[chipster]

I have a flex-a-lite electric fan on ebay, I got this question today:

I would like to bid for this item from overseas. Paypal does not provide service where I am located at this time. If I do bid and win would it be possible if you would accept a cashiers check in US Dollars Fedexed to you? For the shipping all I would ask is you send the package to my address in the US where they will forward it to me. Thank You


After reading about all the scams going on, I'm not sure what to do. If I tell him it's ok, I
will definitely tell him that I will only accept a check for the amount of the item and shipping, and that I will hold off shipping until the check clears, but how long does it take until you can be sure the cashier's check has cleared? Am I just being paranoid?

[chipster]

I have a flex-a-lite electric fan on ebay, I got this question today:

I would like to bid for this item from overseas. Paypal does not provide service where I am located at this time. If I do bid and win would it be possible if you would accept a cashiers check in US Dollars Fedexed to you? For the shipping all I would ask is you send the package to my address in the US where they will forward it to me. Thank You


After reading about all the scams going on, I'm not sure what to do. If I tell him it's ok, I
will definitely tell him that I will only accept a check for the amount of the item and shipping, and that I will hold off shipping until the check clears, but how long does it take until you can be sure the cashier's check has cleared? Am I just being paranoid?

[PonchoV8]

Paranoid is a good thing in an international deal. Most people don't mess with those. An internatnional money order would probably be better. The checks are almost always a fake. Sounds like BS to me.

[carbking]

Ditto PonchoV8's comments.

We just went through this with an overseas Ebayer (I think he lasted 4 days before Ebay canned him - wonder how long it took him to reapply under a different name? ).

Did get our seller's fee reimbursed by Ebay, but spent several hours typing emails, etc.

We are in the process of rewriting our terms because of this unfortunate experience.

Repeat Doug's advice: paranoia is a good thing with these type of sales.

Jon.

[chipster]

How about if I tell him to send the cashier's check to the people at his U.S. address, and have them send me a US postal service money order? any way I can get into trouble there?

[David Jones]

Lets see....you have the check and the goods at some point. Don't send it till the money is confirmed. Easy.

[carbking]

Does anyone else's bank charge a ridiculous fee for processing an international cashier's check???

Jon.

[Coach]

Jon,

Just got burned on the international MO the other day. I sold a grill to a guy in Canada, a whopping 25 dollar sale, my bank charged me 10 bucks to process the MO. I used to only sell to the US and Canada, looks like I will be removing Canada from the list, sigh..

-harry

[PLAY400]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Coach:
Jon,

Just got burned on the international MO the other day. I sold a grill to a guy in Canada, a whopping 25 dollar sale, my bank charged me 10 bucks to process the MO. I used to only sell to the US and Canada, looks like I will be removing Canada from the list, sigh..

-harry <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Sigh... What's 1 to do? So far I've heard that everything should be taken with a grain a salt. How is 1 to pay or be paid nowadays. I heard you can claw back your money from Paypal after you received your stuff stiffing the seller? Visa I heard is great but how does that work for us none business people? I've taken personal cheques from PY people without a problem. I like to trust people and that maybe my down fall. Can't sit on everything for 30 days. And now with counterfit MO I give up. Darn dishonest postal workers make sending money thru the mail impossible.

What is safe for both ways, buying and selling?
Alan

[Brian Baker]

Tell this person to GFY.

What they will send you is what appears to be a certied bank or bank cashier's check. It will be in an amount greater than what the sale price was, and they will ask you to deposit the check and refund the difference immediately when you send the part. Of course, the check will bounce.

I received a bank draft for Bank of America from a person in Lagos, Nigeria in the amount of $13,000 for my T/A (when I was only asking $6500 for it at the time). I told the buyer that I took it to the bank (which I didn't) and that they wouldn't honor it, saying it was a fake, and could they send another one, this time a real one. I never heard from them again.

[PONTIAC DUDE]

With todays technology Cashiers checks can be duplicated on a Lazer printer or scanner and not told from an original one. That's why all the info out there and the horror stories. If you accept it. Take it to the bank and have them verify & clear it first before you ship. And in writing from the bank that it's good. I's still wait a week or two before ya ship.

[Stuart]

The curious thing is you wouldn't expect a scammer to mess around with a relatively low dollar item like a fan. Could be he's just starting out, I suppose.

[David Jones]

What do ya think Brian, he'll send him something like 50 grand for an electric fan? Pulleze. Clear the check then send the goods to the U.S. address. Done. This one isn't that big-a-deal.

[ScottN]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Brian Baker:
Tell this person to GFY.

What they will send you is what appears to be a certied bank or bank cashier's check. It will be in an amount greater than what the sale price was, and they will ask you to deposit the check and refund the difference immediately when you send the part. Of course, the check will bounce.

I received a bank draft for Bank of America from a person in Lagos, Nigeria in the amount of $13,000 for my T/A (when I was only asking $6500 for it at the time). I told the buyer that I took it to the bank (which I didn't) and that they wouldn't honor it, saying it was a fake, and could they send another one, this time a real one. I never heard from them again. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

went through something similiar with a tranny. Same deal from Nigeria.

DON'T MAKE THIS DEAL!!
IT'S A FRAUD!!

[A-body]

Some of you guys are way to paranoid. I sell stuff overseas all the time. If you owned a GTO over in Germany or Sweden or where ever, where else can you find the parts.
Obviously, someone trying to buy a car or other high ticket item that wants to send you more money than he paid is a scam, but small stuff like this is legit. I sold some parts to a guy in Australia once that had me send the parts to a guy in CA. Turns out he a dealer in classic cars and parts, and buys a lot of stuff on Ebay. When his contact gets enough to fill a crate, he sends it to Australia.

Gary