  lol.

boogieman

JAYJO said:

PP GIFT. Just means the seller pays nothing to paypal. Neither does the purchaser. its a transfer of funds to a family member or a gift so you are not covered as a buyer . To paypal there is no sale so i dont think the seller/famiy friend  is covered either. I could be wrong. soon find out  lol.

If the buyer uses PP gift they get no comeback via PayPal if the deal goes tits up. That’s why you pay the extra percentage for PP goods and services. 

octatonic

FYI: Not every country allows Paypal Gift- for instance it is not possible here in Singapore.
IIRC it also applies in Japan, Taiwan & Brazil- there are probably others too.

Johnnyseven

roberty said:

PPG is free (no fee)

Not if the sender pays by credit card, they have to pay a fee.