RecordAceFromNew
Swinging Member
- Location
- West London
Just seen this thread in Cafe where everybody so far seems to think a seller insisting on cash only payment (i.e. NO Paypal) on a COLLECTION ONLY sales must be dodgy. I think such opinions indicate a difficult to avoid Paypal scam against sellers is not well known.
Put it this way, when I sell e.g. a bike on collection only basis (i.e. when I am not prepared to post) I WILL NOT accept Paypal and will only accept cash on collection. Paypal payments will be refunded - buyers can take it or leave it.
Otherwise, I would be exposed to a Paypal scam, in which "buyer" pays by Paypal, picks up bike either in person or by friend, raises dispute with ebay/Paypal saying seller would not let buyer pick up bike, Paypal refunds buyer, seller loses bike.
See this.
The challenge, when you sell goods on a collection basis, is how do you prove the particular buyer who paid by Paypal has picked up and has received the goods!? Even buyer showing IDs, taking photos, witnesses present etc. are not going to be conclusive, let alone easy. On the other hand, by only taking cash, the "buyer" can hardly say they have paid the cash in person but somehow never collected.
While the bike in the aforementioned thread could be stolen property, so could one payable by Paypal (and afaik all ebay sellers have to have Paypal accounts - so I am not sure if there is any lesser "credibility" with sellers insisting* on cash). However, given it is sold on a collection basis at least the seller is willing to let buyer see / examine it before paying - buyer has avoided running the risks of receiving a pile of junk through the post.
Admittedly by not paying by Paypal a buyer can lose some Paypal protection if the goods turn out to be faulty/dodgy, but the buyer gets to "kick the tyres" and check things out before paying, and can always insist on picking up from seller's work/home and not a public place.
Finally Paypal charges over 3% on sales proceeds, why would any sensible seller selling on a collection basis not insisting on cash?
On a separate subject, I must say I never thought, when I joined CC, that I would one day be posting my 2000th post!
* Ebay, which owns Paypal, makes it an automatic condition that Paypal is accepted in seller listings - hardly surprising given the fees on Paypal payments they would receive. This is appalling and scandalous, imho, given the above scamming possibility and their seemingly unwillingness to publicise and inability to combat it...
Put it this way, when I sell e.g. a bike on collection only basis (i.e. when I am not prepared to post) I WILL NOT accept Paypal and will only accept cash on collection. Paypal payments will be refunded - buyers can take it or leave it.
Otherwise, I would be exposed to a Paypal scam, in which "buyer" pays by Paypal, picks up bike either in person or by friend, raises dispute with ebay/Paypal saying seller would not let buyer pick up bike, Paypal refunds buyer, seller loses bike.
See this.
The challenge, when you sell goods on a collection basis, is how do you prove the particular buyer who paid by Paypal has picked up and has received the goods!? Even buyer showing IDs, taking photos, witnesses present etc. are not going to be conclusive, let alone easy. On the other hand, by only taking cash, the "buyer" can hardly say they have paid the cash in person but somehow never collected.
While the bike in the aforementioned thread could be stolen property, so could one payable by Paypal (and afaik all ebay sellers have to have Paypal accounts - so I am not sure if there is any lesser "credibility" with sellers insisting* on cash). However, given it is sold on a collection basis at least the seller is willing to let buyer see / examine it before paying - buyer has avoided running the risks of receiving a pile of junk through the post.
Admittedly by not paying by Paypal a buyer can lose some Paypal protection if the goods turn out to be faulty/dodgy, but the buyer gets to "kick the tyres" and check things out before paying, and can always insist on picking up from seller's work/home and not a public place.
Finally Paypal charges over 3% on sales proceeds, why would any sensible seller selling on a collection basis not insisting on cash?
On a separate subject, I must say I never thought, when I joined CC, that I would one day be posting my 2000th post!
* Ebay, which owns Paypal, makes it an automatic condition that Paypal is accepted in seller listings - hardly surprising given the fees on Paypal payments they would receive. This is appalling and scandalous, imho, given the above scamming possibility and their seemingly unwillingness to publicise and inability to combat it...
