redfordl Loc: Carver,Ma.

If i sell a product on craigslist, what type of payment is advisable so one does not get stiffed?cash,personal check etc.?

JacobPH

Definitely cash. Be careful and go with your gut feelings.

MLMH Loc: LaGrange, KY

Cash - I have bought and sold several things on Craigslist and it is always cash transactions.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

How about PayPal?

donrent Loc: Punta Gorda , Fl

Cash first choice.
Paypal second...
NO Bank Cashier checks under ANY circumstances....

Sold my van on Craigs list and one numb nut wanted to give me a $100 extra to hold it for him till he gets down to me with a Bk Ck... uh uh.... sur I did, I did... Told him to go forth and - you guess the rest..............

As the ole saying goes: Cash talks, and BS walks...

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

I have accepted many Bank Drafts for Craigslist sales from all over the USA, but ALWAYS make sure that bank has a phone number for a customer service department so you can verify the validity of that check, they are VERY easy to counterfeit these days. Once you call the bank and the check is valid, you can safely ship, but NEVER before you have validated it. As far a money orders? Only USPS money orders are guaranteed, but you still need to take that money order to the post office to validate it before shipping as the market for stolen USPS MO's is huge right now. Cash is still king if meeting in person, and I demand it unless I am shipping an item.
Paypal is good if you are using Ebay as Ebay owns it and will guaranteed transactions there, but its not good for private sales as the buyer can simply state he never got the item or that it was not the item ordered and Paypal will retract the payment instantly! They protect the buyer at the expense of the seller in every case, way too easy to commit fraud there.
I sold over $15,000 in camera gear in the last year and about 2/3 of it was via Craigslist. I did receive one counterfeit Bank Draft and I turned that over to the FBI for prosecution of interstate fraud laws, still waiting to be subpoenaed for that trial in Salt Lake City scheduled for this November.
Due vigilance is irreplaceable!

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I once sold a car to a "friend," and let him keep the plates on it to drive it 90 minutes home. He moved far away, and I never got the plates back. I did, however, get several parking tickets with extra fees tacked on for late payment.

My parents did the same thing years before, and the cops came to the door one night. The guy they sold the car to ran a red light and never appeared in court.

prestonphoto Loc: Bath, NY

Craigslist - CASH only. I've handled a few transactions on Craigslist and only dealt local and with cash. I've heard too many horror stories about checks, money orders and bank drafts. As donrent quoted - Cash talks and BS walks

phil9945 Loc: British Columbia, Canada

I gotta share this ... I contacted a guy yesterday about some spare batteries for my Canon 5D Mk2 (aftermarket) - didn't want to fork out $80 at the store. This Craigslist guy had some aftermarket ones for $25 ... I emailed him and mentioned I would like to acquire 2 batteries - he responded with an email of 4 pictures and the words - My finger is pointing at where the batteries are. 1st picture was of a box with his name and address, 2nd picture of a pathway to the back part of a house, 3rd picture of a open-like table with the box on a lower shelf - 4th picture sort of similar to the 3rd.
I was totally confused cause I wanted to meet the guy, pay him, and get some batteries - I managed to get him to call me ... and this is what he said:
He told me that he'd been selling for years on CL - leaving the goods out like this for the buyer to collect who would then leave payment in the box for whatever they took - the honor system - and he has never been stiffed. (He works 13 hours a day away from his home - so his time is stretched)
So - I grabbed my 2 batteries - and left $50 in an envelope for him ... walked away smiling - cause my faith in humanity had just been given a great big boost.

gymschwinn Loc: Greenwood Village, CO.

Hey shooter. remember the Sigma 500mm lesn I was trying to sell? Well, I placed it on Colorado Craigslist and got an IMMEDIATE reply. Guy says he's sending the cashiers check and intruction on where to send the lens. Sounds suspious, so I will NOT send the lens until after my bank verifies for me that it is valid. Anything else I should do? If it's bogus, how do I help catch these bastards?

gsrunyan Loc: Aurora, CO

Gymschwinn:

Don't just call the bank to see if the check is real-the bad guy's friend may be waiting to answer (as a former banker I have seen this happen). Deposit the check and wait for it to clear. Even better, have your bank send it out for collection-they will get a cash deposit bank.

Glenn

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

An OLD scam. He will send a check for more than the asking price to cover postage. The check will be PHONEY, but will look VERY GOOD. Your bank would even accept it for deposit, but it will bounce in about a week as "account closed" or " invalid account number". Call the bank that issued the check, IF you can find a number. If not, then contact the local FBI office about it, because it will always come from out of state. They will assist you. They will probably have you ship a phoney package to the address, and be there when the seller accepts the package to arrest him for interstate mail fraud.
Good luck.

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

Exactly why you never use any phone number listed on the check. Get the number from the internet or the Yellow Pages. A phone number on a phoney check will be just as phoney as the account number every time.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I once bought a car in California, and I brought a bank check from NY. The dealer took me to their bank while they verified the check. Then we concluded the transaction.

You could be holding a pefectly good bank check, but the guy could clear out his account before you have a chance to cash it.

gsrunyan Loc: Aurora, CO

A bank check is drawn on a bank, not on a personal account. The funds are set aside for payment before the check is issued and the bank is on the hook for the money.