Advice on selling a laptop please

chuckley

amcluesent wrote: »

Take an note of all serial # from the laptop/battery etc. and put them in description of the item.

Set you buyer requirements to these exclusions -

Are registered in countries to which I don't post
Have a feedback score of -1 or lower
Have received 2 Unpaid Item strikes in the last 30 days
Don't have a PayPal account
Have a feedback score of 5 or lower and no credit card on file

Read and follow exactly the info. on seller protection when using Paypal, esp. the part about proof of delivery and only sending to a confirmed address.

Once you've sold the item, use Ebay to get the buyers details and ring them/check the details on 192.com or similar. Never go for local pickup or accept cash.

Never, ever use Parcelfarce as the courier

If anything feels iffy, cancel the bid and refund, accepting you'll maybe get a neg.

now am i reading this correctly?? uve just told OP NOT to accept cash and use paypal instead?? cash = fvf fees, paypal = fvf fees + paypal fees + risk of chargeback + risk of losing all the money when scammed regardless of if u have SP.

amcluesent

Cash in hand = no proof of delivery, so 100% certainty that Ebay will favour buyer in any dispute and debit from your Paypal a/c the disputed amount. Read the rules on seller protection. Plus likelihood of being mugged by buyers mates, of course.

moxie_2

I'm getting more nervous by the minute reading this lot! Maybe the small ads would be safer. Thanks to everyone who responded. I'll think about it some more. I'm on a really tight budget and cannnot afford to lose the money I've invested in this.

Sugar_Coated_Owl

Cash on collection would be fine.

The eBay standard protection programme no longer exists.

skylight

The same scams are available on small ads (fake cheques that appear to cash then bounce) etc.

Ebay is okay if you are aware of what "could" happen. Cash on collection is fine and safe PROVIDED you ensure that mark emails as "My Husband will be here instead" (shows you do not live alone etc), or offer to deliver it direct within short area for cash only (with someone with you!)

As with everything - you need to take precautions and take your safety seriously. Ebay gives you more of a market to sell to but with more people the ratio of scammers also becomes higher.

Are you part of a college/uni group? Or work? Can you not place an advert on the boards at work/uni and sell it that way?

peter_the_piper

amcluesent wrote: »

Cash in hand = no proof of delivery, so 100% certainty that Ebay will favour buyer in any dispute and debit from your Paypal a/c the disputed amount. Read the rules on seller protection. Plus likelihood of being mugged by buyers mates, of course.

Are you saying that if you sell for cash, then theres a dispute, that paypal can take money from an account that was not used? I would find this very hard to believe, its tantamount to theft imho.

ormus

razorbladekisses wrote: »

:eek: What a crazy buyer paying for a laptop with a postal order!

yes indeed. but my feedback was very good. and been a member of ebay for 4 years. hundreds of ratings, and varied products.
so the buyers risk was very small.

soolin

peter_the_piper wrote: »

Are you saying that if you sell for cash, then theres a dispute, that paypal can take money from an account that was not used? I would find this very hard to believe, its tantamount to theft imho.

I think amclusent is either muddled or we have misunderstood the post. If a buyer pays cash on collection then obviously there is no paypal claim to be made. Cash on collection would be absolutely fine in this instance.

soolin

chuckley wrote: »

not true! id only been an ebay member for a month before i bought a used laptop. they only accepted bank transfer and as we used the same bank it was instant. i received the laptop the next day via Parcelforce 24. no problems with the laptop till i broke it 2 yrs later.

there are a lot of buyers on ebay ( 'yes savvy' ) that prefer not to use paypal for such items and no the item wouldnt necessarily sell for less than one with paypal.

You were only registered a month when you bought a laptop via the most insecure payment method going, which rather proves my point.
I wouldn’t even buy a £5 item unless I had some protection and paypal is the only way that gives any protection at all on ebay.

I would rather lose a potential bargain that lose my money.

chuckley

amcluesent wrote: »

Cash in hand = no proof of delivery, so 100% certainty that Ebay will favour buyer in any dispute and debit from your Paypal a/c the disputed amount. Read the rules on seller protection. Plus likelihood of being mugged by buyers mates, of course.

the seller already has ur address... so they wanted to rob u they have the opportunity regardless. cash in post or in hand means no comeback. if ebay found in favour of the buyer, the buyer couldnt claim their money back anyway as they paid cash.... unless they went through small claims...

seller protection 4 paypal is trash, u still get scammed! bank transfer is the way forward for such items as theres no chance of scamming. whereas with paypal up to say a month down the line there us an issue and u dont see the money or laptop again 4 dust, while buyer has a free laptop and paypal couldnt give a toss.