Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

I have an extremely high level of trust and confidence with KEH and B&H for selling my previously owned equipment... only on one rare occasion did KEH lower the amount of their initial quote which I rejected... They carefully repackaged the camera and shipped it back at their expense... (thus I did not incur any cost in this transaction.) However on one recent occasion B&H actually sent me a check for more than their initial quote for a vintage lens (I had included the OEM's pricey hood).

I buy and sell used kit from both the aforementioned established vendors... they are absolutely stellar in their high ethical standards... and their rating systems are superb... only on one occasion did a return a previously own lens to B&H which had an issue with the on board chip (it did not return valid EXIF data) and B&H paid for the shipping back and provided a refund in full...

But wait you say... I can get more on UHH or eBay for my gear...
My thoughts here? "cave vendit..."

Bill_de Loc: US

Has the buyer been a long time member with reasonable activity? If so, I might give it a little more time. Could be something happened that prevented the buyer from responding. Otherwise do whatever you think best.

I used to have the same attitude as Gene, but I moved out of NY fourteen years ago. Gene's escape from NY was more recent. He might mellow and become a little more trusting in time.



---

Scruples Loc: Brooklyn, New York

Damn Straight, Skippy!

I haven't purchased many things on line but I usually pay then I receive. This works in retail brick and mortar stores.
If you send an item without payment first, then consider it a gift.

If a person doesn't pay for merchandise, I would warn that person you will publish their user name and their real name and address. Try sending them a letter return receipt for properly information to them. If no response, Then do so.

There could be unforeseen contingencies that may have prevented the recipient from paying in a timely fashion.

Quixdraw Loc: x

I have heard of a new scam - buyer contacting PayPal that the product received was not as described - old damaged, etc. Sending back whatever (not what was shipped) to the seller and getting a refund - no recourse for the seller. I may only deal with businesses - Roberts, B&H, KEH - moving forward.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

These schemes are why the seller should have detailed images of the item in their public-facing for-sale listing. They should also have images of the item's serial number, whether the S/N is posted publicly or not. They should also have images of the item in the box and the shipping / tracking number, when payment is received and ready for shipment. If there's one, there's a hundred posts online covering online selling best practices.

PayPal has moved to the lead in this area by primarily protecting the buyer, as you need confident buyers to have a successful online market.

But, if our OP decided to ignore all these best practices as well as not even utilizing PayPal, they created their own problem and have no recourse other than to complain on a message board and to try filing a police report. There were so many alarm bells that should have been ringing as they performed the actions they knew they should not have been doing ...

From the story, we're also left wondering if the OP has tried calling the "buyer" rather than just emails and PMs.

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

I'm not sure whether you're offering advice or bragging!

Bobspez Loc: Southern NJ, USA

If it was the buyer's idea to pay after he received the goods, then it does sound like the OP was conned. Once they gain your trust, con artists can get you to believe almost anything.