Buyer who uses no CC or Paypal Advice please
mexpo75
Posts: 1,933 ✭✭✭✭
I have a buyer interested in a card of mine but he does use PP or credit cards. He has been a ebay member since 1999 with 1379 feedback but nothing in over a year. Should I except check or postal money order? Thanks.
PackManInNC
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Sure, i would. I just wouldn't ship until the check cleared my bank if it was a significant amount.
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stupid print dots
Depends first on cost of card what options I would recommend for you. Inactive account of over a year might be a hacked account.
Card would be in $500-$700 range.
At this point I just say no and only accept PayPal
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Postal M.O. is the same as cash.
No reason that I can see you can get hurt there. Check would work fine too, just have to wait for it to clear.
PayPal protects buyer, not seller.
To the others, please let me know if I am missing something here, should be NO risk in check or M.O.
Based on that dollar amount USPS money order is the way to go and cash it at the local Post Office if possible since they will be able to tell right away if it is legit or fake.
+1 for postal money order. I've accepted these from buyers who prefer them to CC or paypal and have never had an issue. Amounts are usually between $500-$2000 from these particular people. Obviously you must wait until the payment clears into your account without issue before shipping the item(s) out.
You can have the buyer purchase a pre-paid debit card and all he has to do at Checkout is click on show payment options then click on Credit or debit card. From there the buyer just adds the pre-paid debit card info. I'm pretty sure most cards just cost $5 on top of whatever amount is getting added to the card.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
I'm not 100% sure exactly how the scam works, but there are scams out there with fraudulent money orders.
If you accept a money order for that kind of money from a suspect buyer, contact the issuing bank and verify that it's good. If it is good, still be careful because a clever scammer could get one money order, and make multiple copies of it, or duplicate it in some manner, and then use the "valid number" to buy items off different Ebay sellers for the same dollar amount.
So best to wait around three weeks for the money order to fully clear. Even if the money order technically clears your bank quickly and the money is in your bank account, still wait the three weeks to ship because if the money order is found to be fraudulent, the bank will do a charge back for the full amount and possibly an additional fee as well.
The absolute safest way other than cash is a bank transfer. The buyer cannot reverse it once the money is in your bank account. No charge back is possible.
I agree 100%.
Cash in a birthday card. I always got the card and $7 my grandma would send me every year!
it's hard to believe someone with 1,379 feedbacks does not have a paypal account or credit cards.
I would NOT take anything but a Postal M.O.
You should be fine.
Yes, but some people don't want to worry about being "hacked".
Just like some people worry about being "scammed".
Pasted:
Instead of counterfeit cashiers checks, some scammers are turning to bogus post office money orders. The fakes look strikingly similar to the real deal. Dave Schroader at the Postal Inspection Service in Seattle, says the problem comes in waves, and you can spot the fakes by holding them up to the light.
"Real money orders have the (security) stripe all the way through, embedded actually, in the paper," Schroader said. "What happens is, these guys photocopy the money orders, so the watermark (of Benjamin Franklin) is on the front of the money order, instead of it actually being transparent and seen all the way through. And the magnetic strip (on a real money order) should be continuous. If you hold a fake up to the light its actually not continuous. You see the breaks in the stripe."
In my view the same type of caution as mentioned still applies.
Wow. You could have the Postmaster look at the M.O. I guess.
Well, since you won't be mailing your item until the funds are in your hands, even a personal check would work as long as you made sure it cleared.
Good luck!
"Good luck" shouldn't have anything to do with it.
Scammers can always be thwarted when the proper precautionary measures are taken.
Just inform this prospective buyer that upon receipt of the check or money order, it will be three weeks before the order can be shipped. If that's not acceptable to the prospective buyer, then so be it, another prospective buyer will soon come along.
wire transfer in advance.
Best place to buy !
Bronze Associate member
Good luck was not a smart a$$ remark. Just wishing him luck.
I don't think you need to wait three weeks though. If it's some kind of money order you should know if it's good long before that.
If it's a personal check from a bank that happens to be in your area, you might be able to go to his bank and cash the check, getting the funds immediately.
Either way, if you hold the item until you have cash in hand, you should be fine.
Hope you have a smooth transaction whatever you decide.
Considering the possible inexperience of the OP with situations such as this, i agree with ya!
Cost is a factor. Depending on the bank, a wire transfer will cost the buyer around $40.
Depending on how badly the OP wants to sell the item, perhaps a split of the cost, say reduce the price by $20 to help pay for half of the buyer's cost of the wire transfer.
This
What if the buyer files an item not received claim while the check or mo cleared? I don’t know.
If you are buying on eBay in 2019 without a CC/PP there’s a reason for it, even if that reason is you’re a paranoid kook.
Too bad it's not like the movies where the seller knocks on the buyer's door and says, "Let's do this deal in person, so neither of us will be screwed"
Anytime you sell you take a risk. you should always have an account set up to receive funds only and your checking account should only allow items to clear that are pre-authorized by you (positive pay). If you want to sell with no risk go to a shop. the amount they will cut down the price is to cover loss and overhead. If your asking if you should sell to anyone, then the answer is probable no. It all depends on the value. I would not risk anything over the insurance value that I have to cover losses. But that is just how I do it. Others as you see here have there methods.
Best place to buy !
Bronze Associate member
Sounds like plenty of paranoia to go around.
Postal money orders used to be widely used for purchases on ebay. Never had an issue with those.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
FYI....
FRAUD ALERT
MISSING U.S. MONEY ORDER FORMS - DO NOT CASH
To be posted and used by retail window employees. As directed, destroy previous notices.
The actual serial numbers consist of the first 10 digits on the money orders.
https://usps.com/shop/money-orders.htm
https://kennerstartinglineup.blogspot.com/
I don't miss those days,but my gosh, life existed and cards were sold before paypal!
In for the Postal or Bank Money Order. I would NOT deal with a personal check at all.
I too like a M.O. better, but what's the danger if you wait until the check clears to send item?
Just inconvenience?
You are correct there really is no danger once a personal check clears but I think some banks take up to 7 business days to clear, the way I see it is that I don't want to deal with it taking the time to clear and run a chance of if it not clearing because then it opens up more delays and aggravation. Money Order is cash it and done.
I agree. Postal M.O. was always my first choice.
I did find that Wells Fargo didn't automatically give me the funds on a standard M.O. they made some kind of BS comment about it not being guaranteed until it "cleared" the issuing bank.
I really can't comment more on Wells Fargo without being banned.
USPS MO verified/accepted at the local P.O. Personal checks I would wait for 10 business days to clear.
I would prefer postal MO on every sale.
Did That Check Really Clear?
BY JUSTIN PRITCHARD
Updated November 05, 2018
When you deposit a check and it clears, that’s a good thing. However, it's important to understand exactly what that means and at one point the money definitely is yours. Processing checks can be a confusing process and susceptible to scams. The results can be a costly lesson in the risks of accepting a payment by check.
The process of clearing checks involves moving money from the check writer’s account to your account. Once this process is complete, it should be safe to spend the money.
The process takes time and a check still can bounce after you deposit it—even if your bank allows you to withdraw cash from that deposit.
Did it really clear?
Unfortunately, the term “clear” sometimes gets used prematurely. An item has cleared only after your bank receives funds from the check writer’s bank. Bank employees might tell you that a check has cleared, and your bank’s computer systems might show that you have those funds available for withdrawal, but that doesn't necessarily mean you can spend the money risk-free.
In many cases, when a bank employee tells you an item cleared, she is saying you can spend that money with your debit card, withdraw the cash from an ATM, or set up a payment online. Most of the time, this informal terminology is fine because funds typically arrive without problem.
Most of the confusion around checks comes from bank policies and federal laws that allow you to spend money before a check really clears. Banks are required to make a portion of your deposit available quickly—usually the first $200 or, on certain official checks, $5,000—and they might need to release the remaining funds after several business days. This only means you have access to the money. It does not mean the funds have arrived from the check writer’s bank.
What if you spend the money?
If a check bounces, the bank will reverse the deposit to your account—even if you've spent some or all of the money from that deposit. If you don't have enough money in your account to cover the reversal, you’ll have a negative account balance and you could start bouncing other payments and racking up fees. Ultimately, you are responsible for deposits you make to your account, and you’re the one at risk.
LEARN MORE
You are protected from certain types of errors and fraud, but that protection does not cover bad checks that you deposit. To get your money back, you'd have to go after whoever gave you the bad check.
Protect yourself
There are a few ways to avoid getting ripped off or having to pay for somebody else’s honest mistake. First, the longer you wait to spend the money, the better your chances. In many cases, a few weeks to a month is more than enough time to wait. Most checks from banks inside of the United States will clear—or bounce—within a few business days.
However, other types of problems also can arise. For example, a thief could pay you with a stolen check from a legitimate account that has plenty of money available. In that case, the check won’t bounce due to insufficient funds, but the account owner will not appreciate having their money stolen. The check might clear, but you eventually could lose that money once it’s discovered that the payment was fraudulent.
When somebody pays you with a bad check, you generally need to bring legal action against them to recover your funds or whatever else of value you might have provided in exchange for those funds.
In many cases, it’s difficult or impossible to track down the person down. If it was an honest mistake, you might be able to resolve the situation simply by asking for another payment.
Red Flags
Always use caution when accepting checks. If you know who you’re dealing with and they regularly make payments without a problem, you typically can accept checks with more confidence. If you don’t know who you’re dealing with, consider a wire transfer to your account instead, although you might have to reveal your account number. Be especially careful in the following situations:
You receive a check from somebody you don’t know.
A check is written for more than the amount you asked for.
A sender wants you to return excess money or send it to another business associate.
A check is from a foreign bank or otherwise suspicious entity.
A check came from somebody who is not local.
When in doubt, call the bank that the check is drawn on to see if you can get any information about the check and if it has cleared. Don’t call the number on a check since it may go to a scammer. Look up the bank’s number on the bank's official website and call that number instead.