Folks Of Interest There was life before "PAY PAL"

I have been on the HAMB for many years and have 100 Percent Feed Back. I have also sold and purchased many items and used Pay Pal. However upon recent times if you are a Canadian Pay Pal RAPES you with their fees with the echange rate on currency and charging you for everything including transfering funds to my bank. As a result I will not use them. Recently on the HAMB a member wanted to purchase parts I had and I requested A USA Money Order for payment. He declined the purchase because he did not want to send untraceable funds through the mail. I have done this many times with my purchases without ant problems on either end. WHAT DID WE DO BEFORE PAY PAL ????????

 

In simple terms too frigging many scammers ask for money orders or other methods that the buyer has no way of recovering the money from the fraud.

 

Life before PayPal saw many people getting scammed with no recourse. Not to mention the hassle of actually getting a money order, and the wait time though the US mail. There was horse and buggy before motor vehicles, but not many folks are still using them.

 

As stated above and also when you are trying to sell on a site that specifically states at the top of every classified section not to pay with money orders or cheques I am not sure why you would expect anything less.

 

I just bought some stuff from a guy out in western canada ,sent the cash in a birthday card . No problems

 

Tell the buyer that you will accept Pay-pal if he pays the fees. If you use Pay-pal to friends and family, you will have no protection.

 

Now this is real double oldschool. First sending a real birthday card and second the cash by mail.

 

I don’t know if things have changed but Canada and USA have been playing children’s games with accepting each other’s postal money orders.

 

I have sold a lot of parts on here in the last year with US postal money orders. I believe integrity is the moral of the story . Related I have talked on the phone with a bunch of hambers so everyone is comfortable and that has been a nice benefit .

 

I`ve never used paypal. And I`m selfemployed.

 

I don't have a problem of using a money order from the USPS. I prefer them over a personal check and paypal. It might take a few days longer but at least I can trust the USPS system.
Money orders are traceable as long as you have the receipt. A person can send a money order by registered mail or can have a tracking number attached when sending it.
The receiver can cash them at the USPS Office and can also have them tell you if it's real or not.
The U.S. Postal Dept. does have a fraud investigative unit for this purpose.
I had to use them.

 

What did we do before before PayPal and Venmo??
I would send a money order or personal check to the seller. Once it cleared their bank (they had cash in hand), I waited and hoped they sent the parts and that they matched the sellers verbal or written description (no photos!).

Fees inconvenient? I go back far enough to recall the really inconvenient (pre internet and cell phone) and shaky days of answering parts ads in Hemmings or Old Cars, etc. (with no photos!) by sending an SASE for a list, then waiting for it to arrive. Or phoning the seller long distance (expensive) if their ad listed their land line #, and talking to them while hoping they were giving an honest description. Sometimes someone would send you a couple of Polaroid photos if it were a high dollar item.
A typical Hemmings ad was jammed with parts and no details on condition. An example would read; 34 Ford hood-very good $200, another-excellent $300. SASE to Johnson, Marshall ND.
You'd have to write or call and pull teeth by asking questions Does it have dents, rust, are the handles and latches included, etc. It was a pain in the ass and a crap shoot. The option was to wake at 2:30AM, drive to Pomona, line up at the gate, then quickly walk through hoping to find your parts. Long drive home and a day shot for nothing. How soon we forget.

Nowadays we have the convenience of instant payment with received verification. Digital pictures of the parts via email or text.
I don't understand sellers skirting around the PayPal fees by only selling via family & friends or complaints of the fees.
Nobody likes the fees but their worth it compared to the old days.

 

The 20th century is over...

 

I've rec'd $100 bills from England with the request to ship the change back with the parts.

 

There's lots of honest people , problem is , you can't tell which ones they are !

 

I did just buy a part on here via PayPal but I was upfront that I would pay the fees . The seller had no problems with that . A good hamber It’s the payment plan the seller asked for .

 

I would send USPS MO. The main thing old Hamb back then a lot of users were really active on the posts so there was sort of “this person is legit” active on the board. Now there 75-85% of the sellers are randos pro flipppers that are never on the board at all. I would say if you want to sell this way still find smaller forums that are specifically the brand and become a regular within that group.
BTW everyone. It it seems that even sending Friend and family will catch up to you eventually. I would say go to your local swaps and sell in person.

 

I know there are some active classified sellers that don’t frequent the main board but have been eBay sellers for years . I think you just need to be frequenting the sites and overtime you get a feel . BUT…. just because an Ebayer has a steady list of positive feedback make sure the positive feedback wasn’t based on just them being the buyer . That doesn’t mean jack of you are the buyer.

 

I had to google SASE......it leads you to IT stuff, had to put in SASE 80's . I just remember cold calling through the Recycler on Thursday night.

 

I like to check stuff out before I buy it, bought a tach out of the classifieds from a well known seller here, didn't work. $75 down the drain. Threw it in the trash. Wife asked why I did that, I said it's garbage, and that's where you put garbage. So she asked "isn't it guaranteed?" I said nope. So how about you send me the part, let me check it out, then I'll send the money?

 

I am with you Dave! I got screwed by paypal more times than I can count so when selling on the HAMB I accept a personal check and wait until it clears before sending or USPS money orders so I can send as soon as I receive payment. I have yet to have a problem or un-happy customer. Yes, there are scammers that fall thru the cracks on the HAMB but for the most part I have a lot of trust in the members here, especially if they have hundreds of posts. Ever since eBay forced us into their new system it seems paypal got worse than it ever was.

 

I deal only with HAMBers. Check profiles, read a bunch of their posts ... I've done at least a hundred deals, & have yet to have the 1st problem.

EDIT ....
Come to think of it, I did have one problem - it was the USPS taking 27 days to get a payment to the other party.

 

PayPal is fine you get the funds in MINUTES! Need to complain about something eBay "Managed Payments" does the same as PayPal IN FOUR DAYS.

 

I deal with my HAMB buddies. Never a problem. Lippy

 

Never used Paypal, probably never will. I have bought and sold hundreds of things over the years by sending or receiving a check or money order, never had a problem. (Knocking on wood..) mostly stuff on forums where you can see how long someone has been a member, but I have sent checks for a few hundred dollars to random out of state craigslist people. If it's a really large amount, I will accept a wire transfer if I have to, like for a vehicle or real estate. I much prefer cash and local transactions, but it's just not always the case !!

 

Good story's here, I'm gonna go sideways a little bit. As much as I say I hate the modern world, there are some advantages for sure. I can remember many times driving 3 states away to buy a car, "what time will you be here?" I'll call when I get close. So, 75 miles away, you dump 2 bucks in the pay phone, and some kid answers, Dads not here. Then, you go thru 3-4 little towns, no phone, or another 2 bucks for another "Dads not here. Then you get there and the guy wonders why you didnt call him when you were commin!

 

I never sell anything. I install it on the car or truck it’s for and keep it forever or until I sell it. US post office money order. Never a problem and always a Federal offense if trying to scam. Does this make me a hoarder?

 

Maybe

 

If someone gives me something fo free and I can’t use it, I do the same and give it to someone else for free. If I put money into it though, I want the money back. I’m an ass like that.

 

I'd say that the key for most of us is having a solid idea of who you are dealing with.
I wouldn't have an issue with sending a postal money order to someone who is well known in rodding circles and have. The parts came back just about as fast the mail could get there and back.
I've also taken a few money orders for things when that was how the buyer wanted to pay for it, not here as I the only thing I listed here was a car that they buyer payed my friend cash green money for.

How many guys on here actually send money to a person advertising in the classifieds that they don't recognize without doing some research into how many other posts they have made and maybe searching the net for them a bit?