Private Sale In Person Payment

[Stephen J.]

I am thinking of selling some guitars in person instead of through Reverb. It seems kind of ridiculous to ask a person to bring $3k+ in cash to buy a guitar. For those of you who do local sales on a private basis, what is your cash threshold for buying or selling? When it is not cash, how do you typically accept payment?

 

[Tahlee]

Cash is king. The buyer’s pockets will hold many $100 bills.

 

[WEDGE]

I like PayPal but understand the hate for it. I can pull up the app and send or receive money almost instantly with neither of us risking holding stacks.

 

[bodia]

I like PayPal but understand the hate for it. I can pull up the app and send or receive money almost instantly with neither of us risking holding stacks.

This, or a cashiers check. That'd be about it, for me. Also, complete the sale in the lobby of your local police department. Safety sake, and all that. I did a deal there and the desk Sgt said he really wished more people would do that. He said you'd be surprised how often they get calls for deals gone wrong in some parking lot, or someone's house. And this was in the glitzy suburb next door. Not worth the risk.

 

[11top]

This, or a cashiers check. That'd be about it, for me. Also, complete the sale in the lobby of your local police department. Safety sake, and all that. I did a deal there and the desk Sgt said he really wished more people would do that. He said you'd be surprised how often they get calls for deals gone wrong in some parking lot, or someone's house. And this was in the glitzy suburb next door. Not worth the risk.

I’m not comfortable with a cashier’s check. Banks are allowing stop payment in some cases. I think your safe with USPS checks.

 

[bodia]

I’m not comfortable with a cashier’s check. Banks are allowing stop payment in some cases. I think your safe with USPS checks.

Good to know. I was not aware of that.

 

[xjbebop]

In person, cash only...

 

[veinbuster]

Here emailing from your account is pretty popular. See the goods, email the amount. Seller receives it in a small number of seconds. Buyer walks away with the stuff.
Works between all major Canadian banks.

 

[Axis39]

I bought an amp in a different state through Craigslsit... Had a buddy who went and checked it out. When all was good, I paypaled the money and my buddy took it home. A few months later, I got a chance to make the drive and picked up the amp (and bought him lunch)

But., other than that, it's always cash. I don't care how much cash they have to show up with.

I like the idea of meeting in a Police station for large transactions... And not just the parking lot (some guy torched a police car, in the parking lot of the station, here in SoCal last week). I'll have to keep that in mind in the future.

 

[HANGAR18]

I am thinking of selling some guitars in person instead of through Reverb. It seems kind of ridiculous to ask a person to bring $3k+ in cash to buy a guitar. For those of you who do local sales on a private basis, what is your cash threshold for buying or selling? When it is not cash, how do you typically accept payment?

Well... I have bought and sold a lot of stuff (more than I could ever count) for many years (decades) via face to face transactions, ranging from $80.00 to thousands of dollars. I go to a lot of effort to have a conversation conversation ahead of time with the buyer/seller to try and get a feel for their state of mind which I believe helps a little bit in determining their honest intentions. But ultimately, I'm originally from Arizona (we carry guns) and I have ALWAYS carried a large caliber handgun with me (unseen) to every face to face transaction. I feel safer and I've never had to use it. (It also helps to live in a place where the government hasn't stripped away your rights to carry a gun.) This isn't necessarily a recommendation, I'm just telling you how I handle these situations, because you asked.

 

[11top]

Also, complete the sale in the lobby of your local police department. Safety sake, and all that.

Unless you live in Seattle, Portland, or Minneapolis.

 

[]-[@n$0Ma☩!©]

Back in the days of BaM, a forum member posted a link to a Craigslist ad for an '87 Sig with boatwake quilt. The seller was 'a friend of the owner' and the whole thing looked shaky. Nobody wanted to touch it but I'm a sucker for an adventure. 2-days later, I flew to Tampa where I met the seller at his neighborhood bar - where he figured it was safe. After the guitar case was opened, a crowd of drunks flocked around us. Nothing worse than a bunch of drunk guys telling you about how they always wanted to play guitar and asking to give it a try.

I had 6-grand (cash) in my pocket; all $100 bills rolled-up, G-style. There was no way in hell I was pulling it out in that bar. I'd have ended-up with a knife in my ribs behind the dumpster. So... out to his car we go. And there we sat, haggling over the agreed upon price (the frets were totally shot and it wasn't disclosed). It was totally like a Hollywood movie drug deal.

The poor guy was terminally ill and loved the guitar intensely. He said he met Paul on a fishing trip in Mexico years earlier and Paul made the guitar for him. Alas, he was unable to work and was selling the guitar to pay back friends who had been helping him stay afloat. It was hard to walk away with that guitar. The guy was in bad shape and I'm sure he passed not long after.

I'm certain he would be pleased to know his trusty axe ended-up going to a loving home. After having it refretted by Orkie, I did a trade deal with another BaM'er (Tom) who still has it - and will likely never part with it.

 

[markie]

I’ve become a fan of HANGER 18 ...... I like your style Brohammer

 

[Tahlee]

I’ve become a fan of HANGER 18 ...... I like your style Brohammer

Yeah, but the real question is:

Does he bring a concealed guitar to a gun sale transaction?

 

[dmatthews]

Here emailing from your account is pretty popular. See the goods, email the amount. Seller receives it in a small number of seconds. Buyer walks away with the stuff.
Works between all major Canadian banks.

Bought my used Bose L1 MII this way. No stress.

 

[RC Mike]

Cash is so very inconvenient on both ends, especially with a pandemic going on. I have no desire to deal with cash, both from a logistics and health standpoint. The saying that cash is king stopped having truth to it a while back. Money is money, and there are simpler ways of doing transactions.

With more and more banking being done remotely, it’s actually hard for many to deal with cash. I have no local branch. No way to get cash other than an ATM. No safe way to deposit cash. Living in a modern world, that’s not generally a problem.

PayPal is incredibly convenient. Simple, fast, and with the option of doing it with or without fees. No way would I prefer to carry a wad of cash to meet someone I don’t know.

It’s far more convenient than the old days of cashiers checks or USPS money orders. More secure, too. I used to buy and sell quite a bit in another hobby. I hated sending off checks in the mail, waiting to get burned on a deal. Never happened, but that was largely because people’s reputations were involved.

 

[jxe]

king cash isn’t for depositing in a bank, it’s for contraband and payoffs.

 

[tiboy]

Funny sad lesson recently on cash. We’ve been depositing cash into our non-interest business checking account. Our statement had a charge for exceeding our cash deposit limit. So it seems now I have to pay for putting my cash into the bank that pays me no interest and surely makes money lending my money.

 

[ducmike]

Funny sad lesson recently on cash. We’ve been depositing cash into our non-interest business checking account. Our statement had a charge for exceeding our cash deposit limit. So it seems now I have to pay for putting my cash into the bank that pays me no interest and surely makes money lending my money.

WTF, wow!

 

[ducmike]

I have know problem doing in person cash deals. Texas is open carry, so popping out of the truck with a visible sidearm on my belt deters would be scammers.

Kidding, of course I keep it concealed, even though I don’t have too.