Buyer on ebay from China wants to pay by cash

Geneticdeviant100

Dear all,

Need of some advice. We sold an antique Chinese pewter teapot, which belongs to my mother, to our great shock, for $20,100 on the ebay.com 3 months ago. We never expected that amount of money for it. The buyer was from Shanghau, China. Hedid not want to pay by paypal as it only covers up to $10,000. He did asked if he could pay by credit card, which we refused, since as we were private sellers we did not have those facilities. We decided not to go further with the transaction and never heard back from him until early May by email stating that he and his assistant we pick up the item from us in the UK and pay us for it then.

Due to what was claimed as Visa delays, it is purported that they arrived in the UK yesterday. However it seems that it was only the purchasers assistant who has arrived and not the purchaser himself (stating he was very busy). She texted me that I should come to a London underground station asap (even though I lived 70 miles from London), and exchange the teapot in exchange for cash payment in pound sterling. I became suspicious, and on advice of a friend who is a lawyer, we refused the cash payment. We stated that a banker's draft deposited in a bank infront of her in my hometown, and in front of witness was better, due to anti money laundering regulations regarding cash payments of this size etc. She refused this and stated that she did not have time to come to my hometown, and would only pay in public outside an underground station.

I am little bit worried about all this and don't know what to do?

Thanks!

soolin

Be careful, take advice from a solicitor. Selling artifacts to the Chinese has some political implications as the people who sold that 53 million pound vase found out.

RFW

I've no reason to believe this is not genuine, but several questions sprang to mind, if you got to $20,000 and hadn't been paid, why wait 3 months and not try to sell again?

Someone was willing to travel from Shanghai to London to collect a vase, but not travel another 70 miles to pay for it? It all sounds very suspect on so many levels.

Given that it sold for $20,000 and taking that it (and the story) is genuine, I would suggest going to one of the major auction houses and selling it through them, they would get it to the right buyers and pay without any problems.

Geneticdeviant100

Hi,

We have the address and telephone numbers for the purchaser in Shanghai. I have traced the address to a four star hotel in Shanghai which has the same name as the owner's surname. Just as we were about to cancel the transaction and contact an auction house about it, the buyer stated he was going to the UK to pick it up. They stated that they were a collector of Chinese Yixing teapots, and buy for Museums. Shanghai is city with many wealthy citizens. We genuinely have no reason that they were not genuine (the cost of sending this item to Shanghai was £600) until yesterday.

Geneticdeviant100

As advised by my lawyer friend (barrister) we told ebay about it through ebay chat. Ebay did not take much notice of it and told us to speak to the buyer to find a solution in an amicable way

RFW

Geneticdeviant100 wrote: »

As advised by my lawyer friend (barrister) we told ebay about it through ebay chat. Ebay did not take much notice of it and told us to speak to the buyer to find a solution in an amicable way

After 3+ months it is probably out of Ebay's hands anyway, did you cancel the transaction previously?

d.ross_2

Ebay's final value fees must have been huge. I hope you did cancel the transaction.

RFW

d.ross wrote: »

Ebay's final value fees must have been huge. I hope you did cancel the transaction.

They have a maximum final value fee, £40 in the UK. Looks like it's $100 in the US.

Geneticdeviant100

No! I waited a month before we were going to cancel the transaction, as there was quite a lot of communication regarding delivery cost, then on the 02/05/2011 the buyer wrote he was planning to come to the UK at the end of May (delayed apparently due to receiving a Visa), but he didn't say specifically for this. They told us that he wanted the teapot badly. In a message today she stated her boss set her heart on it. I thought he was genuine, hope I haven't been too trusting (because of the thought that some Chinese citizens were becoming wealthier and of his reputed background).

Geneticdeviant100

The final value feed was only around £40.

Geneticdeviant100

Sorry I mean't fee not feed.