eBay - potential buyer asked to pay by cheque

Debt_free_soon_2

Hi,

As the title suggests I have received a message from a potential buyer on eBay. They asked if they could pay by cheque for a BIN item.
They have sent 3 messages during the course of the day, and asking where to post the cheque to. They have 100% feedback and a 'score' of 454 I was surprised, as everyone seems to have Paypal these days and with so much feedback you would think they used Paypal.

If I was to agree, I obviously wouldn't post the item until the cheque had cleared.
Could this be a scam, or are they just "old school" still using a cheque book!

Thanks for reading:)

ballisticbrian

I've even had, "I'll get my uncle to write to you because he doesn't have a computer" and a two page letter come through the post two days later written in old ink calligraphic writing asking about the items I have for sale. All genuine.

soolin

As long as cheque is cleared on day 6 it is perfectly safe.

Debt_free_soon_2

Thank you for taking the time to reply, it was a new one on me so thought I'd better check.

Glad to hear the art of letter writing hasn't died!

jonesMUFCforever

Debt_free_soon wrote: »

Hi,

As the title suggests I have received a message from a potential buyer on eBay. They asked if they could pay by cheque for a BIN item.
They have sent 3 messages during the course of the day, and asking where to post the cheque to. They have 100% feedback and a 'score' of 454 I was surprised, as everyone seems to have Paypal these days and with so much feedback you would think they used Paypal.

If I was to agree, I obviously wouldn't post the item until the cheque had cleared.
Could this be a scam, or are they just "old school" still using a cheque book!

Thanks for reading:)

If you conclude the deal outside of paypal you lose all of eBay's protection.
Just for one moment think if a fraudster had taken over somebody's account - had an elderly relative or someone they knew and stole a cheque out of their book - sent it to you - they may not find out until perhaps 2 months down the road - what do you think will happen?
The worst case scenario is that they will try to debit it back to your account.
Be safe if they do not use Paypal - walk away.

soolin

jonesMUFCforever wrote: »

If you conclude the deal outside of paypal you lose all of eBay's protection.
Just for one moment think if a fraudster had taken over somebody's account - had an elderly relative or someone they knew and stole a cheque out of their book - sent it to you - they may not find out until perhaps 2 months down the road - what do you think will happen?
The worst case scenario is that they will try to debit it back to your account.
Be safe if they do not use Paypal - walk away.

I'm not sure if you have misread the OP or have responded to wrong post, but the OP is the seller. As such he doesn't lose any eBay protection, as he has none. It would be the buyer who loses PayPal protection .

As for a fraudulent cheque, I think you might want to update your knowledge of cheques. They now follow the 2-4-6 rule so as long as it clears on day 6 it is safe, it cannot be recalled. For a seller PayPal is much more dangerous than a cheque, especially since a claim for fraudulent use of a card can be undertaken for 180 days from purchase.

I like PayPal, I really do and for smaller sales would prefer it to all the messing about with a Cheque, despite the fees, however I do not for one moment believe as a seller that I am safe in using PayPal , I am much safer accepting a cheque.

soolin

The 246 rule (which came into force in 2007)

http://www.chequeandcredit.co.uk/cheque_and_credit_clearing/cheque_clearing_timescales_(2-4-6)/

George_Michael

jonesMUFCforever wrote: »

Be safe if they do not use Paypal - walk away.

Provided you have waited 6 full working days from paying in the cheque to sending the goods then accepting payment by cheque is far safer than accepting a paypal payment.

kurgon

soolin wrote: »

The 246 rule (which came into force in 2007)

http://www.chequeandcredit.co.uk/cheque_and_credit_clearing/cheque_clearing_timescales_(2-4-6)/

Hi


This isn't correct;


A cheque may be returned later than day 5 if it is found to be fraudulent. For instance if a fraudster has bought goods using a stolen cheque, the genuine owner may not discover until sometime after the goods have been exchanged that money is missing from their account. In this case, the money that has been paid into the seller's account belongs to the genuine cheque owner and could be withdrawn once the fraud is discovered. If you accept a cheque that subsequently turns out to be fraudulent, you may be required to return the funds. See the section below for tips on Avoiding Cheque Fraud.

soolin

kurgon wrote: »

Hi


This isn't correct;


A cheque may be returned later than day 5 if it is found to be fraudulent. For instance if a fraudster has bought goods using a stolen cheque, the genuine owner may not discover until sometime after the goods have been exchanged that money is missing from their account. In this case, the money that has been paid into the seller's account belongs to the genuine cheque owner and could be withdrawn once the fraud is discovered. If you accept a cheque that subsequently turns out to be fraudulent, you may be required to return the funds. See the section below for tips on Avoiding Cheque Fraud.

Have you got a link to that for private buyers please as the 246 rule was meant to give confidence back to private users as in the past cheques could be withdrawn if fraud was proved .

This bit here:

http://www.chequeandcredit.co.uk/cheque_and_credit_clearing/cheque_clearing_timescales_(2-4-6)/benefits_for_consumers/

states

Benefits for consumers

When you pay in a cheque these changes help provide clarity on:

When your account will start to earn interest on the money or when any overdraft will be reduced
When you will be able to withdraw the money..
When money has safely cleared with no chance of it being reclaimed
Without your consent, unless you are a knowing party to fraud.

shaun_from_Africa

kurgon wrote: »

Hi


This isn't correct;


A cheque may be returned later than day 5 if it is found to be fraudulent. For instance if a fraudster has bought goods using a stolen cheque, the genuine owner may not discover until sometime after the goods have been exchanged that money is missing from their account. In this case, the money that has been paid into the seller's account belongs to the genuine cheque owner and could be withdrawn once the fraud is discovered. If you accept a cheque that subsequently turns out to be fraudulent, you may be required to return the funds. See the section below for tips on Avoiding Cheque Fraud.

That is taken from websites that are using extremely old and incorrect information.
http://payontime.co.uk/cheques-and-cheque-clearing/cheques-and-the-cheque-clearing-system (1998 info, long before the 2-4-6 rule)
It used to be a cheque cleared on day 5 (as stated in the info above) but could still bounce after this time.

As Soolin rightly states, once the 2-4-6 rule came into being, the only 2 ways that money can be taken back after day 6 is if the payee agrees or it can be proven that they were knowingly involved in fraud relating to the cheque payment.