Anyone with experience buying on CL involving shipping?

t40killa

t40killa

Well-Known Member
When you buy something on CL that requires the seller to ship the item to you, what do you do or how do you pay so that you are protected? I'm assuming I would have to pay first, but how do I even know that they will ship? And if they don't, I need a way to get my money back. I don't believe paypal will protect you for CL purchases, will they?
 
Register to hide this ad
I'm not sure why you would think it is a scam without having any details.

Nobody is going to protect you or guarantee this transaction. You will have to rely on your own instincts and common sense. I would talk to the seller on the phone and try to get a feel for the situation. If it feels like a scam, then it very well may be. The seller should be somewhat leery of you as well.

I bought my HF-81 off of CL from someone on the other side of the country. I didn't notice anything that set off alarm bells, so I completed the transaction. The only help you may get is from police local to the seller. I wouldn't send payment to a PO box, only to a residence. This gives you a starting point if there is a problem.
 
Dmannnnn said:
I'm not sure why you would think it is a scam without having any details.

Nobody is going to protect you or guarantee this transaction. You will have to rely on your own instincts and common sense. I would talk to the seller on the phone and try to get a feel for the situation. If it feels like a scam, then it very well may be. The seller should be somewhat leery of you as well.

I bought my HF-81 off of CL from someone on the other side of the country. I didn't notice anything that set off alarm bells, so I completed the transaction. The only help you may get is from police local to the seller. I wouldn't send payment to a PO box, only to a residence. This gives you a starting point if there is a problem.
Click to expand...

I agree. I always talk with the seller at least twice and try and get a sense of his/her honesty. If the hairs on the back of my neck don't do up, then I get a USPS $$ order.(they have serial #'s). So if the worst happens I have a money order # I can give to the local constable. If I am spending a lot of $$ on the item I would ask for some sort of assistance from a friend in the area, if I knew anyone, or ask a fellow AK'r to help and check out the item, and seller, for me. Then if all checks out, I send off the $$ order.
I think that most of us on this forum are honest and happy to help out. I have done this 2x for fellow members where they send me the $$ and I picked it up for them. Then held the item till they can make arrangements to get it.

And why so suspicious Will???
 
Last edited:
I figure its not much different than buying things off some forums, though forums are generally a pretty close knit community, with some type of feedback or reputation. I've only been burned once, and that was for about $8 through Ebay.

I recall many years ago, on the Toyota MR2 boards, there was a guy doing some custom mods at his shop. Send him payment and parts, he'd do the mods and ship the equipment back. He went on for a year or more and built up an outstanding reputation. Then, once he had a good chunk of prepaid orders, he disappeared. Not sure whatever happened with that lawsuit.

In the end, it's a matter of 'how much are you potentially willing to lose' vs. the risk of actually losing it.
 
With 2 very good experiences, I may be lucky.
  1. I actually googled the seller of a gorgeous Micro Seiki DD40 and learned that he was a prominent good guy fire chief. It was a very, very satisfying deal.
  2. I also communicated via email and over the phone before commiting on a Dynaco ST70.
Methinks assessing the maturity of the seller is the key to success in these risky ventures.
There are definitely a few bad guys as well as several flakes in the CL cereal bowl.
 
I shipped for a CL buyer once. I was quite open and talked to him on the phone a couple of times. I also referred him to my ebay 130+ 100% pos feedback list which had a very nice Ovation guitar on it that I had just sold. It worked out well here but as has been mentioned, there is always some risk here. I've only been ripped off twice over the years and both times it was by 'friends" that I worked with :(.
 
Paypal protects you on any purchase, but always use a credit card when paying through Paypal. That way, if Paypal won't cover you, your credit card company will.
 
It's always based on the specific situation.

The extremely rare big number dial Fisher 800-C in my avatar was a CL purchase, shipped from Washington, DC to Chicago. I emailed the seller, told him I was interested, and asked if he would consider shipping. He said he would, we had a few email exchanges about our shared hobby/obsession, I felt comfortable, and the deal was done. Arrived quickly, packed well, I'm thrilled.

Paypal is not restricted to any one purchase venue. If you go through Paypal you have the same protection they offer any customer. I will add, though, that using a credit card as the Paypal payment offers additional peace of mind.
 
Last edited:
I once bought a rare guitar amp and 4 * 12 cabinet from Chicago. I am in D.C. Turned out fine. It had to come Fedex freight so I had it dropped at a friend's auto repair garage.

Once the deal was done ($550+) the seller asked me how I knew it was safe. I said, well I didn't. I figured I would drive up there if there was a significant problem. I wanted that amp, and not many others did. I got it.

I was very satisfied.

The only 'insurance' is a willingness to go to the seller's house. Always get address phone number, full name, etc.
 
I've shipped an Infinity Kappa mid to a guy in Houston, bought replacement polks tweets from guys in LA....bought a VPI from a guy in NY state....used paypal, no issues

I even got an advent tweet that was on paypal in Ohio and he ended up being an AK'er
 
I have sold on CL and shipped all over the US. I used the USPS site for shipping info and add that plus paypal fees to the total cost.

I have always shipped as I should.
 
I purchased a Pioneer PL-9 turntable off a CL listing in Denver. Contacted the seller via email and, after a couple of email exchanges, settled on a price including shipping to CT. As smooth and uneventful transaction as one could hope for.
 
I had a really good experience with purchasing a Sansui 1000a from a guy in Cincinnati. Listing had been up for a while (surprisingly) and he was willing to do it with a couple of phone calls and a money order.
 
Im sitting on the fence with a simular situation where a person has had a hit on google to a post I had on AK looking for something. After 2 or three emails between us, the seller seems sincere but Ive been wondering about the risk and also if there are scammers out there that could find potential buyers using google. He says he was researching his component and got the google hit from my post. As much as I would like the deal it still makes me uneasy that a stranger found me like that. Great thread by the way !
So how could you be sure something was shipped and would you pay first ?
 
just like ebay, pay first.

If you are worried, send a USPS Money Order by registered mail. It will be slow but the PO will investigate if not delivered as that is mail fraud.
 
i guess the way i see it....

out of all the dealings i have done one c/l only one has had any inkling of getting ugly. for the most i would say 90% have been with people that were genuine and i would not mind having as a neighbor.

in the case of vintage audio i think for the most part you will be dealing with 3 types of peeps. 1 being fellow gear collectors, 2 the dreaded money hungry flip artist. 3rd, my favorite the ones that are trying to move either equipment that has not been used in years or those that are looking for a new home for a deceased loved one. yes it is a cap shoot, i guess it comes down to getting the warm and fuzzy prior to making the commitment..

ps, i purchased a rather large item from d.c. area. i ran a wtb add and the fellow just happened to do a search proor to posting his for sale add. the 2nd e-mail i came to find out the guy was a fellow aker and a stand-up one at that. it turned out to be graeat trasaction and i damn glad i did it...
 
I've gotten a couple of things on CL from way out of town, but only when the seller had his phone number in the ad. The ones with only email have never responded, and I gave my number to them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom