Safest way to receive money when selling on Facebook marketplace and Gumtree

AnaMarquex

Hello everyone,

I would like to know what is the safest way to receive money when selling online, especially in places like Facebook marketplace and Gumtree.

I'm a private seller and have a couple of high value items (between £100 and £1000) and someone has already tried to scam me (they are away, son will collect the item and they can ONLY pay with Paypal, all in poor written English and very basic Facebook account, just a couple of photos, likely fake).

Is a bank transfer the best option? The buyer would have access to my full name, bank account number and sort code. Cash in hand is awkward for a large sum (and of course, fake money is also out there).

I would really appreciate your help on this matter.
Kind regards,
Ana

FlorayG

Bank transfer is safest for you, yes, but anyone buying will suspect YOU are trying to scam THEM if you insist on it. I would never buy from anyone who insisted on bank transfer.
Best is PayPal business ( not friends and family), make sure you have pictures and receipts for all items you sell and post and sufficient postal insurance. In the end, it's a trust game; you buy used stuff you haven't seen from someone you've never met and you send them the money before you even see the item.

soolin

As FlorayG has said, what is safe for you will make you look like a scammer to buyers, many of the groups I sell on in Facebook would not even allow a bank transfer. 

However on marketplace you can ask for what you want, there are still some buyers out there who will use a bank transfer, and you might be lucky and find one who wants your item. However , I tend to offer PayPal G and S, and make it clear that item is only going to be sent to the address attached to the PayPal payment. 

Obviously if they are collecting, then I just take cash on collection. 

FlorayG

AnaMarquex said:

I'm a private seller and have a couple of high value items (between £100 and £1000) and someone has already tried to scam me (they are away, son will collect the item and they can ONLY pay with Paypal, all in poor written English and very basic Facebook account, just a couple of photos, likely fake).

For anyone unaware of this particular scam; someone comes as arranged to collect the item, you give it to them, minutes later the buyer messages you to say sorry, my 'brother' has been delayed will be there in an hour, you say no he's just been, they say no he hasn't you've given the item to a complete stranger and they claim a refund from Paypal. 
Always cash on collection OR  Paypal and post it

born_again

With bank transfer. Do not take their word that they have paid, or something they show on their phone as proof of payment. If it is not showing in your account when you check on your phone/computer, they have not paid. 
They are using a fake app to show a non payment. 

ButterCheese

I've been buying and selling loads of stuff on FB for years.  Bank transfer or cash is the only thing I will entertain.  If I'm selling, then the item doesn't leave my hands until my bank account says the money is in. 

I do not post anything, that's what eBay is for.  If I deliver anything to anyone, it's a rarity, and actually on their part it's quite a stupid thing to do.  I could deliver a faulty item, take your money, and be gone, and you will not know where I live.  This happened to me once, luckily only a breadmaker worth £10 but as soon as it started tripping the electrics I realised why they were kind enough to deliver it to my door (claiming to be "in the area").  Of course when I tried to contact them, and raise it with Gumtree, their account had been deleted.

If you are happy with PayPal and how it works, then do that.  But I am not as confident as I barely ever use it.

I'm sure you are aware, but I find the biggest con to be time wasters and no-shows.  So I now don't even entertain responding to people who just message me with "is this still available".  If they can't be bothered to write a sentence then I assume they are not serious about buying.  To anyone who can write properly, I say they have to text me with a day and time and only then will I give them my address and mark it as "pending". 

knightstyle

I have sold many things on FB and always get a bank transfer on collection, check on my phone to make sure it is there.  Plus i use Paypal if posting an item. gives buyer and seller some protection for small cost.

AnaMarquex

That was very helpul, thank you so much for all the replies!

rollingmoon

ButterCheese said:

I now don't even entertain responding to people who just message me with "is this still available".

My experience of FB Marketplace is that there are so many bone idle sellers on there who leave ads up long after they've sold the item in question that using the "Is this still available" button is a perfectly reasonable gambit.

Olinda99

don't forget that with bank transfer there is a possibility it might be a fraudulent transfer in which case your bank account might get frozen and even permanently closed

never accept a bank transfer from a stranger into any account you care about.