How to pay a person and be protected from scam

Pinmac1

I'm not sure if this is the right part of the forum so please feel free to suggest somewhere more appropriate.

I'd like to buy something from Facebook Marketplace which will need to be delivered. It's a craft item, non-electrical. I have a different-sized item from the same manufacturer and they are very robust. So I'm not worried about quality. I will ask to pay by Paypal as that would cover me if it doesn't arrive. The man selling seems to be elderly from checking him out on FB and it's possible he may not have Paypal (OK, that's a leap as I'm no spring chicken myself!). If not, what other safe methods could I use to pay? 

It costs £60 so credit card won't cover it. It's an amount I can afford to lose but I don't want to! Does anyone have any suggestions please?

powerful_Rogue

Pinmac1 said:

I'm not sure if this is the right part of the forum so please feel free to suggest somewhere more appropriate.

I'd like to buy something from Facebook Marketplace which will need to be delivered. It's a craft item, non-electrical. I have a different-sized item from the same manufacturer and they are very robust. So I'm not worried about quality. I will ask to pay by Paypal as that would cover me if it doesn't arrive. The man selling seems to be elderly from checking him out on FB and it's possible he may not have Paypal (OK, that's a leap as I'm no spring chicken myself!). If not, what other safe methods could I use to pay? 

It costs £60 so credit card won't cover it. It's an amount I can afford to lose but I don't want to! Does anyone have any suggestions please?

Even if it was over £100, if it's a private sale the seller probably wouldn't have the ability to take card payments.

Probably best asking if they would acceot paypal - how are the asking for payment?

Mark_d

Insist on paying with Paypal

RefluentBeans

Can you collect it in a person? Pay a deposit (say 10%) and then pay the rest in person? 

Pinmac1

I can't collect as he's in Yorkshire and I'm in Surrey. We haven't got as far as discussing payment. I've asked him a question about the item and he's going to check when he gets home. I'll definitely ask if I can pay via Paypal as that's always my first choice but don't feel I can insist. I was hoping to find another way. There is Google Pay but if he hasn't got Paypal I suspect he won't have that either.

born_again

TBH, all payments methods are pretty much the same. Just do not pay via bank transfer.

Make sure you check out their facebook profile. If they do not have any genuine usage you would expect from a person. Might be worth a swerve.

Are there non for sale on ebay etc?

Pinmac1

I checked out his FB profile and he is an elderly gentleman with a wife and family and has been on FB since 2007. Seems genuine. They do come up on Ebay occasionally but never in the size I'm after.

Alderbank

You might be overthinking this.

You haven't said how the seller would like to be paid. If he says, 'My son can bring it to you next Tuesday when he is in London. Would cash on delivery be all right?' what would you say?

Sending a GOODS & SERVICES payment via Paypal is considered as safe as you are going to get. In that option Paypal hold your payment in escrow until you confirm that the goods have been delivered according to contract.

Pinmac1

Hi, Alderbank, I almost certainly am overthinking it as I usually do  I would, of course be delighted to pay by cash but think it's unlikely. I would also be very happy to pay by Paypal which is my preferred method and would also be happy to offer to pay the extra Goods and Services fee as this is such a bargain. My concern was that if he doesn't use Paypal I would like a safe alternative. It may be that he does, as he does have other items up for sale so this may not be a one-off.

RefluentBeans

I would say there is no ‘safe’ payment method that can fully protect you against scams. PayPal works well because there’s a delay between you sending the money and the seller being able to withdraw (so it’s basically in escrow). But the seller can still get around these restrictions by kicking the can down the road etc, or even sending you anything and saying to PayPal they filled their end of the deal (and PayPal could side with the seller - it’s not unheard of). 

You’ll need to make a call yourself. Like you said, the profile is not new (but profiles can be hacked etc). You could still ask to pay deposit and ask for a photo of the final product before you send the rest of the payment, or ask to call the seller etc. Nothing will be 100% bullet proof but you can take precautions to try and avoid any big issues. 

cannugec5

 A couple of years ago I had a similar situation. The seller was older and didn’t have PayPal. He lived in a remote area on one of the Scottish Islands. 

But he was entirely trusting of me the purchaser. He asked for a small deposit ( less than 10%) by Bank Transfer then after I had received and inspected the goods I paid the balance - also Bank Transfer. 

Yes, there was a risk that he might have taken the deposit and not sent the goods. There was  perhaps a bigger risk for him that I might not pay up. 

I felt using a BT was worth the risk on this occasion and having spoken to the gentleman on the phone helped  .