[jellero]

i have a guy that wants to wire me money for my motorcycle and have "someone" pick it up. i want a stack of one hundred dollar bills, cash. i don't want to blow the sale but this is so scammy it stinks. j

[James]

Yes, he can wire transfer money directly to your bank account. This would be pretty stupid for him to do but no risk to you.

There are other ways but I can't say for sure how much more risk it would be for you.

[Tele Till You're Smelly]

check out Paypal, the sell it on the interwebz
_________________
Reluctant enthusiast, part-time crusader, half-hearted fanatic

[Tele Till You're Smelly]

check out Paypal, they sell it on the interwebz
_________________
Reluctant enthusiast, part-time crusader, half-hearted fanatic

[jellero]

paypal is easy to scam. say a bike is $4k. buyer puts in a fake cashier's check for $5000 to paypal, buys the bike for $4k, have it picked up and vanishes leaving you to repay paypal in a month or so when the check bounces. some guy tried that already.
this guy hasn't told me where he is. i drive a pickup and can deliver or he can come by bus or whatever, pay cash and ride it home. is a wire transfer instant? j

[Tele Till You're Smelly]

Is it really that easy to scam via Payopal? I've seen the following but it isn't a real Paypal email http://www.thesecurityblogger.com/?p=575 I thought they verified the funds before they told you you've been paid.

Before the advent of the WWW, but after the Internet had been created by AG (circa 1993), I found a an upright bass on a bulletin board, and I bought it COD via UPS- maybe they still do that?
_________________
Reluctant enthusiast, part-time crusader, half-hearted fanatic

[jellero]

i sold a beer can for $30 using paypal but that is my limit. talk about scams, an orange keystone light can for $30?? i am familiar with craigslist scams. poor english, WAY too much info like "i a marine biologist at sea on ship want to buy son on his birthday using paypal and blue his favorite color" etc. i can't help but wonder if a scammer from craigslist went over to the triumph board and saw my ad. i'll ask my bank next time they decide to open and ask. a wire may work if it is a final deal. j

[dschane]

escrow.com? Never tried it but it's another option out there that claims to be capable of avoiding fraud.

[TeleBear]

wire is a solid, legal, digital bank-to-bank cash transfer. when you see that a wire has been posted to your account, the money is yours. no funny business. it's on the banks to make sure this is on the up-n-up.
_________________
Please don't dominate the rap, Jack,
if you've got nothing new to say.
-Jerry

[Hose-man]

tell him to wire the money to his "friend" who is picking up the bike. Then his "friend" can bring you a stack of crisp bennys. No more risk for you.

[Raggi_Thor]

The natural thing to do here would be to send the money with his buddy!

I didn't know paypal could be scammed.
I've bought skis from US and paid with paypal and through Western Union. One time I even sent cash inside a book in the mail.

If the buyer wants to pay in advance and not through his own buddy, then he should take all the extra risk and send you cash.
_________________
/RT

CUT THE CABLE...
Rottefella Supertelemark!
Fits all NN boots, step in, step out, adjust from neutral to active with a push of your pole!

[James]

[!ski]

I'll bite.

Many banks allow cash transfers to other customers.

For example Wells Fargo and Bank of America, not only
internally allow internal cash transfers, but between customers at
both banks.

So actually transferring money between parties is not difficult
(paypal etc etc.)

PM if you want to test sending money ...

As to the problem the exchange of goods ...

I would think the "someone" could show up with the money.
Buyer likely has someone they can trust.

Or, if a motorcycle shop would take the bike on consignment,
and handle the sale for a small fee. Though, are motorcycle
shops any more reputable than car dealers ships?

I was involved in the sale of a relatively expensive item on
ebay recently (also ~ $6,000) and in hindsight there was a shop
that was willing to buy it out right or on consignment.

Should have put it on consignment - and paid the consignment fee
and the pack/move fee - in the end the purchaser damaged
on pick up - which is sort of funny. Like buying a Ming Vase and
dropping it carrying out to the truck ...

Put it on consignment, and then self-market on e-bay.

-r

[Mtngrrrl]

I've bought and sold a few high dollar things online, and the scammers always come out of the woodwork.

If I know in my gut that something's wrong (which you do, hence this thread), I won't work with them. Cash is king, and if they don't have cash in hand, someone else will. The scammers are really only successful when sellers need the money quickly, and are willing to ignore that nagging 'something's wrong' feeling just to do the deal.

If your potential buyer wants it, and has a local 'someone' to pick it up, the logical thing to do would be to send money with that person. I wouldn't work with him otherwise. Just my .02.

[!ski]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304840904577422090013997320.html

Why We Lie
We like to believe that a few bad apples spoil the virtuous bunch. But
research shows that everyone cheats a little—right up to the point
where they lose their sense of integrity.

-r