I posted a WTB post and received a private message from a prospective seller registered in April 2019 with no posts - after a very quick price negotiation via private email we moved to payment. I asked for the seller paypal information and received a response that requested we use friends and family, and the seller asked me to confirm this would be suitable - and then they would send me the information needed to use friends and family (I’ve used f&f before and nothing was needed beyond the same email). I declined and offered to pay the transaction fee as well to use “normal” paypal. The seller replied they only wanted to use friends and family and want to ship it tomorrow (I guess to make me hurry up?)…I told the seller I was no longer interested and did not receive a response.
Anyway, just reporting my incident for the common good - be careful out there. I have been buying and selling on this board for more than 15 years with no issues and this is the first time it has even felt weird…
That is odd. I ask that buyers use f/f or pay the 3%ish fee. If they want to pay the fee–as I often do when I buy—I have no issue with that, and I can’t think of a legitimate reason to decline a transaction if the buyer is willing to pick up the fee.
I’ve heard of some sellers who had issues with paypal determining that they were a business and needed to pay tax on their earnings or something…maybe this person is trying to avoid that? Or maybe they had bad experiences with people who were overly picky about what they purchased and filed claims to get refunded…
i have had a similar experience where the seller responded to my WTB and would only take paypal F & F. from what i gather, these are mostly scammers. they will not ship your item and nor will you get your money back.
Anymore I never do F&F, even though I have done it a handful of times in the past.
When I sell on here, I invoice the buyer via paypal and that automatically includes the 3% and buyer/seller protection.
Same experience in April. Guy went so far as to send photos of the product I wanted. I’ve used F&F, but usually just spend the 3% for protection on larger priced items. Also the person I dealt with had a new account with zero post, just a private message to me.
Same experience in April. Guy went so far as to send photos of the product I wanted. I’ve used F&F, but usually just spend the 3% for protection on larger priced items. Also the person I dealt with had a new account with zero post, just a private message to me.
M1nion tried to screw me. He sent photos he stole off of an old ebay listing, want F&F payment from Paypal. Would not take the bike to a local Bike shop for shipping.
Yeah it is a scam. I have posted two WTB posts and had a quick response with the same vague message somewhere along the lines “message me if interested” I could tell right away it was a scam. Never do FF if you can help it.
I’ve never been scammed thankfully. But I know people who have been (as both buyers and sellers).
If you do F&F, the buyer cannot file a charge-back, which is why scammers like it. If you do “normal” PayPal the buyer can file charge backs.
But on the flip side, if you do “normal” PayPal, the buyer can file a fraudulent charge back. I know a guy from a watch forum who sold a watch. The buyer received it. Then filed a charge back and said the box was empty upon receipt. Paypal generally sides with the buyer in these scenarios. My buddy ultimately got his money by filing a claim with UPS, but not without many hours of hassle.
So… either way, it’s possible to get screwed.
Lessons for me: dealing in person on high value items is always best.
If buyer: Insist on “normal” paypal.
If seller: Make sure you fully insure your shipment. Last time I sold something high value (a watch), I even took photos of the package just to be safe.
Both buyers and sellers: do your homework.