rlatuchie

I have been a dedicated participant in this forum for the last several years. Recently in preparation for a move, and downsizing, I used this forum as a mechanism to try to sell a couple of camera bags that were unused. I had an inquiry from a user, who for the time being shall go un-named and we arranged the purchase of the smaller of the two bags. He supplied me with his address, in West Virginia, and having never done this before I said to him, I will ship it to you UPS, and send you a copy of the shipping bill which added to the purchase price was to be sent to my PayPal account. I knew this was a risk, but I said to him, I'm going to trust you, and he gave me a big thumbs up.

The bill for shipping was quite a bit higher than I expected, and I have neither gotten paid, or heard from my buyer since. The sale happened 2 days ago, and I shipped it yesterday. Hopefully this individual will come to realize that he will be the loser in this transaction if he stiffs me. I will give him another day, before I identify him on this forum. In the strange times we are living in, you would like to think that people should trust one another, but I guess there are always exceptions. Hopefully this will be resolved. Stay tuned.

Dick
Rapid City

BebuLamar

I don't think you should post this if you only shipped it yesterday. The buyer may not have a chance to reply to you and obviously didn't get the bags or the shipping bill.

Adicus Loc: New Zealand

2 days does not seem to me very long to have doubts about someones honesty. Give them a bit more time is my opinion

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

I agree with the opinion that you did not wait long enough. And, if you do post it again, it should not go in this forum; this forum is about photography topics. It's always, Buyer Beware.

rlatuchie

With all due respect, I disagree. I emailed the copies of the bill to the individual, and have not heard anything from him for 2days. I gave him the benefit of the doubt by not naming him. I shipped to him as soon as we had the deal, and he was supposed to pay once he knew the total.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

If you shipped it yesterday, then you couldn’t have communicated the final price to him before then, so it’s only been a day since he knew the price assuming he’s checked email in the last 24 hours. Yesterday is the Sabbath for some and today is for others, so it’s not unreasonable for him to not have checked email this weekend. Besides, he hasn’t received the merchandise yet has he, so he may be waiting for the delivery before paying. Not sure the terms you agreed to, but it seems that you may be jumping to conclusions. In the future, if this worries you, wait for the money to be transferred to your account before shipping and make that policy clear on the front end.

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

Selling something online, even here on UHH, is always a risk. Trust is paramount, however you have to give someone a chance to receive the merchandise before he can adequately reply. I always prefer to receive payment before relinquishing whatever it is that I’m selling, because once you put it in the mail, it’s gone. Again, this all requires a certain level of trust. It’s just been a day, and even though you communicated via email, he may not have had a chance to respond yet. Perhaps he works at a job that keeps him away, or he’s been preoccupied with this Coronavirus pandemic, and this sale has slipped to second place. I’d say if you don’t hear from him in several days, then take action. Most folks here are honorable.

rlatuchie

I hope you're right. I'd be happy to apologize, if I am wrong.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Just a general comment: If the buyer pays through Paypal, as payment for a business transaction, they're protected in case the item doesn't arrive. If the seller accepts payment via Paypal, they just need to account for the shipping cost and possibly a 3% transaction fee when setting their sales price. Both sides of transaction are protected. Other than a personal check or in-person cash, there is no other valid way in March 2020 to approach these transactions, shipping only upon confirmed receipt of payment.

rlatuchie

Am I misunderstanding, in that in this case the seller is not protected, because he was dumb enough to ship the goods without payment received. And I would have required that, but couldn't figure out how to determine shipping costs without actually shipping. And figured most people are basically honest.

jbk224 Loc: Long Island, NY

Clearly you are new to all of this. You could have determined the shipping before actually shipping the item and collected your money in advance. Let's hope your naiveté does not cost you in the end.

jbk224 Loc: Long Island, NY

Clearly you are new to all of this. You could have determined the shipping before actually shipping the item and collected your money in advance. Let's hope your naiveté does not cost you in the end.

bleirer

I'd give it a week myself

usnret Loc: Woodhull Il

When you said he gave you a big thumbs I assume it was an online conversation you had. One thing I like to do in similar situations is to ask for a phone # and a good time to call to work out all the little details before committing to anything. I kinda get either good vibes or bad vibes about the deal in a one on one friendly chat. It's very rare that my sixth sense lets me down. If they don't want to give out their # then I offer them mine. No chat no deal. I can sniff out a scammer much easier over the phone

jwreed50 Loc: Manassas, VA

Has the buyer even received the bag yet? Maybe he (or she) wanted to see it before he paid. That would allow him to return it to you if he was not satisfied. I'm with the others above . . . a little more time is reasonable here.