Classified scammer problem in here?
 

Are the Classifieds being perpetrated by higher than normal scammers as of lately? I'm trying to sell something and it seems like everybody wants to send money with Paypal.
When I question that method and give alternatives that are both safer and cheaper, they ghost me. I've already had several incidents in the past with Paypal and lost enough
money not want to use Paypal any more.

I certainly don't trust Paypal and even more when somebody is new in here and comes in to buy from the Classified with no or low post count.The transactions in here are soley based
on a mutual trust for seller and buyer since it is all being done off an official purchasing site like Ebay with a little bit of protection.

I always offer any info needed to ensure I am safe to deal with. I am willing to offer that in the form of giving any personal info including proof of having other accounts on other
websites with classifieds that I use(all with 100% positive feedback), home address, personal business number used for the last 20+ years, Ebay account info, or anything to make the
buyer at ease since I am not just sending this out until I am paid.

Am I just being too cautious?

Classified scammer problem in here?
 

PayPal is the de facto internet currency. I've never NOT used PayPal for anything on a forum classifieds section. It has both buyer and seller protection, so not sure why you don't trust it. Forum posts and PMs leave a paper trail if there's a dispute, which you'd file with PayPal.

^what he said. honestly, i don't know what other service i could even use online. i feel doing a bank transfer is shaky at best, mailing a check is also shady...

i suspect they ghost you because they don't know what else they can do.

Maybe Paypal has fixed issues from the past. This is going back like 20+years ago but...
First issue I bought a $200 lens and it wasn't as described so I immediately sent it back to exactly where it came from, a camera shop in NY city. They received it and even signed for it.
Then somehow said they never did get it even though it was signed for in the end, I got screwed out of the money from Paypal for that after they somehow convinced all parties involved (that make decisions on what happened and what to do to fix it) that they never got the lens back. Still don't know how they pulled that one off.
Then I sent a camera to a buyer on Ebay and they used Paypal to send the money. I received the money, transferred it from Paypal to my bank account and sent the camera. Then a few days(4-5) later Paypal says the card used for Paypal to buy the camera was a stolen card and they want the money back. Well I already sent the camera to scammer person who had all the needed info to send it so...too bad, it's my money now.
I stopped using Paypal after that for like 15 years until a couple years ago on some small purchases on Ebay to test if my Paypal was still working. They must have forgot the whole thing or just wrote it off because they didn't try getting the money from me even though they were the ones who fell for the scam which prompted me to send off the camera.

So anyway... I have an app in my Bank of America phone called Zelle that is basically a transfer from anybody to me with no fees involved. They way I look at it, if I give everything available to ensure I am safe to sell or buy from, I wait til I receive funds and then send the item. It works with gun parts so it should work with car parts. In fact, last item I sold a couple weeks ago was a money order to me and then after cashing it to make sure it's for real, I send the gun part. If the buyer and seller trust each other then something like Zelle is perfectly fine. I'm sure there has to be other applications similar to Zelle out there. I mean what has Paypal been around for , like 30 years. SOmebody has had to figure out how to do it better without charging high fees. I also don't trust a check or money order much either but if they are cashed and money is in hand, then they are fine to me.

As I said maybe Paypal is better at doing the job they are supposed to do and are better at arbitrating a scenario like I went through in the past with scammers. I just don't want to send off the item and midway or after it being shipped, I get a notification that I don't get to keep the funds for the purchase. I guess filing the box with the item in it being taped shut at the counter of UPS and them taking it and walking out of the building would suffice but I don't trust anybody unless they give all the same info I give. I figure, if I am willing to pretty much give every possible way I've conducted business on the internet and it's all positive and also give my personal business info that I've owned and rely on to make a living for 20+ years that mainly relies on my reputation, then the buyer should feel safe with sending the money first and preferably in a way that they can't play any funny games like do a chargeback after the item is sent.

You're just being paranoid. If shipping is involved, Paypal is the only option I'd consider. In person - cash or e-transfer.

paypal sucks, but it is generally the only thing most people will use.

FYI, every time you use any form of card payment, there's a fee charged to the merchant that's associated with it. I hope you know this.


The fee that paypal charges is 3% to protect the buyer/seller.


Once with zelle, if you sent it out and let's say something gets lost during shipment or someone just straight up scams you, your bank won't approve any claims on that (Zelle/Cash app/Venmo)

So pretty much exactly what happened with Paypal then. Paypal doesn't care about much except the money they get during the transaction, they aren't much of an arbitrator. Losing almost $1K using their service in the past taught me that already.

If Zelle is used, the money can't be taken back by a scammer once they approve the transaction. UPS/Fedex/DHL/USPS all have insurance to cover lost/damaged shipments so that's not even an issue.
Not to get deeper into how they suck and this is just anecdotal but my stepfather sells custom built machinery online and has dealt with the same situations with Paypal also. That's why whenever I sell something I make sure funds have cleared and are in my hand in the form of cash after which ever method was used.

It might be not such a 50/50 situation, and I'm repeating myself here but, giving so much personal information out kind of ensures that I will hold up my end of the bargaining. I guess since I am not ever the one actually buying from somebody else and the one who would be giving the money over first, I haven't seen an issue with how I've conducted online transactions which is send money then send item after funds are cleared. I never have bought anything used online and never will. If I want something, I will always wait til I can afford it new or I don't buy.

Any way, I decided to try Paypal this go around and see what transpires. If this goes sour then I guess I'll stop using Paypal for another 20 years and see if they can get it right after that.

Sad world.
My son just bought a screen cover from Whitestone for his new S10. Never got it. Whitestone said the post office said they left it on the porch so it was my sons fault and he had to file a claim, post office says it was delivered so he has to prove he did not get it and all of the shipping info needs to be supplied. Paypal says not their problem.
When we shipped we were responsible if not delivered.
Every one is passing the buck.

Yeah, I figured I am going to pull out my phone when I'm at the shipper and film it in the box, being taped shut, them puting the label on it and me walking out the door to cover myself. Once it's in their hands, then it's covered by the shippers insurance if lost/stolen. That's why I make sure to put the actual value of the transaction's item if it comes down to that. If the item is $400 new and I put a value of $200 since it's used, if it comes to getting back money if lost/stolen, I would think they'd just pay the $200 and be happy with that. For myself in receiving items, having cameras covering the whole front of the house insures nobody can play the " I left it at the front door game" with me. It would either be filmed dropped off or being stolen off the porch so no funny games.

The ironic part is that Paypal is the preferred method of buying because it tends to protect the buyer more than the seller. Many of the guys that disappeared when you said you wouldn't take Paypal were probably scared off because they thought YOU were scamming.

It is unfortunate but the post office is not required to ensure that a parcel sent by general mail get's into your hands but just to the address. I always pay the bit extra to ensure that a signature is required since this forces them to actually meet a person. Any parcel sent general is not the problem of the seller, shipper nor Paypal since in all probability it was indeed stolen from the delivery point.

Actually it's incredibly easy to be scammed through Paypal. They favor the buyer in basically every transaction. Buyer files claim saying they were sent a box of rocks, sends picture of a box of rocks from their backyard, seller says that's not true the item was shipped, paypal closes in favor of the buyer because the seller didn't have any REAL proof of the item being shipped.

Sadly it happens all the time. I still use paypal because it's the commonly accepted way to do internet sales but it's far from safe for a seller.

I have one.. whitestone hasn't replied to my RMA request because I bought the wrong one. At this point I'm kind of over whitestone lol

"I am the scammer"!!!....

https://orlandoespinosa.files.wordpr...o-espinosa.gif


Maybe I did scare them off but, that's why I offered so much info so they could see that I wasn't. If I gave all my online accounts where I sell items including here and they are all 100% positive along with any personal info that included my own business info, I thought that would put anybody at ease. Pretty sure I have a buyer now though after I initially scared everybody off.