Craigslist and paypal? Help!

[valshteinj]

Hi Tomshardware!

I am selling my computer on craigslist for 650 dollars. The person wants to see it in person and come to my house, which makes me nervous. However, I have been talking to the guy and he doesn't feel like a scammer. The main thing that I am nervous about is that he is buying the computer for his small company. As a result, he wanted to pay with a check. Naturally, I said I only accept cash. He explained that he can't pay with cash because the company won't reimburse him. I then suggested paypal, which he said he would look into. He got back to me today about how his paypal was linked with his company credit card. Is this a scam? Should I accept paypal? Thanks for any and all help.

 

[geofelt]

I would be very cautious.

It is reasonable for a buyer to inspect the goods and verify that it works.
But, I would not have anybody come to my house.

Try to find out the name of his company and what their address is.
If there is a real address or web site, then check it out.
Or, arrange to show him the pc at the local police station.

As to payment, Have him take the check to his bank or a check cashing store to be cashed.
Even a supposed cashier's check is no good.
You deposit it in your bank because it looks good, but weeks later, it turns bad and you are on the hook for it.

The more I think about it, it smells.

 

[valshteinj]

It definitely does. I said since you can't pay for the computer in cash, that I'm not interested. I offered to build him the computer and have him buy the parts. He hasnt responded. I have a feeling a made the right choice. Thanks mate!

I would be very cautious.

It is reasonable for a buyer to inspect the goods and verify that it works.
But, I would not have anybody come to my house.

Try to find out the name of his company and what their address is.
If there is a real address or web site, then check it out.
Or, arrange to show him the pc at the local police station.

As to payment, Have him take the check to his bank or a check cashing store to be cashed.
Even a supposed cashier's check is no good.
You deposit it in your bank because it looks good, but weeks later, it turns bad and you are on the hook for it.

The more I think about it, it smells.

 

[ssddx]

we have been selling on craigslist for several years now and have done quite a decent business there. generally we have no issues.

our safety methods are generally:

-ignore / report scam emails. generally these are easy to spot due to being cookie cutter in nature and never include phone numbers like we ask. they generally ask you to email them at a specific email address instead of using the randomized craiglsist mail feature.

-feel free to answer questions by regular email but do not give an address or phone number. if giving a location, keep it general. only give out an address by phone or text after you have spoken to the person and never by email.

-ask for phone number in the ad and you call them first not giving your phone number out first. this reduces your chances of spam calls from the various people who abuse craigslist.

-always talk to the person on the phone before they show up at your house. this lets you weed out weirdos and other unfortunates you do not want to deal with at your house.

-always have two people in attendance and always set up equipment not in your main house. if you are female, always have a male with you. always use a shed, basement, outside patio or similar. this keeps people away from seeing your valuables and gives you more safety having two people.

-if in doubt, meet in a public place

-only hold an item until an appointment the next day. no holding more than 24 hours or so without cash down.

our methods of payment are generally:

-cash only, no trades. cash is universal, untraceable and safe. while we are not completely against some trades generally the value they place on the item is more than it is worth to us so cash only is best.

-check or money order. if accepting check or money order we keep hold of the item until the check clears. once the money clears in the bank (normally up to a week) then they can pick the item up.

-paypal. in the case of deposits being required or people buying from a far location we have accepted paypal as a valid payment option. since we do not hold an item for more than a day normally due to no-shows this is a great way for people far away to either put a hold on an item with cash down or pay for an item completely.

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the part that smells is that he stated his paypal is linked to the company credit card. anyone knows that you can add or remove payment options from paypal so that statement is not true. i would likely avoid this based on that fallacy.

the part about needing to see it working in person is true. how can you expect anyone to buy an item without seeing it work? this of course does not need to be in your own home but does need to be set up so as to work perfectly.

as for accepting check from a small business, we have came across such establishments. its not always a bad thing if you let it clear before pickup. accepting a check blindly on the spot and letting them take the goods with them however is not suggested. always wait for clearing.

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craigslist doesnt have to be a scary place if you are safe about it.