Selling on FB Marketplace to non-local buyer

I've never sold anything on FB Marketplace that wasn't a local pickup. Then I got an offer on some silver from an out of town person.

No red flags... so far. He gave me his name, phone number, and although he lives in a different state, he is travelling within a few hours of me over the holidays.

He offered to pay with Paypal.

I dunno. It still makes me nervous. Am I being paranoid or is Paypal safe nowadays? I.e., once I have the money, can it get taken back? If someone's credit card is stolen, or if he never receives it (or claims to never have received it), etc.?

 

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I wouldn't do it.

Paypal is fine. If you decided to do it, I'd have him pay via it friends and family though so there are no fees on your end.

 

Something like that is like sketchy , imo

I wouod meet some where neutral with a lot of people at hand .

As for paypal , i dont use it . Had bad experiences with them and would look for other methods ( with me , cash ( preferred ) or us federal postal money order )

 

I’d do it. But have him meet you in a public place win lot of people. Better yet the local police station. I’ve known people who have done that. PayPal should be safe. Cash is better

 

Friends and family is a bad idea for both buyers and sellers, as is meeting unknown buyers in person. PayPal goods and services offers excellent protection for both the buyer and the seller if you follow the rules. Tracked shipping is usually less than $4.

 

Marketplace will not let me sell coins (mostly rolled pennys), saying it is against the rules (?). Yet, I see lots of coins for sale. How do some folks get around the rules?

 

This. Look into the rules for keeping yourself protected using PayPal. You'll need a signature confirmation over a certain value. The buyer has to trust you to deliver, as well.

 

Update: I misunderstood him. He is *not* visiting family near me over the holidays, so it would *have* to be mailed.

I need to call Paypal to verify that they will cover me in case it is a stolen account (the only reason I can think of that this would come back to bite me). As long as I ship it with insurance.

I could ask the buyer if he's willing to do a USPS Money Order, but I doubt he will do that.

 

Just say no!

 

I'm with Mainebill, I'd do it with reasonable precautions. Please let us know how you decide to go and if you sell, all about how it goes. I'd do it with Paypal regular so you're both protected (your idea of contacting Paypal is a good one) and meet at a police station, court or post office. I sold a bunch of junk silver and some lower grade Morgans a few years ago on craigslist - made a new friend. I was super paranoid - we met at the local court house and he was just a normal guy, and we had negotiated a good cash price that we both thought was fair, I wasn't interested in someone who was willing to pay too much and I was concerned about fake money orders or cashiers checks. I bought a counterfeit marker at Staples for the bills, lol, that was a little awkward, but no big deal. Did multiple sales with that guy.

 

PayPal is the way to go, good luck. Remember, it's better to be safe than sorry!

 

I've bought some items on MP, used Paypal and even cash no problems so far. Also, used mail and even met locally, still good, just took precautions on when and where. I also watch specific posters before I approach them.

 

I wouldn't do it. Where do they live, Mars? Why don't they buy locally? I would think this is ripe for a scam. Way too much hassle for what it's worth. IMHO.

 

If you are to meet him, do it at a police station. If everything else seems okay, a Police station would protect the buyer and the seller.

 

As a former State Auditor, I would stay clear of this guy. Best of Luck.

 

I had an attempt to scam on PayPal like this. Watch for this, I got an email that looked like it was legit from PayPal saying the buyer paid. He messages me and said he paid. I go to PayPal on the computer and it shows 0 balance. I call PayPal. They say this is fraudulent. I made the report with them. Then I emailed the guy and told him I spoke with the PayPal fraud division. I never heard back from him again.

 

I’ve sold tens of thousands of dollars of coins on Facebook. I have never been scammed. I take basic precautions that protect me as a seller

 

I get notifications from the PayPal apps when I get paid, along with the emails. If I don’t get these notifications, something is wrong and I look deeper. Those can’t be spoofed.

I have a similar thing where I am notified every time my credit card is used. If the number is ever stolen, I’d know immediately

 

If you are paranoid, videotape yourself packing the box, put some markers under the tape to prove that the box packed in the video is the one sent, insure the package, scan the package in at the Post Office AND GET THE WEIGHT, and then save your receipt. All of these steps will make every attempt of a scam fall flat on its face.

I would actually be more comfortable shipping it off to a stranger than meeting a stranger in person, but that’s just me.

 

If you're not comfortable with paypal, then a money order should be fine. If he refuses to do that, then that would make me suspicious and I'd back out of the deal. If it's less than $100, though, I would just take the paypal payment. If it's bigger than that, then I would want a money order or cashier's check.