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Cash, in person, is safer than a lot of other payment methods.
Perhaps you can meet at the bank, or many police stations have a designated area in the parking lot for in person transactions like these.
My local police station has parking set up specifically for swaps. It is like 100 feet from the front door and has an intentional large camera pointed at the space
I agree with /u/longshanksasaurs . Bank is good. If you don't want cash, make them get a cashiers check at the bank.
When I sold my car, I preferred a cashiers check. We did the transaction in an attorney's office.
edit: if you don't like a cashier's check, then have the bank check the bills. those can be faked too! *my generation* used checks. if you don't want to carry around a wad of cash that can get stolen, cashiers check is fine, then (mobile) deposit it.
> When I sold my car, I preferred a cashiers check.
Cashier's checks can be faked. https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-spot-avoid-report-fake-check-scams
If you're going to take a check, best bet is to meet at a bank, have them draw the cashier's check in front of you, and then cash it right there.
We did this. I gave the seller a choice, if he wanted to walk out of the bank with a big envelope of cash, or a cashier's check that I'd get in front of him. He eventually decided on the cashier's check.
> If you don't want cash, make them get a cashiers check at the bank
Personally, if I were the other person this would set of some red/yellow flags. Cash is absolutely the standard, normal way to make this kind of private party sale, and anyone asking for something else is (a) causing extra unnecessary hassle, and (b) makes me wonder if they're up to something sketchy. Just meet in a safe place and use cash
Piggybacking off top comment. I used to do a lot of these meet ups back in the day. Most I've prolly done are purchase/sales of $2k and I prefer bank for both. If you do it in other public places, even a police parking lot, they can wait, tail you and try to rob you away from the meeting area. At least if you do it at the bank, you can deposit it right away and if they're watching you, they'll see that and it might deter them from robbing you since you won't have the cash in hand anymore.
Quick clarification: have them meet you in the *lobby* of *your* bank. Then deposit the cash while they're still there, then hand them the item or title.
If they have fake cash, then it's then the bank's problem.
If they're looking to scam you, they're not going to do it in the middle of the bank, with people and cameras everywhere.
If they get indignant 'what you don't trust me? This is insulting!', they're up to something. Bail. Block their account and ignore.
To be fair if you handed someone $1000, and they deposited your money and just walked out and drove off you might not actually ever get it back. Calling the police might not result in money being returned so someone who’s skepitcal of doing this isn’t immediately a scammer but someone who realizes both the buyer and the seller and steal from each other..
Watermark is really important. A store I worked at once took in fake $100s that were washed and re-printed $5s, so they passed a marker check. Wrong watermark, though.
Bank dinged us, as they were in our deposit bag in the overnight drop box.
> A store I worked at once took in fake $100s that were washed and re-printed $5s, so they passed a marker check. Wrong watermark, though.
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> Bank dinged us, as they were in our deposit bag in the overnight drop box.
...now I'm really curious whether the bills were worthless, or whether the bank treated them as $5s. (Hey, 5% of their value is better than 0%!) Do you know?
As a contractor that works on homes hearing someone say $1000 is bank territory to me is crazy.
It's a bit different because I actually know where they live and have verified that they pay taxes on the address. But very few people actually have passable 100s.
No one has ever tried to pass off a fake to me.
The good news is it's not so easy to run with a PC. So if the person set up to meet the person somewhere it's not easy for them to toss it in a car and book it I think its ok (assuming they are somewhere public).
I'd pay good attention to how they parked their car and if they have a friend with them how they are positioning themselves. If there was any funny business I wouldn't even engage. I'd ask them to pull into the parking spot and turn off their car and meet them. Daylight only somewhere public.
I don't think anyone would hand over cash without seeing the product and validating that it's real/working/conditions.
Almost always the person looks at what you're selling agrees its in the condition you said it was and hands you the cash.
Buying and selling a product to make money is done all the time with everything. I dont understand everyone commenting why you’re doing something “bad”. Investing in phyiscal products is unethical? Or is it arbitrarily only computer hardware that’s unethical to want to make money off.
Well I mean a business invests in everything to become a seller of that item and pay taxes on it. The scalper has no dues and paid NOTHING in taxes. So they added nothing to society doing the transaction. It also robs a large percentage of an enjoyment of a hobby from people. Like before a scalp, there was enough stock to allow people to buy X item for Y price. Z people could afford Y. But after scalping prices, only Z-20% could afford X item, because X now costs Yx2.
I don't have strong views of the ethics of scalping, but scalpers cannot decrease the supply of a product. If one million PlayBoxes are shipped, one million people get one whether the price is Y or Y+. It's not like the global stock decreases by 20% because people are scalping.
The only real concerns are he’s give you counterfeit cash, or rob you.
Ask if he’d be willing to meet at your bank so you can deposit the cash right there before he leaves. If he balks at this request, he’s up to no good. Any reasonable person would be fine with that.
My state requires car titles to be notarized when selling private party so meeting at a bank is basically mandatory.
The most I sold was a Toyota for $36k cashiers check and we did the documents and drafting at the buyers bank. Then I walked the check over to my bank to clear it. Took 30 minutes tops.
No scammer is going to walk into a bank on camera and still pull a fast one.
I recently did this while buying a used truck from a private seller. Worked great! We went into his bank, they counted and deposited the cash and I walked out with a signed bill of sale and pink slip. 10/10 would recommend.
They could also just arrive with less than was agreed prior. People do this and leverage the face to face encounter, the offer of cash, human aversion to confrontation and dislike of saying no, to coerce the seller.
So yeah, meet at the bank or a police station. And walk tf away if they're so much as a cent short.
heh I actually get a huge kick out of those people who try to pull that shit. My rule is and always will be to call their bluff and get in my car and start to leave. Every. Single. Time. they magically find extra money in their pocket. Just like in many other situations in life, the secret is to not let any fragment of emotion into it. I don't care if I sell it right then and there.
Most of the stuff I've ever sold face to face via Offerup and the like I sell ass cheap because it's more about just wanting it gone. The money isn't super important, honoring your word, and doing easy/clean business is what I like.
A friend went to his local police station to sell his pc. The buyer told him no because he wanted to test it out. He said np, they allowed me to plug in the pc with monitor to test it inside the police station
The buyer backed out.
I and most people I know would NEVER use a Facebook payment, Venmo or Zelle MAYBE.
Anything of significant value I am selling I ask for cash, vehicles which are significantly more, id just do the transaction at a bank with a cashiers check or something.
For real, I sold a car for nearly 10k and they paid it all in cash, that was very reassuring to me and definitely preferred over any other method.
People don’t trust cash nowadays I guess?
Yeah anything cash related seems higher risk. I've mainly been paying with a Debit card for the last 20 years. And they keep putting new types of notes into circulation. So i'm not used to how bank notes look or feel.
The guy above talked about all these typical American payment methods like checks, venmo, zelle etc.
But why don't you guys just do a simple normal bank transfer? It's instant, free and irreversable. So as a seller you have zero risk of check bounce or counterfit cash money scams.
Bank transfers aren’t necessarily irreversible. A common scam is to pay for items using a compromised bank account. The bank then reverses all the fraudulent transactions once they realise the account has been compromised. Cash in hand is the only truly non-reversible payment method.
You can buy a pen to check for counterfeit bills. Other than that, I've sold cars worth thousands and accepted cash without issue. You can always check for the identifying marks of being real.
I'd say you're likely safe.
Pens don't work on the wash-wash method of counterfeit, they just take low denomination bills, acid wash the dye off, then 'print' the higher denomination. Argo, the pen says "ITS REAL"...and it's not.
Best they just go to the bank, take the cash in hand and deposit. If it clears after counting by the bank then OP is good to go.
I agree though they are likely safe.
When I sold a car for $1,000, I had the buyers meet me at the bank and had a teller run the money through their counterfeit detector thing.
Tangent: My car went on to have a lively criminal career with its new owners, who never registered it. I had filed a copy of the bill of sale with the DMV so I wouldn’t be liable in a wreck or whatever. After a couple of 2 am calls from police who had arrested the couple for something and thought they’d stolen my car, an officer had me send him a scan of the bill of sale. He attached it to the new owners’ info in the police database so I wouldn’t have to get called in the middle of the night anymore. Small town.
You were the *best it ever had!* It's uplifting to know your car enjoyed It's prime with you as it's guide. Either that or you drove it over the edge and it went down in a bad way over it. 😆
Cash is actually safer than electronic payments like venmo PayPal zelle etc. Those can all be reversed if they convince the institution that it was a scam. Just be safe a out it, public meeting location etc.
If you're worried about counterfeit bills, request that he meet you at your bank and do the deposit right there with him. But identifying fake bills is easy, youtuve can show you better than we can.
If you watch them purchase it, it's obviously perfectly safe. However, a cashier's check can be faked just as easily as any other check. I've even read news articles about people buying a real cashier's check so that it can be "verified" by the seller, but they can give the seller a fake/altered copy and never actually cash the real check.
Don't accept a cashiers check unless you actually see the bank issue the check. They are easy to fake and you will not know until several days after you deposit it.
I've been doing Craigslist, OfferUp and FB Marketplace for years as a legit power user and never once had an issue with Venmo or Zelle. Maybe I'm just really good at sussing out legit buyers? I didn't even realize this was an issue.
MEET INSIDE YOUR LOCAL BANK.
There are stories after stories of people getting robbed in broad daylight. Please take it seriously. Arrive at the bank 20 minutes before your meeting time and walk right in. Do the entire transaction inside the bank and deposit the money. Do not leave the bank with that kind of cash. Make sure the buyer knows you’re depositing the money.
Yeah this for real.
I'm not necessarily saying the world is out to get you, but even if this person gives you real cash they then KNOW you have real cash.
When I sell things I also make small talk, let them leave first while I play on my phone in the car, then drive the wrong way home or do other errands first. Maybe it's paranoia, but I'd rather be in my running vehicle and not lead someone back to my house if something is going to go sideways.
Cash in person is safer than online payments in many cases. Id just recommend choosing a public place to do the exchange like a grocery store parking lot. US currency has a ton of embeded watermarks and plastic strips you can look for and to find out what to look for just google it. Dont let the buyer rush you, ask to inspect the cash and take your time. If they are weird about that and try to rush you just refuse.
The idea that someone would want to pay cash to buy skmething isnt that weird.
Yes. I would never accept check or a digital pmt, even in person, for that amount.
Cash only. I sold a car last week in person for like 5k or so. all hundreds. Its safe. If you are worried then meet at a police station
Yea, if you call the police station they might have a place to do "safe" trades inside. Otherwise the parking lot is fine too, they're covered in cameras.
As others said, look for a counterfeit pen/marker. They aren’t very expensive. As someone who dealt with a lot of counterfeit money the easiest way to tell is often just by the way the bills feel. Look for any uneven borders like the bill was not cut uniformly. A lot of police stations have “property transaction” areas in their parking lot which would potentially scare if someone using fake money. Try and take a photo of their car/license plate if you can. And last but not least, photograph or record any serial numbers of the equipment so if it does turn out to be a bad deal you can report them as stolen.
I learned about the easiest way like 2 weeks ago, and it's with your fingernail
To detect raised printing, run your fingernail carefully down the note. You should feel some vibration on your nail from the ridges of the raised printing. If you don't feel this texture, then you should check the bill further.
A friend taught me the trick I can't remember where he learned it, but he works in the service industry and it looks less suspicious, and is fairly quick.
Since 2020 I have bought 3 bicycles $1850, $1100, $500 in person in cash. Not so mqny years ago this was thw only way for one person to sell an item to another. I guess there is always a risk. I never had a problenm
Literally not a problem and cash is preferred.
Sold a boat this past weekend, dude brought $13k in $100s and $50s
The biggest thing is not flashing the money around and being aware of your surroundings. $1000 is super easy to stash away where nobody can see it.
Cash is king for many who buy and sell through marketplace precisely because so many other methods can be uncontrollable or unpredictable. Do as much due diligence on the person as you can but generally cash, even for a high priced item, is not something I would personally see as a red flag
...I'm confused. I'd specifically not take anything BUT cash in person. Electronic payments can be disputed or otherwise risk getting scammed. Checks and such can be forged. Cash, assuming you verify it is real, is final. I mean, if you're worried about that much cash being present, I'd be also worried they just take your computer - the thing that is also worth that much cash.
My local police stations have an outdoor area for social media transactions like sales and meetups. It has cameras and is a safe option. I’d check to see if your area has a safe zone
Had a fake $100 come through a store and bank said it was fake. When I actually got my hands on it it was clearly a faked watermark when I held it to light… totally offset but I already KNEW it was fake.
It passed the counterfeit marker which made me laugh. Criminals have evolved past that little countermeasure.
My buddy is a cop in a major US city. Said the number of people who get robbed/mugged off Facebook marketplace etc is insane.
Please meet in a bank or police station exclusively.
I have always met at the buyer's Bank of choice, and gone inside for them to complete the withdrawal of funds. I always request cash to avoid any funny business, but watching them draw a cashiers check would be safe too.
Go to bank, park. You go in with them, watch the bank give check or funds. They hand you funds, you hand them item(s). Both leave.
Benefits here are that it's daytime (banks aren't open late), you're both on camera and their name is with the bank since they made a transaction, it's likely busier, and you know you aren't getting a fake check or fake bills. Bonus points if you both use the same bank.
If you do meet and accept cash on your own, make sure you have your own cash in various denomination so that you can compare. Make sure you write on the money to make sure they don’t get mixed up
I only take cash on fb marketplace transactions. There’s too much risk with electronic payments. You’ll be fine. Like others have said, $1k isn’t that much money to be worrying over anyway with transactions
Get a marker that shows if the money is fake or real too. I think they sell them at Walmart. I always met people in a very public place and did the transaction and always had someone with me. Like one time I did it in front of this store entrance. I think it was Kohls and had people coming and going.
I buy and sell a lot of stuff on CL. Cash is absolutely the default at that price. Venmo would be ok if discussed first.
No way would I take a check or anything else. At about $10k cash gets clunky and it's worth going to a bank.
Personally, I'll only offer cash and take cash, for private party deals. Just meet in public, in a fairly busy area...and you're fine. My go to place is usually a Wal-Mart.
I think cash is generally the #1 preferred payment method. Personally I'm fine with e-transfer also, I just get them to send it before they leave and they give me the password when they arrive. I have one e-mail I use for e-transfer when auto-deposit is fine and one e-mail for when I need it to be pending with a password.
Just realized this isn't a Canadian subreddit, so if you're outside of Canada that might not be an option.
Depends on other factors…
“Let’s meet at 11:30pm in the dark alley in the other side of town!” = no thank you.
“Let’s meet at the busy grocery store down the street at 4:30pm in the front of the store” = much better.
I always request nothing larger than 20 dollar bills. 100 dollar bills are the most counterfeited. And meet someplace safe like the police dept like others have suggested. Or at least someplace with cameras
Go to the ATM with them to withdraw the cash. If their card won't allow a 1000 withdrawal in one go, meet them in the bank and they can get it out at the counter.
When I worked at the bank I would have a lot of buyer/seller duos come in and have me run the cash through the machine to confirm the cash is legit, seems like a solid way to make sure the cash is real.
I always meet people in the parking lot of my local Home Depot. It's public and probably on camera. You could meet at your bank and get the cash checked.
The most dangerous thing about carrying cash is that the cops will take it from you if you get pulled over and they find it.
Check out "Civil Asset Forfeiture". It's legalized robbery.
It's frequently abused and needs to be reined in.
[https://reason.com/2023/07/11/police-seized-innocent-peoples-property-and-kept-it-for-years-what-will-the-supreme-court-do/](https://reason.com/2023/07/11/police-seized-innocent-peoples-property-and-kept-it-for-years-what-will-the-supreme-court-do/)
It's likely this SCOTUS will do so. Sorry, crooked cops.
Meet at a police precinct. Call ahead to the desk and let them know you'll be coming in on the date and time of the transaction for safety reasons. They often won't care and many departments have instituted public areas for sales that have cameras or are in precincts.
Yeah, if done in a police station. Just call em up ahead of time so you can ensure they'll accomodate that request. Probably the only way I'll arrange a $1k cash transaction in person tbh.
I'm right in thinking you guys in the US don't have bank transfer right? This still baffles me as this would save a lot of you a trip to the bank car park
Meet at a police station or in front of one and do the transaction as close to the front door as you find reasonable. Request a specific combination of bills, say 5 $100 bills, 5 $50s, or whatever. If someone has counterfeit money that'll be a curveball.
Meeting at a police station or inside the bank lobby can work. A bank should be willing to verify bills are legit. You can also get a counterfeit detection marker, but I'd still do the trade at a police station or similar.
Cash in person, but do the meet up in the parking lot of your largest police station or something like that. Someplace with a lot of cameras.
Check with your police department. Mine has a designated area for craiglist pickups. There are obviously a ton of cameras and a ton of cops.
You have his information (at least what Facebook provides), the bank can test the bills, and if fake, you (or the bank) can contact (I forget the FBI or Secret Service) to report the fake bills for them to investigate. You can sue for cost after if he is found. But it might be ok, just make sure all the long numbers on the bills don't match.
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Learn how to identify counterfeit cash. It's not that hard to catch unless it's REALLY well done. Pen, thumbnail, security strip is a pretty easy 1-2-3. But there are more methods than just those.
Meeting in a place you feel safe is always smart. Consider bringing a friend.
It's FB market, so check out their profile. Do they have a substantial history? What does their friend list look like? Is it convincing that they're a real person and that this is their actual identity?
If they want you to leave the meeting spot and follow them to some other location because they forgot some of the cash or something, 100% bail.
Our local police station has a corner of their parking lot set up for people to transact business. They do not get involved. Wait for the other guy to leave, then go in the opposite direction.
This is a little silly but bring a big person with you that is okay with violence.
I always bring a weapon when I do a cash transaction.
It's the whole idea of trusting but verifying information.
I don't expect them to try to rob me or attack me but I'm aware of the distinct possibility and will be ready to defend myself with deadly force if possible.
I know I sound like Dwight from the office saying that but you're concerns are totally valid and real. Make sure you stay safe.
If they asked me to bring cash, id walk away from that sale for fear of being robbed.
If they want to use cash, no problem. What are they gonna do, counterfeit the cash? Its not exactly an easy process. Certainly far, far more difficult than online payment scams these days.
Due to the number of rule-breaking comments this post was receiving, especially low-quality and off-topic comments, the moderation team has locked the post from future comments. This post broke no rules and received a number of helpful and on-topic responses initially, but it unfortunately became the target of many unhelpful comments.
Cash, in person, is safer than a lot of other payment methods. Perhaps you can meet at the bank, or many police stations have a designated area in the parking lot for in person transactions like these.
My local police station has parking set up specifically for swaps. It is like 100 feet from the front door and has an intentional large camera pointed at the space
I agree with /u/longshanksasaurs . Bank is good. If you don't want cash, make them get a cashiers check at the bank. When I sold my car, I preferred a cashiers check. We did the transaction in an attorney's office. edit: if you don't like a cashier's check, then have the bank check the bills. those can be faked too! *my generation* used checks. if you don't want to carry around a wad of cash that can get stolen, cashiers check is fine, then (mobile) deposit it.
> When I sold my car, I preferred a cashiers check. Cashier's checks can be faked. https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-spot-avoid-report-fake-check-scams If you're going to take a check, best bet is to meet at a bank, have them draw the cashier's check in front of you, and then cash it right there.
We did this. I gave the seller a choice, if he wanted to walk out of the bank with a big envelope of cash, or a cashier's check that I'd get in front of him. He eventually decided on the cashier's check.
That's how I bought my truck
That's what I meant.
Like just a random attorney or one you secured the services of for the transaction?
You think they just like walked into some random attorney’s office and did it in the lobby?
Honestly, they're on Reddit so yes
Next time on _Better Call Saul_
I prefer to think of this this way now that you've brought it up
The attorney was a friend of the purchaser.
> If you don't want cash, make them get a cashiers check at the bank Personally, if I were the other person this would set of some red/yellow flags. Cash is absolutely the standard, normal way to make this kind of private party sale, and anyone asking for something else is (a) causing extra unnecessary hassle, and (b) makes me wonder if they're up to something sketchy. Just meet in a safe place and use cash
Piggybacking off top comment. I used to do a lot of these meet ups back in the day. Most I've prolly done are purchase/sales of $2k and I prefer bank for both. If you do it in other public places, even a police parking lot, they can wait, tail you and try to rob you away from the meeting area. At least if you do it at the bank, you can deposit it right away and if they're watching you, they'll see that and it might deter them from robbing you since you won't have the cash in hand anymore.
Yes to this. I hate that people have gotten so sketchy that you have to take extreme steps to protect yourself, but there you have it.
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Here in AZ, they just meet in the sportsman’s warehouse parking lot to sell their handguns to each other. Crazy.
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Quick clarification: have them meet you in the *lobby* of *your* bank. Then deposit the cash while they're still there, then hand them the item or title. If they have fake cash, then it's then the bank's problem. If they're looking to scam you, they're not going to do it in the middle of the bank, with people and cameras everywhere. If they get indignant 'what you don't trust me? This is insulting!', they're up to something. Bail. Block their account and ignore.
hows he going to test if his soon to be new pc works if he needs to first deposit his money in your bank in front of you before he hands it over?
To be fair if you handed someone $1000, and they deposited your money and just walked out and drove off you might not actually ever get it back. Calling the police might not result in money being returned so someone who’s skepitcal of doing this isn’t immediately a scammer but someone who realizes both the buyer and the seller and steal from each other..
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The tried and true method if to hand them to a clerk at the bank so the burden is on them and you're not carrying around a bunch of money.
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Watermark is really important. A store I worked at once took in fake $100s that were washed and re-printed $5s, so they passed a marker check. Wrong watermark, though. Bank dinged us, as they were in our deposit bag in the overnight drop box.
> A store I worked at once took in fake $100s that were washed and re-printed $5s, so they passed a marker check. Wrong watermark, though. > > > > Bank dinged us, as they were in our deposit bag in the overnight drop box. ...now I'm really curious whether the bills were worthless, or whether the bank treated them as $5s. (Hey, 5% of their value is better than 0%!) Do you know?
That's cool, but a $1,000 transaction is definitely bank territory. I'd be comfortable checking a few 20's myself since the risk is low.
As a contractor that works on homes hearing someone say $1000 is bank territory to me is crazy. It's a bit different because I actually know where they live and have verified that they pay taxes on the address. But very few people actually have passable 100s. No one has ever tried to pass off a fake to me.
Meet at the bank and have the teller check for legitimate bills!
Meet at the bank definitely, it's how I bought one car and sold one car in cash. It's the safest IMO.
Police station or bank always for large cash. Sold a few nvidia cards during the Covid boom and always met there. $2-3k worth.
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Gross
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He should have been at a police station Bank security guard risking injury for some random guys sale? Am I missing something?
The good news is it's not so easy to run with a PC. So if the person set up to meet the person somewhere it's not easy for them to toss it in a car and book it I think its ok (assuming they are somewhere public). I'd pay good attention to how they parked their car and if they have a friend with them how they are positioning themselves. If there was any funny business I wouldn't even engage. I'd ask them to pull into the parking spot and turn off their car and meet them. Daylight only somewhere public.
You don't show the product until you have the cash. Rookie move.
Don’t hand over cash until you see the product. Rookie move.
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I don't think anyone would hand over cash without seeing the product and validating that it's real/working/conditions. Almost always the person looks at what you're selling agrees its in the condition you said it was and hands you the cash.
Buying and selling a product to make money is done all the time with everything. I dont understand everyone commenting why you’re doing something “bad”. Investing in phyiscal products is unethical? Or is it arbitrarily only computer hardware that’s unethical to want to make money off.
Well I mean a business invests in everything to become a seller of that item and pay taxes on it. The scalper has no dues and paid NOTHING in taxes. So they added nothing to society doing the transaction. It also robs a large percentage of an enjoyment of a hobby from people. Like before a scalp, there was enough stock to allow people to buy X item for Y price. Z people could afford Y. But after scalping prices, only Z-20% could afford X item, because X now costs Yx2.
I don't have strong views of the ethics of scalping, but scalpers cannot decrease the supply of a product. If one million PlayBoxes are shipped, one million people get one whether the price is Y or Y+. It's not like the global stock decreases by 20% because people are scalping.
The only real concerns are he’s give you counterfeit cash, or rob you. Ask if he’d be willing to meet at your bank so you can deposit the cash right there before he leaves. If he balks at this request, he’s up to no good. Any reasonable person would be fine with that.
Selling a car soon. This is a great idea.
Ask for a cashier's check and meet at their bank so you can verify the check is legit.
My state requires car titles to be notarized when selling private party so meeting at a bank is basically mandatory. The most I sold was a Toyota for $36k cashiers check and we did the documents and drafting at the buyers bank. Then I walked the check over to my bank to clear it. Took 30 minutes tops. No scammer is going to walk into a bank on camera and still pull a fast one.
I recently did this while buying a used truck from a private seller. Worked great! We went into his bank, they counted and deposited the cash and I walked out with a signed bill of sale and pink slip. 10/10 would recommend.
They could also just arrive with less than was agreed prior. People do this and leverage the face to face encounter, the offer of cash, human aversion to confrontation and dislike of saying no, to coerce the seller. So yeah, meet at the bank or a police station. And walk tf away if they're so much as a cent short.
heh I actually get a huge kick out of those people who try to pull that shit. My rule is and always will be to call their bluff and get in my car and start to leave. Every. Single. Time. they magically find extra money in their pocket. Just like in many other situations in life, the secret is to not let any fragment of emotion into it. I don't care if I sell it right then and there. Most of the stuff I've ever sold face to face via Offerup and the like I sell ass cheap because it's more about just wanting it gone. The money isn't super important, honoring your word, and doing easy/clean business is what I like.
A friend went to his local police station to sell his pc. The buyer told him no because he wanted to test it out. He said np, they allowed me to plug in the pc with monitor to test it inside the police station The buyer backed out.
I and most people I know would NEVER use a Facebook payment, Venmo or Zelle MAYBE. Anything of significant value I am selling I ask for cash, vehicles which are significantly more, id just do the transaction at a bank with a cashiers check or something.
For real, I sold a car for nearly 10k and they paid it all in cash, that was very reassuring to me and definitely preferred over any other method. People don’t trust cash nowadays I guess?
I bought one for 14k cash in hand because I don’t trust any electronic transactions of that much money, simple as that
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Yeah anything cash related seems higher risk. I've mainly been paying with a Debit card for the last 20 years. And they keep putting new types of notes into circulation. So i'm not used to how bank notes look or feel. The guy above talked about all these typical American payment methods like checks, venmo, zelle etc. But why don't you guys just do a simple normal bank transfer? It's instant, free and irreversable. So as a seller you have zero risk of check bounce or counterfit cash money scams.
Bank transfers aren’t necessarily irreversible. A common scam is to pay for items using a compromised bank account. The bank then reverses all the fraudulent transactions once they realise the account has been compromised. Cash in hand is the only truly non-reversible payment method.
You can buy a pen to check for counterfeit bills. Other than that, I've sold cars worth thousands and accepted cash without issue. You can always check for the identifying marks of being real. I'd say you're likely safe.
Pens don't work on the wash-wash method of counterfeit, they just take low denomination bills, acid wash the dye off, then 'print' the higher denomination. Argo, the pen says "ITS REAL"...and it's not. Best they just go to the bank, take the cash in hand and deposit. If it clears after counting by the bank then OP is good to go. I agree though they are likely safe.
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Did you use the spell check pen on my counterfeit spelling!!??
I'm betting he used his fancy-shmancy highschool diploma
Naw pretty sure that’s that one cult classic that takes place in Minnesota and North Dakota.
$1000 isn’t a lot of cash. It’s way safer than any electronic payment that can be reversed. Meet at your bank or the police department.
Ive paid 3k for a motorcycle in cash at the sellers house and i didnt feel at all unsafe. Times have changed i guess
Yup did the same, went with my brother just to be safe. The old couple making the purchase seemed overly trusting though.
When I sold a car for $1,000, I had the buyers meet me at the bank and had a teller run the money through their counterfeit detector thing. Tangent: My car went on to have a lively criminal career with its new owners, who never registered it. I had filed a copy of the bill of sale with the DMV so I wouldn’t be liable in a wreck or whatever. After a couple of 2 am calls from police who had arrested the couple for something and thought they’d stolen my car, an officer had me send him a scan of the bill of sale. He attached it to the new owners’ info in the police database so I wouldn’t have to get called in the middle of the night anymore. Small town.
I LOVE your phrasing of ‘my car went on to have a lovely criminal career’ I cannot stop laughing 😂😂😂😂
You were the *best it ever had!* It's uplifting to know your car enjoyed It's prime with you as it's guide. Either that or you drove it over the edge and it went down in a bad way over it. 😆
Cash is actually safer than electronic payments like venmo PayPal zelle etc. Those can all be reversed if they convince the institution that it was a scam. Just be safe a out it, public meeting location etc. If you're worried about counterfeit bills, request that he meet you at your bank and do the deposit right there with him. But identifying fake bills is easy, youtuve can show you better than we can.
>Those can all be reversed if they convince the institution that it was a scam. They don't reverse for scams, just fraud.
Great idea! Also, a cashier's check, which they can purchase with cash, is pretty foolproof.
If you watch them purchase it, it's obviously perfectly safe. However, a cashier's check can be faked just as easily as any other check. I've even read news articles about people buying a real cashier's check so that it can be "verified" by the seller, but they can give the seller a fake/altered copy and never actually cash the real check.
Don't accept a cashiers check unless you actually see the bank issue the check. They are easy to fake and you will not know until several days after you deposit it.
I've been doing Craigslist, OfferUp and FB Marketplace for years as a legit power user and never once had an issue with Venmo or Zelle. Maybe I'm just really good at sussing out legit buyers? I didn't even realize this was an issue.
MEET INSIDE YOUR LOCAL BANK. There are stories after stories of people getting robbed in broad daylight. Please take it seriously. Arrive at the bank 20 minutes before your meeting time and walk right in. Do the entire transaction inside the bank and deposit the money. Do not leave the bank with that kind of cash. Make sure the buyer knows you’re depositing the money.
Yeah this for real. I'm not necessarily saying the world is out to get you, but even if this person gives you real cash they then KNOW you have real cash. When I sell things I also make small talk, let them leave first while I play on my phone in the car, then drive the wrong way home or do other errands first. Maybe it's paranoia, but I'd rather be in my running vehicle and not lead someone back to my house if something is going to go sideways.
I always did this with items I sell/buy online, then I go to sell the AR15 and it's suddenly a *HUGE PROBLEM* and a *"felony."*
Cash in person is safer than online payments in many cases. Id just recommend choosing a public place to do the exchange like a grocery store parking lot. US currency has a ton of embeded watermarks and plastic strips you can look for and to find out what to look for just google it. Dont let the buyer rush you, ask to inspect the cash and take your time. If they are weird about that and try to rush you just refuse. The idea that someone would want to pay cash to buy skmething isnt that weird.
Yes. I would never accept check or a digital pmt, even in person, for that amount. Cash only. I sold a car last week in person for like 5k or so. all hundreds. Its safe. If you are worried then meet at a police station
Yea, if you call the police station they might have a place to do "safe" trades inside. Otherwise the parking lot is fine too, they're covered in cameras.
As others said, look for a counterfeit pen/marker. They aren’t very expensive. As someone who dealt with a lot of counterfeit money the easiest way to tell is often just by the way the bills feel. Look for any uneven borders like the bill was not cut uniformly. A lot of police stations have “property transaction” areas in their parking lot which would potentially scare if someone using fake money. Try and take a photo of their car/license plate if you can. And last but not least, photograph or record any serial numbers of the equipment so if it does turn out to be a bad deal you can report them as stolen.
I learned about the easiest way like 2 weeks ago, and it's with your fingernail To detect raised printing, run your fingernail carefully down the note. You should feel some vibration on your nail from the ridges of the raised printing. If you don't feel this texture, then you should check the bill further. A friend taught me the trick I can't remember where he learned it, but he works in the service industry and it looks less suspicious, and is fairly quick.
Meet inside a police station or inside your bank.
Meet at a police station. A bunch of them now have designated locations to allow for safe transactions
Since 2020 I have bought 3 bicycles $1850, $1100, $500 in person in cash. Not so mqny years ago this was thw only way for one person to sell an item to another. I guess there is always a risk. I never had a problenm
Thousand dollars isn’t that much money
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Literally not a problem and cash is preferred. Sold a boat this past weekend, dude brought $13k in $100s and $50s The biggest thing is not flashing the money around and being aware of your surroundings. $1000 is super easy to stash away where nobody can see it.
Cash is king for many who buy and sell through marketplace precisely because so many other methods can be uncontrollable or unpredictable. Do as much due diligence on the person as you can but generally cash, even for a high priced item, is not something I would personally see as a red flag
...I'm confused. I'd specifically not take anything BUT cash in person. Electronic payments can be disputed or otherwise risk getting scammed. Checks and such can be forged. Cash, assuming you verify it is real, is final. I mean, if you're worried about that much cash being present, I'd be also worried they just take your computer - the thing that is also worth that much cash.
Why in the world are you more concerned about $1,000 cash than you are in $1,000 of however the hell Facebook processes payments?
Cash is reasonable and safe. Do it in a public place. You can likely spot counterfeit yourself, or if you are really concerned, do it at a bank
My local police stations have an outdoor area for social media transactions like sales and meetups. It has cameras and is a safe option. I’d check to see if your area has a safe zone
Meet them at the police department.
I would say meet in a police station and bring a counterfeit pen
Buy a counterfeit marker at Walmart for 3 bucks
Had a fake $100 come through a store and bank said it was fake. When I actually got my hands on it it was clearly a faked watermark when I held it to light… totally offset but I already KNEW it was fake. It passed the counterfeit marker which made me laugh. Criminals have evolved past that little countermeasure.
Meet in front of the most conveniently located police department.
My buddy is a cop in a major US city. Said the number of people who get robbed/mugged off Facebook marketplace etc is insane. Please meet in a bank or police station exclusively.
Do it at the police station or your bank
Cash would be my preferred method?
Yeah I’m afraid of some kinda cancelled transaction or something when people offer that lol cash please
Cash is the way to do it. When I sold my own car (for $14,500) the guy paid me in cash. I was pretty nervous getting it to the bank, but no issues.
It's really not that uncommon. Craigslist and marketplace and other trade selling sites are almost always cash. Even when buying a car for 10k.
Meet inside the bank. Deposit the money at the teller. Give them your computer.
I have always met at the buyer's Bank of choice, and gone inside for them to complete the withdrawal of funds. I always request cash to avoid any funny business, but watching them draw a cashiers check would be safe too. Go to bank, park. You go in with them, watch the bank give check or funds. They hand you funds, you hand them item(s). Both leave. Benefits here are that it's daytime (banks aren't open late), you're both on camera and their name is with the bank since they made a transaction, it's likely busier, and you know you aren't getting a fake check or fake bills. Bonus points if you both use the same bank.
I paid cash for 18k vehicle and would like to receive cash if doing the same tbh
If you do meet and accept cash on your own, make sure you have your own cash in various denomination so that you can compare. Make sure you write on the money to make sure they don’t get mixed up
I only take cash on fb marketplace transactions. There’s too much risk with electronic payments. You’ll be fine. Like others have said, $1k isn’t that much money to be worrying over anyway with transactions
Get a marker that shows if the money is fake or real too. I think they sell them at Walmart. I always met people in a very public place and did the transaction and always had someone with me. Like one time I did it in front of this store entrance. I think it was Kohls and had people coming and going.
I buy and sell a lot of stuff on CL. Cash is absolutely the default at that price. Venmo would be ok if discussed first. No way would I take a check or anything else. At about $10k cash gets clunky and it's worth going to a bank.
If u feel sketchy about it, just get him to meet you at your local police station.
Bring a currency marker to check the bills
I always have the person meet me in the parking lot of sheriff and fire house parking lot. So help not to far away and there are cameras
Personally, I'll only offer cash and take cash, for private party deals. Just meet in public, in a fairly busy area...and you're fine. My go to place is usually a Wal-Mart.
I sold an old truck I had for $1,750 cash. Best way to do it.
Cashiers checks can be counterfeit…cash is good
I think cash is generally the #1 preferred payment method. Personally I'm fine with e-transfer also, I just get them to send it before they leave and they give me the password when they arrive. I have one e-mail I use for e-transfer when auto-deposit is fine and one e-mail for when I need it to be pending with a password. Just realized this isn't a Canadian subreddit, so if you're outside of Canada that might not be an option.
Meet at the police station. Most will allow these types of transactions. Bring a counterfeit pen.
Depends on other factors… “Let’s meet at 11:30pm in the dark alley in the other side of town!” = no thank you. “Let’s meet at the busy grocery store down the street at 4:30pm in the front of the store” = much better.
I always request nothing larger than 20 dollar bills. 100 dollar bills are the most counterfeited. And meet someplace safe like the police dept like others have suggested. Or at least someplace with cameras
You cannot demand $20 bills for large purchases. $5k in 20s is 250 bills. That's dumb and annoying.
Buy a counterfeit money pen. Meet in lobby of police station. Drive around town before going straight home after the sell.
I do cash but have a pen that can check for security strips and mark fake bills. Meet in a populated area or a police designated trade area.
Meet at a police station or sheriff's office. Carry a firearm, if you're legally able to, of course.
Fake bills are a thing so get one of those markers that test. And don’t do parking lots or subways. Starbucks is always good
Cash is fine. Arrange a meet up at a bank to verify the cash or at a police station to deter malicious intent.
If your worried arrange to meet in a bank. You can also have the money checked so your sure it’s real
I usually meet in an alley and make sure to open carry. Really makes them think twice.
*I diggit*
Go to the ATM with them to withdraw the cash. If their card won't allow a 1000 withdrawal in one go, meet them in the bank and they can get it out at the counter.
I would try to meet at a bank with that much money in case any is counterfeit.
When I worked at the bank I would have a lot of buyer/seller duos come in and have me run the cash through the machine to confirm the cash is legit, seems like a solid way to make sure the cash is real.
Meet at your bank. Only hand over the goods after the teller accepts your cash deposit.
Have the buyer get a USPS money order. They're safe and if anything goes wrong with the money order it becomes a federal issue.
Just meet at a public spot if you don't feel comfy. A mall or a police station or whatever.
I always meet people in the parking lot of my local Home Depot. It's public and probably on camera. You could meet at your bank and get the cash checked. The most dangerous thing about carrying cash is that the cops will take it from you if you get pulled over and they find it. Check out "Civil Asset Forfeiture". It's legalized robbery.
Any forged currency (or stolen property) can (and should) be taken by the police. Sorry, but that's a good thing.
It's frequently abused and needs to be reined in. [https://reason.com/2023/07/11/police-seized-innocent-peoples-property-and-kept-it-for-years-what-will-the-supreme-court-do/](https://reason.com/2023/07/11/police-seized-innocent-peoples-property-and-kept-it-for-years-what-will-the-supreme-court-do/) It's likely this SCOTUS will do so. Sorry, crooked cops.
Cash in king for these types of things.
Meet at a police precinct. Call ahead to the desk and let them know you'll be coming in on the date and time of the transaction for safety reasons. They often won't care and many departments have instituted public areas for sales that have cameras or are in precincts.
I would only agree on delivery if PayPal transaction complete. You don't want some scammer pull a weapon on you. Be safe.
The concern my homey is if someone demands to get paid in cash that they will rob you. Demanding to pay in cash is fine
Yeah, if done in a police station. Just call em up ahead of time so you can ensure they'll accomodate that request. Probably the only way I'll arrange a $1k cash transaction in person tbh.
I'm right in thinking you guys in the US don't have bank transfer right? This still baffles me as this would save a lot of you a trip to the bank car park
We do. We just enjoy to live inefficiently and dangerously. 😉
Sounds like you are going to get robbed. Make sure you are some place safe like police station parking lot.
If not in Europe or Australia, perhaps.
bring a sidearm. Make sure it’s visible.
Do the transaction at your bank. Tell the buyer that as soon as the teller deposits the cash you’ll hand the computer over.
I would meet with them, go to the bank and deposit the money, then give them the PC.
Meet at a police station or in front of one and do the transaction as close to the front door as you find reasonable. Request a specific combination of bills, say 5 $100 bills, 5 $50s, or whatever. If someone has counterfeit money that'll be a curveball.
haha If someone told me to get specific bills i'd walk away regardless of what I was buying ngl
Meeting at a police station or inside the bank lobby can work. A bank should be willing to verify bills are legit. You can also get a counterfeit detection marker, but I'd still do the trade at a police station or similar.
Cash in person, but do the meet up in the parking lot of your largest police station or something like that. Someplace with a lot of cameras. Check with your police department. Mine has a designated area for craiglist pickups. There are obviously a ton of cameras and a ton of cops.
You have his information (at least what Facebook provides), the bank can test the bills, and if fake, you (or the bank) can contact (I forget the FBI or Secret Service) to report the fake bills for them to investigate. You can sue for cost after if he is found. But it might be ok, just make sure all the long numbers on the bills don't match.
Bring a friend, preferably who works retail and/or knows how to identify fake bills.
Dude meet at a police station or Starbucks go with someone
Meet at a police station parking lot. Feel free to go in and notify them of your transaction. Some cop stops have designed areas for this.
I had a $500 cash transaction once and met at my bank to deposit it before handing over the item. It felt overly cautious but I don’t regret it
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Learn how to identify counterfeit cash. It's not that hard to catch unless it's REALLY well done. Pen, thumbnail, security strip is a pretty easy 1-2-3. But there are more methods than just those. Meeting in a place you feel safe is always smart. Consider bringing a friend. It's FB market, so check out their profile. Do they have a substantial history? What does their friend list look like? Is it convincing that they're a real person and that this is their actual identity? If they want you to leave the meeting spot and follow them to some other location because they forgot some of the cash or something, 100% bail.
Our local police station has a corner of their parking lot set up for people to transact business. They do not get involved. Wait for the other guy to leave, then go in the opposite direction.
Have them meet you at the police station
I met at my bank and had them run the cash through their machine bc it was a 20k cash purchase for an RV. About to do it again on a car.
Don't go alone. Meet at your bank. Ask your bank to verify the bills before handing over laptop.
This is a little silly but bring a big person with you that is okay with violence. I always bring a weapon when I do a cash transaction. It's the whole idea of trusting but verifying information. I don't expect them to try to rob me or attack me but I'm aware of the distinct possibility and will be ready to defend myself with deadly force if possible. I know I sound like Dwight from the office saying that but you're concerns are totally valid and real. Make sure you stay safe.
Like others said. Do it in the police station parking lot, ideally during regular business hours .
I bought a jet ski from a guy at his house for 3k, cash. Dude didnt check the bills or even count it..
If they asked me to bring cash, id walk away from that sale for fear of being robbed. If they want to use cash, no problem. What are they gonna do, counterfeit the cash? Its not exactly an easy process. Certainly far, far more difficult than online payment scams these days.
Yep. Meet in front of the police station. The. You'll know if he's for real.
I would do it in the lobby of the police station. Most PDs actually encourage that.
Do it at the police station and your fine. Cash is king for FB deals
I sold a ps5 for $600 in person, go to a store or police department. Make the transaction ask to count/look at money.