Rick Haywood Posted October 25, 2015 #1 Posted October 25, 2015 I sold a trailer on ebay on a buy it now listing doe $700. The guy who bought it never asked me any questions about the trailer but paid for it it full when all that was required was a $200 deposit. Now here is my concern: he has never bought anything on ebay according to his rating of 0 feedback and 0 purchases/ I checked my paypal account and the money is there but it says I might not be able to collect it for 20 days. anything I have ever sold the money was available right then. Has anyone ever seen this? should I worry, is there anyway he can pickup the trailer and then scam me? Just being cautious or should I wory Thanks Rick
eagleeye Posted October 25, 2015 #2 Posted October 25, 2015 It sounds very fishy to me, however, you still have the trailer, and I'm sure won't let him take it without being paid in full. Good luck. It will be interesting to see if anyone has experienced this 20 day delay too.
Freebird Posted October 25, 2015 #3 Posted October 25, 2015 Rick, It could be a scam but not necessarily. It happens if somebody doesn't have a PayPal account or has one but doesn't have enough money in it and has to transfer money from their bank account. It even happens here if somebody uses PayPal to pay for their membership but doesn't have a PayPal account. If they use and electronic check through PayPal, there is a hold put on the funds until it clears. I get an email saying that I have received a payment but tells warns me that I should not ship anything until the funds clear.
slowrollwv Posted October 25, 2015 #4 Posted October 25, 2015 Rick I use paypal a lot and have seen this happen. When I get a message from paypal for that reason, I will send an email telling the person that I can not ship it till the funds clear the account.
Condor Posted October 25, 2015 #5 Posted October 25, 2015 Notify the buyer and wait the 20 days, and don't release the trailer until then. I've had this happen in the past, but usually for 7-10 days. Generally I send the buyer a note explaining that they will need to redo the payment if they want me to ship, or pick up the item sooner....
Flyinfool Posted October 25, 2015 #6 Posted October 25, 2015 There is still a possibility of a scam here. But then every ebayer had to make a first purchase, Its just not normally a big ticket item. I am not sure if it is the same since ebay and PP split. But the delay was in place so that if an item was not as advertised the buyer could get a refund. It is used for sellers that do not have a lot of recent feedback. The way the scam works is someone buys your item, as soon as they have it home the file a PP dispute claiming "not as advertised" or in your case if you do not get good paperwork at transfer they claim to have never received it. It is normally the delivery conformation from UPS or what ever the shipper is as proof of delivery. at which point PP will pull the funds from your account and give it back to the buyer. all the buyer has to do is to ship you an empty box that will have delivery conformation and they now are the "legal" owner of a free trailer, and you got nothing. I got burned on this exact scam once, fortunately it was only $35 involved but it has very much heightened my scam filters. IF this buyer is also a new ebay account less than a month old, be very careful. If you want more of the gory details and possible safeguards feel free to call me. Number is in my profile. You may want to contact both ebay and PP with your concerns and see if they have any suggestions.
Great White Posted October 25, 2015 #7 Posted October 25, 2015 ... all the buyer has to do is to ship you an empty box that will have delivery conformation and they now are the "legal" owner of a free trailer, and you got nothing... Holy crap that's sneaky and dishonest! Maybe it's just something in me or the way I was raised, but I would have never thought of anything like that. I've never sold anything on eBay but have thought of trying it. That kind of story makes me not want to ever try. I just can't fathom someone being so dishonest as to even try that....
Flyinfool Posted October 25, 2015 #8 Posted October 25, 2015 I have the unopened empty box to prove it does happen. I just now take steps to protect myself. If you are buying or selling to someone with good feedback over several years you can expect a smooth transaction. Many sellers of bigger items put in a note that first time buyers must contact the seller before bidding, at which point it will be explained it is COD with green folding money only. Modern printers and scanners can make cashiers checks and USPS money orders that are very convincing. In Ricks case. I would contact the buyer and explain that Rick will refund the PP and accept cash at pickup with the buyer having the option of backing out of the deal if the trailer is not as described. I would also explain that for both parties safety the transaction will conducted in the parking lot of the local police dept. A scammer or a thief will not show up. There are a lot of crooks out there, fortunately they are still a small minority.
cowpuc Posted October 25, 2015 #9 Posted October 25, 2015 All this is part of the reason why it's normal practice for me to only take a small amount of the payment (a down payment) thru Paypal. Just to easy to get scammed. I too would strongly recommend handling the transaction just like you would if the guy had written you a check Rick. The old gotta wait till the check clears routine. I too have been an Ebayer for many years and gotta say, it is amazing how the ratio of scammers to good guys has changed thru the years. Lots of relists on Ebay due to things like your dealing with. Hope it all works out Rick, be patient - dont ship or release anything until its paid for and you should be fine..
Beach Bum Posted October 25, 2015 #10 Posted October 25, 2015 I always use the Buyers Restrictions when listing on eBay. Let's you filter out anyone who's had failure to pay, bad feedback, cases opened against them, and also folks who have less than a certain number of transactions. You can also state in your ad that "if you have less than __" feedback score to contact you prior to bidding. There are automatic safeguards and ones you can put in place yourself. That said, I had one failure to pay (on a bike) and also sold a bike to a guy in Japan with no issues. I use the safeguards because if the only buyers I'm attracting are the scumbags, I need to reevaluate my listing.
camos Posted October 26, 2015 #11 Posted October 26, 2015 Holy crap that's sneaky and dishonest! Maybe it's just something in me or the way I was raised, but I would have never thought of anything like that. I've never sold anything on eBay but have thought of trying it. That kind of story makes me not want to ever try. I just can't fathom someone being so dishonest as to even try that....This is not eBay but kinda follows your thoughts. Was chatting with one of the workers when I was getting my house renovated. He told me about a contractor he worked for who would install insulation in the walls, get it inspected then overnight, remove the insulation and cover with wallboard. The guy I was chatting with quit the job, good for him, but it goes to show there are lots of sleazy people around who will do almost anything to steal a buck.
Great White Posted October 26, 2015 #12 Posted October 26, 2015 This is not eBay but kinda follows your thoughts. Was chatting with one of the workers when I was getting my house renovated. He told me about a contractor he worked for who would install insulation in the walls, get it inspected then overnight, remove the insulation and cover with wallboard. The guy I was chatting with quit the job, good for him, but it goes to show there are lots of sleazy people around who will do almost anything to steal a buck. I don't know how people like this live with themselves. Something is just broken inside them if their conscience doesn't just drive them insane....
Hummingbird Posted October 26, 2015 #13 Posted October 26, 2015 The good thing about PayPal is their record keeping. If they say the money isn't there - then you are not obgligated to ship/hand over anything. When the money shows up, they will send you an email - then and only then would I take any action or release anything to the buyer. You are obligated to inform the buyer of your intentions. Good Luck, sounds fishy to me
Condor Posted October 26, 2015 #14 Posted October 26, 2015 I haven't sold anything on eBay lately, but when I did I wouldn't except a bid from anyone with a less than 5 feedback unless they contacted me first. I'd delete any bids that didn't meet the 5. Once in a while I'd get a bidder who would contact me with enough personal info, and I would allow them to bid.
WildBill1 Posted October 26, 2015 #15 Posted October 26, 2015 Anything I buy on EBay my paypal is set to pay 14 days after shipping date. Did this to protect my purchases from misrepresentation.
Flyinfool Posted October 31, 2015 #16 Posted October 31, 2015 So @Rick Haywood, Did the trailer deal go thru?
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