i need to sell my imac that i bought last april/may. i am planning on traveling overseas this year and need a laptop. i think that now is a good time to sell - before macworld. so i am thinking about starting an auction on ebay. the other option is to try craigslist. my gut says to do ebay first as there is another very similar machine already on craigslist in my area. i know i can't do both at once. what should i try first?
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selling advice
- Thread starter acidburn
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eBay would be my first choice too. You should reach many more potential buyers that way.
Are you a fan of the movie "Hackers" by any chance?
Are you a fan of the movie "Hackers" by any chance?
eBay would be my first choice too. You should reach many more potential buyers that way.
Are you a fan of the movie "Hackers" by any chance?
yeah i remember that film
was the computer in that called the gibson with the silly keyboardthanks for the advice!
yes, i am a fan of the movie hackers. i love the cheesy graphics they use to make computers look more exciting - all of the floating 1's and 0's instead of a dos window with green font. and you have to love the gibson.
yes, i am a fan of the movie hackers. i love the cheesy graphics they use to make computers look more exciting - all of the floating 1's and 0's instead of a dos window with green font. and you have to love the gibson.
thanks for the advice. i put the imac on ebay this morning and someone just bought it at my buy it now price. i researched what other similar imacs were selling for and i think i got a good price. the guy is going to send a money order from western union so i will have to make sure that goes through ok before shipping. but i was surprised at how fast it sold - i'm hesitant to call it done though.
so now i need to buy a laptop - i'm leaning towards a macbook and will probably buy soon.
so now i need to buy a laptop - i'm leaning towards a macbook and will probably buy soon.
link to ebay item and did you say Western Union? o dear
Is there a problem with accepting money orders? I just got offered a money order for my iBook, and I'm a little suspicious.
at the last minute, i checked the option to accept cashier's check or money order (i prefer paypal, but...). i absolutely won't ship until i know that the money order cashed without a problem. i am not convinced that it's ok as the guy said he will go to western union in the next day or two. i honestly have never dealt with western union - should i be very cautious? i didn't think anyone would try to use a money order, but i did allow it so i can't complain.
Sometimes, money orders can turn out to be fraudulent in the states, and months after it cleared in your bank account it can still bounce
In Australia it is much safer cos you can just cash it out at the post office which issued it and even if it is fake, sucks to be the post office
Nah, doesn't happen, it is impossible to fake a post office money order
If someone mails you a money order/cashier's check and you cash or deposit it first before sending the item, you should be OK.
If you get even the slightest hint of an excuse about the payment and the buyer still wants you to send the item, run.
any advice? the only red flags so far are that he is not going to get the money order for a couple of days and he chose the buy it now option literally within the first few hours of the auction even though the starting price was lower. if i am suspicious can i cancel the sale through ebay without too much of a problem?
You can, but you will still be open to a negative feedback if he turns out to be a legitimate guy.
i have been reading on ebay about western union money orders. i can call western union and verify that the money order is legit before depositing. if they say it is legit then i am probably ok. but i also emailed the buyer to say that i will not ship until i have verified that the money order is ok. if i don't hear from him i will have to go through ebay to cancel the sale and relist the computer. kind of a pain, but i am not going to get scammed. thanks for the advice - i feel kind of stupid for accepting money orders now, but i learned my lesson.
I would give the buyer the benefit of the doubt (assume everything is legitimate) unless a problem arises with the payment. I have received a money order as payment for an eBay sale before, however the buyer simply purchased a postal money order and mailed it to me, and I received it a few days later. For some reason, the idea of using Western Union raises an eyebrow with me because of things I've read in the past.
Of course, it COULD be a legitimate buyer and therefore I would assume so, unless a problem arises. Of course, do not send out the item (no matter what the buyer says) until you've been fully paid. And do have your antennae up since Western Union is a preferred method of scammers.
Edit: To be honest, I have no idea how Western Union actually works. From your description, it sounds like they act as an escrow. Personally, I'd prefer to have the money in my hands before I sent out a computer. Could you tell the buyer that you'd prefer him to send you a postal money order, and that when you receive it you will ship him the item? If it were me, that's the only way I would feel comfortable.
i thought about that - but the guy is in florida. so far no mention has been made of nigeria or anything international.
I'd take Western Union over Paypal any day.
The scam typically involving WU targets buyers, not sellers. What happens in that old scam is the scammer tells the buyer to send funds to him first, but not tell him the "password" until you have received the item. Trouble is while there usually is a password involved, in some countries the agents just lets the guy pick up the cash anyway, so he takes the money and disappears.
Since WU gives cash it is much much safer for the seller than Paypal, for paypal the buyer can decided 2 months later to dispute the charge on his credit card and *poof* the funds gets pulled out of your bank account. Not enough funds? Hello overdraft fees.
Been there done that. Now I do not accept Paypal for anything expensive. You basically have to implicitly trust the buyer to not screw you. What a nice system.