Paypal verification question

[cmccarten]

I have someone from craigslist who has offered to buy my MBP. We've emailed back and forth a bit, and he has indicated, that he is new to Paypal and thus his account is not verified. I know that some people are very hesitant to send to unverified accounts; but I'm not sure why.
Is there a way to scam me by doing this, or is it reasonably safe to proceed?(I get an ok vibe from him; he did, after all, originally offer to pick it up)
Thanks

 

[Sdashiki]

I have someone from craigslist who has offered to buy my MBP. We've emailed back and forth a bit, and he has indicated, that he is new to Paypal and thus his account is not verified. I know that some people are very hesitant to send to unverified accounts; but I'm not sure why.
Is there a way to scam me by doing this, or is it reasonably safe to proceed?(I get an ok vibe from him; he did, after all, originally offer to pick it up)
Thanks

if he was going to pick it up, let em bring cash or a money order, DONT accept a check of course.

 

[cmccarten]

Thanks. I've heard that money orders can be sketchy too? Or is that just when dealing with money orders that cross borders?
But any thoughts on the Paypal verification process?

 

[mkrishnan]

It doesn't take more than a couple of days to get verified, IIRC. Make him/her do it, if it bothers you. Otherwise... I dunno, I think the scam involved someone instant transferring money from a fake account? Sort of like a bounced check, except PayPal was/is set up to give you the money without any indication of a problem (so that it seems instant) and then take it away from you later, leaving you with no recourse. I'm not 100% sure that's how it works. That's how it was explained to me. I'm not sure if Paypal works this way anymore.

All verification does however is verify that the bank account and transfer system are real. Which seems to be little / no protection, really.

 

[adk]

DEAL LOCALLY WITH FOLKS YOU CAN MEET IN PERSON - follow this one simple rule and you will avoid 99% of the scam attempts on craigslist.

If I were you I would accept dead presidents only, with the exception of a money order from your own bank that would be deposited and verified (a check from your own bank clears instantly) before handing over the merchandise. I would only offer the second option if he puts up a real stink about cash and has a legitimate reason for it.

 

[jcarm24]

A friend of mine sold his Xbox on ebay and the buyer wasn't verified. My friend got payment very soon after the auction ended, so he shipped the Xbox that day. After he told the buyer that he xbox was on its way, the buyer cancelled the transaction. When my friend tried to get the money back, Paypal said they weren't liable b/c the buyer wasn't verified.

I think you should tell him to get verified, or don't ship it out until you have the money transferred completely into YOUR bank.

Good luck.