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Buyer, Sellers question
O.k. heres the dilema. There was a post on the For Sale board not too long ago for a rod that I want. We have agreed on a price, shipping and that sort of thing. We made a gentlemans agreement that he would send me the rod for a few days to look it over and test cast it. If all is well I send him the funds for the rod via cashiers check. He has changed his mind and I really dont blame him. I wouldnt be able to send out one of my rods with out some kind of hesitation either.
For those of you people that make purchases over the internet freuquently is there some other kind of method other than paypal.
Thanks,
Seege
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I have sold quite a few dirt bike related items on dirt bike websites. I always had the $$ come to me first, then I sent the item. I was well-known on the sites and had a good reputation for selling things honestly.
Other than that, that is about all I have for you. When it somes down to it, it's a matter of trust any way you do it.
I have been lucky but then again dirt bikers are some very honest people.
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Seege,
It's all a matter of trust.
If you don't trust that you'll get your money's worth, then don't do the deal.
If you don't know the seller, and can't trust that the goods will be sent to you as promised, then don't do the deal.
If he can't trust that you'll send him his money, then he shouldn't do the deal (which is what it sounds like occurred).
For folks involved in selling things for a living, we can set up to take credit card numbers for long distance purchases. Built in recourse for the buyer if he's unhappy, just call the CC company. Built in safety for the seller, he doesn't have to ship until the funds have paid.
PayPal is a method that allows those with a small business, too small to justify their own CC account, to allow buyers to use their cards to make purchases, again with given assurances of accountability to both parties.
When it gets dicey is situations like yours. You WANT the stuff, but you don't really 'know' the guy, he's a long way off, and if you get 'stiffed' any recourse you might have is too much trouble. He's in the same boat, he doesn't really know you, worries that if he sends the rod without payment in advance and he gets the 'stiffing' he's also without viable recourse.
Tough decision.
In your case, I'd just forget about trying to buy in this manner, and get the stuff either locally or from a reputable mail order dealer.
Unless, of course, you trust the guy....
Buddy
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I like the use of USPS money orders, most scammers are aware that misuse of them in a transaction can lead to FEDERAL charges of fraud. I've made a lot of transactions to complete strangers: $ first, 2-3 days inspection once delivered, never had a problem.
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This rod is a classic and will probably not be found in this condition again. We have actually talked on the phone, and my mind was put at ease some what by our conversation. I will contacted him again and we will figure something out.
Thanks,
Seege
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ditto on grn's comments. use a trackable source of payment (money order, cashier's check etc.). it is standard and in fact a "rule" on other forums that the buyer has an inspection period where he can reject the item if needed and receive a full refund. i'd work that out with your seller and make sure he/she understands that you want the right to return the item if you aren't satisfied.
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I'm not so sure about the USPS money order creating any kind of safety net for you. The one time I have been scammed for a significant amount was when I sent a USPS money order as payment for a high end fly reel. The crook took my money along with several other peoples money and we never heard from him again. When I contacted the USPS and asked how a person other than the person named on the money order could cash it, they said that they are not required to check ID and if someone comes in with a valid USPS money order that has been endorsed, they cash it no questions asked. That's why I prefer PayPal even if I have to pay a small amount to use the service if I am accepting payment for an item.
Jim Smith
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I'd second (or third or whatever) the use of PayPal. This is kinda what they do. If the seller objects to the fees, maybe the buyer can put something towards that. The fees aren't so high that you'd hang the deal on that.
On the other hand, if the seller has problems with PayPal, maybe it's because the seller has problems. I'd be concerned that if he doesn't like PayPal it's because PayPal cut him off. I don't want to deal with somebody like that.
It ain't perfect, but it's the best you can do when dealing with absolute strangers. At least on the auction sites there is feedback so the participants have some kind of public track record. But with the classifieds, there's a certain element of risk. If you want the item bad enough, you do what you can, but in the end, you just have to hope the other guy is honest.
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Problem with PayPal is it isn't something that a one time seller will be interested in.
Folks who do this for a business, sure, but if some guy just has a rod he wants to sell, it's not in his interests to set up a PayPal account for just one transaction.
Thus the issue.
Buddy
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There is a scoring system on ebay. It compares your successful purchases and sales with a feedback system between buyers and sellers. You are then given a percentage score which is known as your reputation.
Some people have made a very large number of successful purchases on ebay and thus have a good reputation for doing business.
I am influenced by a good rep score. You do have to be careful that their ebay rep hasn't been manufactured by their friends tho. I consider anyone with more than 200 transactions and a score of 96% or more to be fairly safe. I always check their negative feedbacks to help in my decision to deal with them or not.
I am also influenced by how many posts they have made on this website. As far as i'm concerned a good reputation with the members on this website is as good as gold until proven otherwise. It is quite easy to click on the members online name then check all their posts and get a real sense of their character.