You will not see these types of scams sending you money through Western Union or PayPal, as those are scam-proof. PayPal protects you as a buyer, but Western Union does not, so don’t use it to send anyone money unless you know them. Cashiers checks are easily forged, so do not accept them unless they’re drawn on a local bank where you can go and verify the authenticity of the check.
If you pay for an item using PayPal don’t use the friends and family option, has less fees but doesn’t offer protection
@Rookie said:
"Friend recently had same experience selling an appliance on CList. Buyer within minutes of posting; sending certified check for more than amount; was to give excess cash to “agent” who would pick up item. "
If the buyer has an agent, the agent can bring the cash. Money (cash) talks BS walks.
What about mailable items offered on the classifieds here, where the prospective purchaser lives in another state or city?
I have sold small and ship-able stuff from here. I have taken personal check with no issues and PayPal for payment. Boats are in person and for cash.
Google “Craigslist Paypal scam.” I posted a vehicle for sale on Craigslist, and within an hour I got an e-mail from a guy who was willing to pay my full asking price for the vehicle, but couldn’t come inspect it because he was in the military in a remote posting, and he wanted to pay via Paypal, and if I didn’t have a Paypal account he’d tell me how to set one up, etc. etc. etc. It was like he had Googled “Craigslist Paypal scam” and thought “Hey, I can do that!” I blew him off, and ended up selling the vehicle within a couple of days to a local buyer who inspected the vehicle and had me come to his bank, where a loan officer handed me a check.
The bottom line on Craigslist is, only do cash and carry transactions with people you can meet face to face.
When I buy a boat, I pay with cash.
When I sell a boat, buyer pays in cash.
No checks, money orders, cashier’s checks, credit cards, Monopoly money, or Paypal.
If you agree on a price, then show up and want to bargain some more; you’ll soon be standing there, talking to yourself. I don’t need the money, and don’t let people waste my time.
Never been scammed yet.
BOB
It’s a shame that the perceptions of the various methods of payment are so misunderstood. It isn’t the method of payment that makes the scammer, its the criminal intention. I had a friend once that parted with a great boat, only to be left standing with a handful of exceptional but counterfeit $100 bills. Not to mention the folks you hear about in the news that show up to buy something with cash only to be robbed. Cash doesn’t make you immune from scammers, only common sense and diligence.
I have bought and sold a dozen or more kayaks via CL and in only one case did I get a scammer as described above.
All others were cash-in-hand. If I cannot hand over the cash, I cannot afford the boat. If they cannot do the same, I ask them to go to the bank and will happily tell them the nearest cash-machine. Even if my bank swears that the check I am accepting is valid and good and all… if a year later they find it was counterfit, “I” am liable for the amount on the check and any collection fees. So cash only either way!
BUT, I have never cheated or been cheated, though in one recent boat, the low price made me wonder if it was hot. I never found any ‘lost kayak’ ad and a trip down the Colorado in a windy-day showed me why it was so cheap… the rear hatch leaked… a lot!!! I had to remove, clean and reseat the hatch set to solve the problem.
@Andy said:
I have sold small and ship-able stuff from here. I have taken personal check with no issues and PayPal for payment. Boats are in person and for cash.
Thanks, Andy. Listing and selling small stuff here is what I’m interested in. No boats to sell; gave one away, loaned one to a relative and paddle the two I have.
Dealing in cash:
Meet in a very public place, get buyer’s driver’s license number, have them sign a bill of sale, make note of the buyers description, their vehicle’s description, and their vehicle’s license plate number. Buyer refuses to share information; get in you vehicle & leave.
If I’m the one bringing the cash; I’ll be bringing something else as well.
Know how to use it, have used it before & it won’t bother me to use it again.
Common sense & diligence bases covered.
BOB
@thebob.com said:
If I’m the one bringing the cash; I’ll be bringing something else as well.
Know how to use it, have used it before & it won’t bother me to use it again.BOB
Really not a good idea to make statements like this on a public forum, Bob. God forbid you should ever find yourself afoul of the law, its stuff like this that sneaky prosecutors use against you.
I’ve sold several to people at my house. Never considered worrying about it.
Whether I am buying or selling on CL, I can usually ferret out those folks I prefer not to do business with, regardless of how good a deal it may be. Not only potential scammers, but folks who might be more trouble than the transaction is worth. Much can be gleaned from the written word, especially personality and attitude, not only in CL but in forums such as this. It is Craig’s List after all, so you have to expect there will be no shows and counteroffers, as well as sellers that ‘embellish’ the condition of their item. But when I see verbiage in an ad or an inquiry to my ad that indicates a combative persona, suspicious intent or just doesn’t seem right, I just pass altogether; life is just too short.
When I meet people to buy or sell, it’s always in a very public place, like a restaurant, library, even a museum once. For large purchases, I don’t carry cash. I get a cashier’s check drawn on a local bank, so the seller can verify it if they want to. There is zero risk to them once the bank says it’s genuine (it’s their check and they have the record of it). Barring that, we’ll go to the bank together and I’ll get cash.
BTW, there is no such thing as “a year later they find it was counterfeit”; that’s nonsense.
Where you get into trouble is when you accept a cashier’s check from an out of state - or worse yet, out of the country - bank where it can be difficult to determine whether it’s genuine. If someone is offering to mail you a cashier’s check, that’s an immediate tip-off that it’s a scam. Nobody would do that with a **real **cashier’s check, as it’s as good as sending someone cash, and the seller could simply not send the merchandise, leaving the buyer with no recourse.
When it comes to buying and selling on Craigslist, you don’t need to be paranoid, you just need to be smart and informed.
While I’m sure it does not occur with a high percentage of frequency; I know for a fact that some people do send a cashiers check as payment for a purchase.
A few years ago, a book dealer/collector sent me a cashier’s check in the amount of $5,500.00 for a highly sought after/collectible book. I had a cashier at my bank call the buyers bank to confirm the cashiers check had recently been purchased by the book buyer & was strictly legit.
Would I send a cashier’s check as payment for anything?
NO!
As far as having to deal with a “sneaky” prosecutor, because you defended yourself and your personal property against strong arm robbery…I’m thinking that is highly unlikely.
I’d like for someone/anyone to verifty that they or someone/anyone they know ever got strong armed out of canoe purchase cash by a bogus seller.
BOB
It wouldn’t quite be like a purse snatching, would it?
@thebob.com said:
I’d like for someone/anyone to verifty that they or someone/anyone they know ever got strong armed out of canoe purchase cash by a bogus seller.
BOB
Just curious, if you consider it so unlikely, one has to ask: why
@thebob.com said:
“If I’m the one bringing the cash; I’ll be bringing something else as well.
Know how to use it, have used it before & it won’t bother me to use it again.”
BTW, there was a great news article a few days ago about police stations setting up safe-trade stations http://www.safetradestations.com/ for people to meet when using Craigslist or the many phone apps like Offer Up. I doubt that any scammers will agree to meet you there, regardless of the payment method.