Am I missing any red flags on this one?

coinpictures

Buyer located in South Africa contacts me and asks if I will ship there, as there are about 10 coins from my store he wishes to purchase. New Ebay member (December 19), only has a handful of feedback, but they are all coin purchases. Says he's willing to pay by Western Union Money Transfer rather than PayPal.

I can't think of any pitfalls once PayPal is removed from the loop. Am I missing anything?

FilamCoins

I've seen some Western Union scams run before. The way it works is that the buyer sends you an official looking WU confirmation or receipt that says that the money has been sent or that it is waiting for you to pick up. He then asks you to ship the coins. Of course, the receipt is bogus. Best way to avoid this, naturally, is not to ship until cash is in hand (literally). If he transfers funds to your online WU account, if you have one, wait until you transfer the money out safely into your own bank account. Unfortuantely, Africa is a haven for scams, more so than China in many ways.

coinpictures

The only time I used WU before was with a buyer in Russia. I picked up the cash at a local grocery store (I don't have a WU account). I would conceivably do the same thing this time, not shipping until cash is in hand.

sumnom

<< <i>I've seen some Western Union scams run before. The way it works is that the buyer sends you an official looking WU confirmation or receipt that says that the money has been sent or that it is waiting for you to pick up. He then asks you to ship the coins. Of course, the receipt is bogus. Best way to avoid this, naturally, is not to ship until cash is in hand (literally). If he transfers funds to your online WU account, if you have one, wait until you transfer the money out safely into your own bank account. Unfortuantely, Africa is a haven for scams, more so than China in many ways. >>



Is South Africa a problem in this regard?

wybrit

There was a South African who used to post here by the alias of Crownman (known by many as Conman and who resided in Taiwan at the time). He has had many short-lived ebay IDs over the years (eg zarcoins, vrcorporation) and has caused a lot of folks headaches. Although unlikely, take care that this potential buyer is not he.

cacheman

Did someone say 'crownman'?

lordmarcovan

I've shipped coins to South Africa at least once, with no problem.

However, I would insist on PayPal. I don't take Western Union. There are some WU scams, as Filamcoins mentioned.

But if you're not shipping until the money's in hand and safely ensconced in your own bank account, there's probably nothing wrong with that.

One cannot put South Africa in the same Third World scam-suspicious category as Nigeria and other countries. It's a modern, industrialized, developed nation, every bit as cosmopolitan as the US of A (and moreso than my particular rural corner of the USA, for sure).

SYRACUSIAN

You cannot insist on paypal, because PP stopped doing business in South Africa long time ago, period. Ironically, the reason were the multiple frauds.

Besides,WU heavy charges are on the buyer's side, you'll get paid the full amount in cash.He should ask his agent the exact amount of rands that he needs to pay, in order for you to receive the USD total at WU's exchange rates (another extra charge for him) plus comission. Not a single red flag IMO. Go cash the money as soon as he sends you the 10 digit transaction number, send him the coins and welcome a new customer.I've been using WU for over a decade, because you can send/receive money everywhere in the world in less than 10 mins. Unfortunately, I'm always the payee.

lordmarcovan

<< <i>You cannot insist on paypal, because PP stopped doing business in South Africa long time ago, period. >>

Hmm. I stand corrected. Didn't know about that.

I should rethink my stance about not accepting WU, then, perhaps?

Mostly I am resistant to it just because it's unfamiliar. I used to be resistant to PayPal until I finally was dragged onto that particular bandwagon, kicking and screaming all the way. If it hadn't been for a customer who strongly suggested I accept PayPal, I would've swum against the current far longer. Now I actually prefer it, because it simplifies things so much, particularly for overseas transactions and foreign exchange. I know there are PayPal haters out there (many with legitimate gripes), but aside from one annoying glitch a few years ago I have not had any problems with it.

Globalization can often be a good thing, as I see it. It sure helps the seller of Darkside coins.

Dan, if Dimitri says it's all good, I guess you should go for it. Let us know how it goes.

I've only been offered WU once, by our YN from Kuwait ("TheKidCollector1991"). Because I didn't know where my local WU branch was and it seemed such a pain, I finally told him to forget about it- I would just send him some of the stuff for free and forget the deal on the rest. Maybe I should've been more patient.

I'm such a creature of habit that I often have a knee-jerk resistance to unfamiliar things. I guess it's true what they say about old dogs and new tricks.

Daltonista

Fortunately, I'm batting two-for two as an eBay seller paid via WU transaction. The WU
agent nearby, my local grocery store manager, seemed a bit put out, however, when the first
one, for $1850, inconvenienced him somewhat. (I didn't want to take it in tens, fives,
and singles...can you imagine?)

LordM, I've been one of those PayPal haters, too, because of their fees. Another
seller suggested I just absorb the fee into "S&H"...seems to work just fine.

Happy New Year to all!
Tom

agentjim007

once you have the bucks in your paw how can there be a downside?