Gumtree

rufuschucklebutty

I sell a lot if stuff on Gumtree and often get asked if i can post items, the advice I had a couple of years ago was not to use PayPal and bank transfer only, is this still the safest way to receive payment ?

Petriix

It's totally stupid for anyone to buy anything from Gumtree remotely. It's a common scam to make entirely fictitious listings, take payment and then never send anything.

It's also reasonably common for people to pay for something via PayPal then claim to have never received it or make a fake return (sometimes posting an empty box) and open a dispute to get a refund.

Gumtree is great for buying stuff face to face. Never, ever remotely.

soolin

rufuschucklebutty said:

I sell a lot if stuff on Gumtree and often get asked if i can post items, the advice I had a couple of years ago was not to use PayPal and bank transfer only, is this still the safest way to receive payment ?

I don’t use gumtree but I do use Facebook marketplace and am happy to post. Asking for a bank transfer is usually a sign of a scam seller and I understand that on Gumtree buyers are told to avoid potentially scam sellers and to always insist on paying safely so you may have to consider PayPal. As with all online payments make sure you understand how to protect yourself , never allow someone to change the addr3s once paid, or to collect if using PayPal. If anyone makes you nervous, or you feel uneasy then walk away from the deal.

Having said all that despite offering PayPal I do get quite a lot of buyers who ask to use bank transfer, I’ve given up trying to explain the dangers and of course I treat them no differently to those people paying by PayPal. 

soolin

This is from the gumtree website
https://help.gumtree.com/s/payments-promotions?cat=Payments_on_Gumtree&article=Paying-for-Items-on-Gumtree


https://help.gumtree.com/s/safety?article=Safe-Payments&cat=Safely_Buying_Selling

photome

I have something for sale on gumtree at the mo. I am not a regular seller. Buyer wants me to post and has offered a fair price and wants to pay by PayPal. He seems genuine . I am tempted to ask for bank transfer but don’t want to put him off

soolin

photome said:

I have something for sale on gumtree at the mo. I am not a regular seller. Buyer wants me to post and has offered a fair price and wants to pay by PayPal. He seems genuine . I am tempted to ask for bank transfer but don’t want to put him off

Any sensible buyer would walk away from a seller who asks for bank transfer, but if it wasn’t something that you offered postage on then buyer might be willing to compromise in order to persuade you to post. 

rufuschucklebutty

I'm only selling items not buying , so I only need a money transfer that can't be scammed back , I'm not offering any returns, postage cover or anything its all their problem once it leaves me .  
So it looks like bank transfer is still safe, I just look on my banking app to check its in my account and I'm good to go ?

soolin

rufuschucklebutty said:

I'm only selling items not buying , so I only need a money transfer that can't be scammed back , I'm not offering any returns, postage cover or anything its all their problem once it leaves me .  
So it looks like bank transfer is still safe, I just look on my banking app to check its in my account and I'm good to go ?

Yep, once it hits your account it is safe. However, you should still consider your buyers and make sure you protect items by keeping tracking details or even standard delivery options on parcels. Turning buyers away if an item is lost or damaged is exactly why sellers who ask for bank transfers are often seen as scammers.

knightstyle

I have bought a few things on gumtree and got them posted to me. The important thing is the way Paypal is used.  I always get the seller tosend a request for payment stating clearly what I am buying and how it will be sent.  Never use a Paypal payment system without getting one of these payment  requests.

soolin

knightstyle said:

I have bought a few things on gumtree and got them posted to me. The important thing is the way Paypal is used.  I always get the seller tosend a request for payment stating clearly what I am buying and how it will be sent.  Never use a Paypal payment system without getting one of these payment  requests.

You are also safe if you make a payment and clearly state something like ‘pay,ent for 3 Readers Digest books plus 2nd class postage’. 

PayPal for a buyer is safe if you make a proper payment, or if you pay an invoice using the goods option, it is not safe if you pay an invoice or send a payment via friends and family. 

rufuschucklebutty

Personally I wouldn't ask for postage on Gumtree, I only sell on there so I regard it as out of the ordinary and only don't if the buyer takes all the risk.