I recently sold a valuable item on ebay ($300) and offered local-pick-up-only since it's quite large. The item sold so the person will be coming to my home to get it soon. I'm sort of having second thoughts on whether or not this was a bad idea. They are paying cash on delivery and now I'm paranoid I may get ripped off. I'm planning on checking the cash first before giving them the product (to ensure it's all there) however I'm afraid I may not be able to spot fake money etc (I live in Canada so it's CAD I'm talking about). Has anyone done local pick up auctions before? Any advice / horror stories / words of wisdom?
Advice on doing Local Pick
- Thread starter eliza
- Start date
How close are you to a bank? If it is feasible, try and meet them at the bank and get paid there-esp. if large bills are involved-around here, no one will take $100s-if you can do this, just have them follow you back to your house and MAKE SURE there is someone with you all the time. Good luck-here's hoping it goes smoothly!
Any local pick ups that I have had I required the buyer to pay with paypal prior to the pick up. On 2 occasions they brought a Cashiers Check. I never had any problems. And make sure others are with you when its picked up, especially if they are coming to your home. Try meeting outside on the sidewalk if possible.
I've sold many large items on Craig's List. Definitely make sure that at least one other person is with you (don't mean to sound sexist but a large male is a great idea). I only take cash, and I've never had anyone give me anything larger than a $20 bill.
i just had someone pay me 1500 in cash for something i sold on ebay. he met me at a friend's office (a huge guy friend- the biggest guy i know. lol) i bought a money pen before i met him and checked the money as he gave it to me. it was all in 100s. i also printed out a copy of the auction and had him sign it that he recieved the necklace and i signed it that i gave it to him/ got the money. i made us sign 2 copies so we each had one. i also googled him before he met me so i had an idea about who he was. then again he was semi- well known and has an unusual name so he was easy to find.
i previously met one other person for a 325 dollar sale. she paid in 20s. i brought someone with me and it was fine.
i previously met one other person for a 325 dollar sale. she paid in 20s. i brought someone with me and it was fine.
How about get them to pick up in a public place? Like a shopping mall? It's much safer than have a complete stranger come to your house...
I bought an Hermes scarf on Ebay and when the seller agreed to a local pick up we met at Starbucks. Scarf was perfect and she was delightful. We did it again when I bought another one from her. If I were a seller of a large item where someone had to come to my house, I would definitely have 1 or 2 large guys there for protection, though. Someone just mentioned having the buyer sign a receipt and I think that's a fabulous idea! I'd be sure the receipt says the buyer received the merchandise in good condition, was satisfied and understood there are no returns. With all the crooks out there, this board is really teaching me to be more and more careful.
