Want to Sell: Need a Quick Primer

[neoelectronaut]

Have some stuff I'm going to put up for sale--but I need a quick primer on how to do this. The FAQ covers quite a bit, but the most important thing, payment, is what I'm in the dark about.

What guarantees that whomever claims is buying my stuff will actually pay me, for example?

[livingfortoday]

Have some stuff I'm going to put up for sale--but I need a quick primer on how to do this. The FAQ covers quite a bit, but the most important thing, payment, is what I'm in the dark about.

What guarantees that whomever claims is buying my stuff will actually pay me, for example?

I'm assuming you're talking about the Marketplace? Well, you just don't mail anything until you receive payment. The easiest way to do this is to use PayPal, that way you'll know right away when you've been paid and won't have to worry about waiting for a MO or check in the mail. PayPal has a lot of protections for buyers in case you don't hold up your end of the deal and mail the item, but your best protection is waiting for them to pay first.

Edit: I can't believe I asked if you meant in the Marketplace. Of course you did, you posted here. Sorry, my brain must be on vacation.

[neoelectronaut]

I'm assuming you're talking about the Marketplace? Well, you just don't mail anything until you receive payment. The easiest way to do this is to use PayPal, that way you'll know right away when you've been paid and won't have to worry about waiting for a MO or check in the mail. PayPal has a lot of protections for buyers in case you don't hold up your end of the deal and mail the item, but your best protection is waiting for them to pay first.

Edit: I can't believe I asked if you meant in the Marketplace. Of course you did, you posted here. Sorry, my brain must be on vacation.

That's okay. I guess I should have clarified Marketplace a bit...

But no, I assumed Paypal, but I was just wondering if there was a more prefered method about these parts.

[clayj]

Also, the longer a potential buyer has been at MacRumors (as evidenced by their number of posts, typically), the more trustworthy they PROBABLY are. I don't think many people here would question my integrity, for example (I realize I'm setting myself up for insults!), or iGary's, or jsw's, etc.

Definitely use PayPal for your method of payment. And don't ship to anyone without documenting the condition of the item before you send it, and only ship to people (1) you trust or (2) who have verified addresses. The last thing you want is the person claiming they never received the item and reversing the PayPal charge.

[livingfortoday]

The last thing you want is the person claiming they never received the item and reversing the PayPal charge.

That's a biggie. When you mail something, do it with tracking! You can even mail something Parcel Post and slap on a tracking label for an extra 60 cents. Totally worth it to cover your butt in case someone tries to swindle ya. I learned that the hard way, and it cost me a LOT. PayPal will accept tracking #'s as proof of mailing, without it they automatically default on the side of the buyer.

And yeah, go with PayPal, it's definitely the fastest and most convenient way to deal with money. It'll take a small bite out of every payment you get, but the time and worry saved makes it well worth it.

[EHUnlucky7x9@ao]

Another way to ship things would be via COD with USPS. Your buyer won't be able to receive the item unless the person PHYSICALLY gives money to the postman. The only way for something like that to mess up would be... if the whole town is crooked. But then that would be a federal offense, so...

Yeah.. COD will work if you don't want to use Paypal.

[MattyMac]

So what are you selling?

[Vaphoron]

Like most everyone else has said, go with Paypal but just be careful with it and read as much about it as you can.