Bidder asking to pay in ways other than Paypal

Jay_dee7705

Hi there,

I've got a few old handsets on ebay. I've just received a message from the highest bidder on one of my items asking if he can pay without Paypal. Obviously I'm hoping he/she is legit but they only opened up the account they are using yesterday so has no feedback. As I'm new to selling on Ebay I'd prefer buyers to use Paypal. I haven't responded yet and I could do with some advice. What do you all think?

Any advice greatly appreciated

BW

JD

Kestrel

Pay Pal isn't always as good as they would have you believe! I love it when I get postal orders! What method of payment would he like to use?

lindseykim13

its them that will loose the paypal protection by paying another way so you've got nothing to worry about there. I'd ask how they want to pay, i accept cheques and postal orders.

pretzelnut

Not everyone has or wants a paypal account, you accepting payment by others means is fine for you its the buyer who is losing protection, people who pay by cheque are putting a lot of trust in you as there is no come back for them.

I accept cheques and postal orders, i use the postal orders to pay for the postage at the PO and cheques take no less time to clear than withdrawing money from paypal into your bank account.

The only time it does become an issue is when you are planning on using the money you expect to go into paypal to pay for things you have bought yourself.


(but as your new i will give you this piece of advice, if you get send a cheque for more money than the item is, and they say oops i sent you too much can you bank transfer the difference back to me RUN and run fast its a scam).

Jay_dee7705

Thanks for all of the info everyone.

They haven't actually said what method they'd like to use, but that is the next step I'll take, I'll respond and ask them.

Thanks again

Bw

JD

Kestrel

Personally I accept Pay Pal, postal order, cheque (always make sure they clear your account before you send the item!) or bank transfer. I DON'T accept Western Union/money gram type things - for starters it's against ebay rules and I've heard too many horror stories to risk it anyway. As you potential buyer is new that may be why they don't have a Pay Pal account - many new buyers don't feel confident enough to open one when they first start on ebay

Good luck with selling on ebay!.

Jay_dee7705

Thanks Kestrel!

I've only sold a few things on ebay and so far so good. But I'm still a bit nervous about it all.

soolin

If you only want to take paypal and that's what your auciton says then you are perfectly entitled to stick to that. Buyers don't dictate terms, sellers do.

However bank transfers are wonderful and save fees, but be a little careful with cheques. They take a full 6 working days to clear against fraud and by that time your buyer is already fed up with waiting and your stars may well suffer when it does arrive.

I'm virtually 100% paypal now as I sell, get paid, ship immediately and don't have to go to the bank, or wait for things to clear.

cyberbob

I only take paypal for 2 reasons. For starters due to where I live its not easy for me to get to the bank. Also excepting other methods slows up the process and could effect yor DSRs if the buyers aren't thinking properly