Selling via paypal

ohjin22

ohjin22

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I may be selling some kit soonon gumtree, and was going to look at using paypal, but I am concerned that there is the risk that the buyer may recieve the item then put in a complaint to paypal and get an auto refund, and then paypal will come after me to get the money back. So I would be left with no camera or money. I was wondering if anyone had any tips or thoughts on how I could minimize the risk. Recorded delivery etc.

Thank you.
 
This is a common scam I think. I advertised an item on Gumtree a little while ago. I received a contact from someone offering to buy, would pay over and above my asking price (+£150!), and wanted me to ship the item 'to his brother in Malaysia as it's a birthday present'.

I don't have a Paypal account but this person wouldn't accept that and kept harping on about how Paypal was better for me than a bank transfer (!).

If I had gone ahead with this kind offer and shipped to 'his brother' (i.e. not his Paypal registered address) he would have claimed non-receipt, Paypal would have refunded the money and I'd be without the item or the cash.

If I was you I'd stick to cash in person or bank transfer.
 
Under no circumstances accept Paypal for collection, sure as apples are apples you will be robbed. No honest person would even consider it over just taking some cash along. Bank transfers are safe for you, your sort code and account number are basically worthless but if I were the buyer there is no way I'd send you cash before collecting the item.

I'm not sure you'll find many people on Gumtree who are expecting the item to be posted, its not really the way it is set up.
 
I use Paypal to buy loads of stuff, mainly so I can use a credit card.
When buying from Ebay it is always dealt with as a purchase (fees).
If making a Paypal transfer there is no fee (except for using the cc) but there is no way back as you have told PP that it is a gift so you can't complain about items either way.
Always ship to registered address & Google the address.

https://www.paypal.com/uk/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=xpt/Help/general/TopQuestion5-outside
 
ohjin22 said:
I may be selling some kit soonon gumtree
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Have you got access to the classifieds on here? If you have been here since 2010 and have 256 posts then I would have thought you should have access.

You will be surprised when selling on here. When you say north of London you are not far from me and many others on here. So far I've sold to someone about 5-6 miles away and another person who lives 2 streets away, also as far away as Wales and Scotland. Trading on here is much better than gumtree and ebay. To be honest I personally wouldn't touch gumtree with camera gear.
 
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rob-nikon said:
Have you got access to the classifieds on here? If you have been here since 2010 and have 256 posts then I would have thought you should have access.

You will be surprised when selling on here. When you say north of London you are not far from me and many others on here. So far I've sold to someone about 5-6 miles away and another person who lives 2 streets away, also as far away as Wales and Scotland. Trading on here is much better than gumtree and ebay. To be honest I personally wouldn't touch gumtree with camera gear.
Click to expand...
I agree, Selling on here will be much better, and you'd be surprised as to what will go.
 
steveo_mcg said:
Under no circumstances accept Paypal for collection, sure as apples are apples you will be robbed. No honest person would even consider it over just taking some cash along.
Click to expand...
I bought a bulky item on eBay last week which I had to collect in person, and the buyer positively insisted on PayPal. I don't know why. I offered to bring cash but he insisted.

But, even assuming he was totally misguided, why is it so dangerous to accept PayPal in these situations? If you require the buyer to bring photographic ID, and take a snap of them with the item they're collecting, how can they substantiate a claim that they didn't receive it?
 
StewartR said:
I bought a bulky item on eBay last week which I had to collect in person, and the buyer positively insisted on PayPal. I don't know why. I offered to bring cash but he insisted.

But, even assuming he was totally misguided, why is it so dangerous to accept PayPal in these situations? If you require the buyer to bring photographic ID, and take a snap of them with the item they're collecting, how can they substantiate a claim that they didn't receive it?
Click to expand...

Paypal won't accept these as proof of delivery, only proof of delivery from a courier counts a proof of delivery. All you need to do is raise a dispute with paypal and they will refund you, even if some how they didn't you could probably raise a direct debit claim with your bank and they'd refund you. In seller vs buyer paypal always sides with the buyer and your bank will always honour a direct debit guarantee.
 
I've used PayPal to pay when collecting items in the past (for things bought via the Classifieds here, in fact) - it has meant I don't need to be concerned about wandering about with large quantities of cash (I usually have less than £50 in my wallet, as I use CC for 95% of my normal spending).
PP Gift means no fees, and no option to raise a dispute (or at least, I assume you can't raise a dispute, since it's a gift, what woudl there be to dispute?).
I can use my smartphone to initiate the transfer, and the seller sees it arrive in a few seconds - minimal risk all round.
 
Money could be going anywhere to anyone, they close account, you have no comebacks.
 
Bank transfer is way safer than Paypal. The details you give out are only those that are on a cheque so minimal danger. Main benefit to a seller is no reclaim.

But...it's also waaaay safer to sell on here.
 
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