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Selling MBP on Craigslist, buyer is willing to paypal me money if I ship it. Sketchy?

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spazma7ik

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Sep 12, 2009
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So I have a potential buyer. Emails went as such:

Still available for Sale??

Me: Yep!

Him: Thanks for the email..I will be shipping the macbook to the address below and am also paying you through paypal this is very secure,fastest and relaible way of making payment..am making an offer all total am paying now $2350 including shipping cost...Please i will like you to get back to me with your paypal email address so i can make instant payment..And if you dont have kindly log on to this link to create an account( www.paypal.com) ...My address is : (HE PUT HIS ADDRESS HERE).

His address is located in Stevensville, Montana and my listing is in California..

Anyhow,

Me: Will you paypal the money first?

Him: Okay i will...kindly send me your paypal email so i can make the payment instantly.


So now here I am, unsure on what to do.. If I show a payment in my PayPal for $2250, is that it, I just got paid? No loopholes or anything he can pull once that happens?
 
I don't know how buyer/sellers protection works if you are not doing transactions on ebay.

But document everything. Tracking number, insurance etc....
 
Don't do it. When you, living in CA, go searching for something on craigslist do you search Montana's listings? No.

If you ship it, you will not get your money and you will not get your laptop back. The whole point of craigslist is for local buyers. If the buyer wants it so bad, post it on ebay as a buy-it-now and make sure that ebay and paypal will cover you in case of fraud.

Edit to answer your question: He can have the money refunded. I guarantee you won't get your money. If you do decide to do the deal at the very least make sure you are shipping to his *verified* paypal address and that your UPS shipment requires a signature.
 
Ebay+Paypal+Buyer Protection= SKETCHY.

I've heard lots of bad stories about things like this not going well. DON'T do it.

It's better to be safe man.
 
spazma7ik said:
So I have a potential buyer. Emails went as such:

Still available for Sale??

Me: Yep!

Him: Thanks for the email..I will be shipping the macbook to the address below and am also paying you through paypal this is very secure,fastest and relaible way of making payment..am making an offer all total am paying now $2350 including shipping cost...Please i will like you to get back to me with your paypal email address so i can make instant payment..And if you dont have kindly log on to this link to create an account( www.paypal.com) ...My address is : (HE PUT HIS ADDRESS HERE).

His address is located in Stevensville, Montana and my listing is in California..

Anyhow,

Me: Will you paypal the money first?

Him: Okay i will...kindly send me your paypal email so i can make the payment instantly.


So now here I am, unsure on what to do.. If I show a payment in my PayPal for $2250, is that it, I just got paid? No loopholes or anything he can pull once that happens?
Click to expand...


scam dont do it i have had many emails like those
 
The whole advantage to Craigslist is you can make transactions in person, to avoid being scammed (as long as you meet in a safe place with people around). The language of the buyer makes me very suspicious. I'd insist on meeting in person and being paid in cash... preferably at a bank, where they can verify the bills are legit and you'll have safety. .... but that's just my opinion.
 
rrandyy said:
Don't do it. When you, living in CA, go searching for something on craigslist do you search Montana's listings? No.

If you ship it, you will not get your money and you will not get your laptop back. The whole point of craigslist is for local buyers.

If the buyer wants it so bad, post it on ebay as a buy-it-now and make sure that ebay and paypal will cover you in case of fraud.
Click to expand...


I understand, but if he's transferring the money first, then isn't it kind of a done deal? Is there a way for them to take the money back after it shows up in my paypal?
 
I got done with this once.

If you send it, send it with FULL tracking, dont skimp on anything!

I sold an Xbox 360, got my money, sent it standard parcels service, guy claimed he never got it, paypal refunded the money, i gave his address to the police and never heard from him or police or paypal again.

This was when i was young and stupid, now everything i send is tracked and has to be signed for and is only posted to confirmed addresses.

Also his command of english seems pretty poor, when selling things i have found often that scammers type in broken english.
 
spazma7ik said:
I understand, but if he's transferring the money first, then isn't it kind of a done deal? Is there a way for them to take the money back after it shows up in my paypal?
Click to expand...

"If you buy something that never arrives, or if it arrives significantly different than described, you're eligible for a full refund. Check out our Purchase Protection policy, or learn how to open a dispute."

https://cms.paypal.com/cgi-bin/marketingweb?cmd=_render-content&content_ID=security/buyer_protection

Don't do it.
 
spazma7ik said:
I understand, but if he's transferring the money first, then isn't it kind of a done deal? Is there a way for them to take the money back after it shows up in my paypal?
Click to expand...

Paypal are always on the side of the buyer, he could claim he never recieved it and he would be refunded right away.

If he is using a stolen paypal account, then paypal will freeze the account and you will never receive any money and if you have already posted the laptop then it is gone.
 
spazma7ik said:
I understand, but if he's transferring the money first, then isn't it kind of a done deal? Is there a way for them to take the money back after it shows up in my paypal?
Click to expand...

You're much better off contacting paypal about this than us. You never know, the guy could be completely legit and honest and just looking for a mbp. Not everyone is a scammer.

If that doesn't work out, both of you agree to buy a plane ticket and fly halfway to meet up.
 
spazma7ik said:
I understand, but if he's transferring the money first, then isn't it kind of a done deal? Is there a way for them to take the money back after it shows up in my paypal?
Click to expand...

The buyer will do a chargeback on his credit card. Then paypal will take the money out of your account. Even if it is no longer in it, you will go in to a negative balance. They will then try to take the money out of your bank account. If they cant they will turn it over to a collection agency. You can look up paypal horror stories. This is a scam.
 
Craigslist specifically tells you to deal only in person.
You'd have to be foolish to trust paypal.
If you really want to sell and ship, tell them to wire you money via Western Union and you will ship when you have cash in hand.
 
rrandyy said:
Edit to answer your question: He can have the money refunded. I guarantee you won't get your money. If you do decide to do the deal at the very least make sure you are shipping to his *verified* paypal address and that your UPS shipment requires a signature.
Click to expand...

yea, i don't understand how paypal thinks it's safe... I once agreed to sell my WoW account , he paid me, i gave him my account's username-password etc, and he just got his money refunded after that -.- very safe, thank you paypal. Of course I got my account back, nothing lost, but paypal ISN'T safe to sell stuff. only through ebay, but even then you never know.
I once bought 2 memory cards from a good user (100%) in ebay, paid him and i got nothing back. I still use paypal to pay trustworthy companies, but not easily individuals tbh.
 
jbrenn said:
The buyer will do a chargeback on his credit card. Then paypal will take the money out of your account. Even if it is no longer in it, you will go in to a negative balance. They will then try to take the money out of your bank account. If they cant they will turn it over to a collection agency. You can look up paypal horror stories. This is a scam.
Click to expand...

They cant withdraw money from your checking account without your permission.

That being said, its obviously a scam. Dont send him anything.

I tested one of these scams once. Was selling a cell phone on craigslist. A guy in florida wanted to buy it, said he would paypal me $100 more if I shipped it. I knew it was a scam from the beginning, so I shipped an empty box with a note saying "STOP SCAMMING PEOPLE". The box didn't even make it to its destination before Paypal pulled the funds, saying there was a problem with the credit card used. The guy signed for the empty package and I never heard from him again.

BTW, I turned him in to Paypals security department along with the name he signed with.
 
orfeas0 said:
yea, i don't understand how paypal thinks it's safe... I once agreed to sell my WoW account , he paid me, i gave him my account's username-password etc, and he just got his money refunded after that -.- very safe, thank you paypal. Of course I got my account back, nothing lost, but paypal ISN'T safe to sell stuff. only through ebay, but even then you never know.
I once bought 2 memory cards from a good user (100%) in ebay, paid him and i got nothing back. I still use paypal to pay trustworthy companies, but not easily individuals tbh.
Click to expand...

you made a mistake writing right? you didn't actually gave your password? right?
 
SCAM of All scams.

I am selling a car stereo system on craigslist and had a similar offer. Ask the purchaser to call you on a cell phone number. If you get a call and speak to someone go into it very carefully. If you get no response you know it is a scam.
 
lukta said:
In person. In cash.
Click to expand...

Exactly. I don't know why people are so willing to get hosed. If you want to sell it and then ship it, go the eBay route and all their fees. I WOULD NEVER EVER sell stuff locally w/o face to face, in person and CASH.
 
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