Bank transfer for ebay sale - safe?

[Steve126]

I have an RC car for sale on ebay and have been contacted by someone who wants to buy it but wants to pay by bank transfer. He says he no longer has paypal due to problems, but doesn't say what the problems are.

He has 100% positive feedback and does seem to buy and sell RC car stuff.

Is it safe to accept payment this way?


Thanks in advance

[Kingdom35]

Don't do it!!!!

[dingg]

yes it is safe to accept money by bank transfer , there's not a lot someone can do with your bank account details contrary to what the previous poster thinks.

Don't give the goods up until the money is cleared in your account

[Matt_N]

Taking payment outside of eBay and PayPal is more risky though and opens you up to a few potential issues.

Anybody can use PayPal aslong as they have a bank card, you just pay via that rather than having an account.

Sounds like a scam being lined up to me.

[Funk]

dingg said:

yes it is safe to accept money by bank transfer , there's not a lot someone can do with your bank account details contrary to what the previous poster thinks.

Don't give the goods up until the money is cleared in your account

Really?

So this couldn't happen now? http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7174760.stm

[Saleen836]

I had my Paypal account closed by Paypal due to issues with ebay, I can still pay via paypal as a guest using the same debit card that was attached to my old paypal account!

How far away is the buyer?
Anychance of meeting halfway and accepting cash perhaps?

[Kingdom35]

dingg said:

yes it is safe to accept money by bank transfer , there's not a lot someone can do with your bank account details contrary to what the previous poster thinks.

Don't give the goods up until the money is cleared in your account

Experience tells me don't do it. But I guess this is your opinion and youre entitled to that. But I just wouldn't, no need to when your account can easily be linked to a paypal account and the risk is reduced considerably.

[dingg]

ever paid by cheque ?

ever handed card over to pay by debit?

you run exactly the same risk of having your bank details copied.

[xjay1337]

Funk said:

Really?

So this couldn't happen now? http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7174760.stm

Nothing to do with it being pretty much public knowledge where he lives.
I've given my bank details out LOADS of times for selling things and never have had a problem.

Talk about over reaction.

It's more than possible he's had a paypal problem and it's not the buyers responsibility to explain why. This is not suspicious. Paypal are s.

For example my account, that I've had since 2005, was frozen 7 days ago and then permanently blocked 3 days ago. I've sent over £20,000 through it and around £5000 in fees have been paid for both sent and received payments.
Ultimately it was because apparently I was too young when I made my Paypal account. Doesn't matter I'm 27 now..... but the "Thanks for the bomb, mashallah brother" as a payment reference probably also was suspicious.

[anonymous-user]

dingg said:

ever paid by cheque ?

ever handed card over to pay by debit?

you run exactly the same risk of having your bank details copied.

All of which appears to be a lot safer than staying in a Marriott hotel!

[tim0409]

It's strange that he is unwilling to use Paypal as a buyer given it would give him far more security than a bank transfer. I used to sell the odd Macbook/iPad on eBay but have given up on both due to the amount of scammers. That said, a RC car is probably not at the top of a fraudsters list; if he has good feedback on ebay and you have his address I would proceed but with caution. I always find doing an "enhanced security check" otherwise known as a google search of the buyers name/address usually puts my mind at rest one way or another.

It's amazing (and equally depressing) how untrustworthy we all are nowadays (justifiably so). I had a prospective group booking for our holiday let with a name that read like an upturned Nigerian scrabble board; after a search I quickly established the booking was from a highly regarded doctor/lecturer from Oxford University.....they were the perfect guests.