Private Sale In Person Payment

[11top]

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.

There are other banks.

 

[Roy]

About a year ago, I was buying some new flooring, about $10K. My check, was denied, the debit card was denied, so went to the bank and said give me the cash. They took about 20 minutes and tried to talk me out of carrying that much cash. It’s dangerous they said. WTF!
Truth be told I’m more dangerous than anyone trying to take it...

 

[tiboy]

There are other banks.

Yes there are. I was just commenting on the cash is king statement. The fee was less than a set of strings. The cash deposits are an aberration and not likely to reoccur.

Along the lines of this thread, I bought my R9 from an authorized dealer with cash in the parking lot of a mall. Turned out the dealer grew up around the block from my wife. They spent 2 hours talking about the old neighborhood while I sat on the hood of the car playing my new toy.

 

[HANGAR18]

Yeah, but the real question is:

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

Great Scott! I've never thought of that! Intriguing.... I wonder if I could find a concealed holster for my Custom 24.... I always just carry a concealed handgun to a gun sale.

<queue old geezer story which is off topic> There was a time when I used to have a hippy haircut and carried a concealed bible... then deliberately walk through the town square on a Friday night hoping to get stopped by one of the local bible-thumpers. I kept it a secret that I was a black belt special forces bible ninja and waited until they tossed out some random "it says in the bible... (something I know it doesn't say)" quote. Then I'd whip out a full sized bible from a WWII gas mask pouch I was wearing like a shoulder holster right under my raggedy overshirt and we'd get into it. hahahaha I crack myself up.

 

[jxe]

Great Scott! I've never thought of that! Intriguing.... I wonder if I could find a concealed holster for my Custom 24.... I always just carry a concealed handgun to a gun sale.

<queue old geezer story which is off topic> There was a time when I used to have a hippy haircut and carried a concealed bible... then deliberately walk through the town square on a Friday night hoping to get stopped by one of the local bible-thumpers. I kept it a secret that I was a black belt special forces bible ninja and waited until they tossed out some random "it says in the bible... (something I know it doesn't say)" quote. Then I'd whip out a full sized bible from a WWII gas mask pouch I was wearing like a shoulder holster right under my raggedy overshirt and we'd get into it. hahahaha I crack myself up.

this would still work today, in addition to or (if you’re good) instead of the pistol.

 

[Wakester]

I bought a used Acoustic Bass the other night in the parking lot of a local grocery store. It felt kind of weird in that it felt like making a drug deal. 'Hey you got the goods?' 'Yeah, you got the cash?' 'Yeah I got the cash, show me the goods.' 'Show me the cash, and I'll show you the goods.'

From a security standpoint, it would be best to do any private deals in public. Walmart parking lots are good for this because they have a crazy amount of cameras all recording at the same time. Set a date and time along with a drop dead time. (No show, no deal). Transfer large sums of money electronically. Use Paypal, Venmo, etc. But, not until you have had the opportunity to look at and put your hands on the item you are buying. Know who you are selling to/ buying from. Find/get a picture of the person, if you dont. Get to know them.

Most importantly, when its time to make the deal, if something doesnt look or feel right, just drive away. No money lost or stolen. Keep the meeting short and to the point. Save the small talk and distracting conversations for another day. Its just business. Do business first, be friends later. Bring a friend along to be your wingman. Never go it alone.

These rules can be the same if you are the seller as well.

 

[django49]

Like most of us here, I have bought and sold a LOT of things through one forum or another. Long ago. cashier's checks seemed the norm. Later, PayPal. Still do use that a fair amount. I am skeptical of scams there, such as the "six month buyer protection" where a person COULD abuse or modify and then submit a clim or the potential for someone to pick it up and claim they never received it. (For the latter, be sure they sign a release indicating receipt). "Friends and family" works well.....Most people I deal with know me well enough (or by reputation) that it seems safe for them to forward larger sums.

I try to pre-screen people before agreeing to meet. Have yet to have any serious issues, at least beyond a few that show up and wave enough Benjamins (fewer than my asking) in hopes of me being a crackhead needing cash or something and willing to take anything, I have sold over $50k worth of guitars locally for cash over the past 18 months. Sometimes several thousand dollars at a time. Of course it helps if you meet the right people locally and they happen to like the things I put up for sale and want to come back for more........

 

[gush]

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've heard crazy things going down in Mexican restaurant parking lot!

 

[HANGAR18]

I've experienced a number of incidents involving cashieer's checks and after many conversations with the officers of a number of different banks, I have come to the conclusion that they are no more safe and secure than a personal check or an I.O.U. written on a bar napkin. You still have to wait for them to "clear" and even then they can be disputed after the fact. I don't even know why they were invented in the first place.

 

[bodia]

I've heard crazy things going down in Mexican restaurant parking lot!

Oh yeah, that's for sure!

 

[11top]

Years ago, I found a listing for 2 408 Brazilians and the seller was in Indiana. I called him and he was located on the other side of the State, so we agreed to meet in a hotel parking lot on the east side of Indy, just off I-70 on Shadeland Avenue. I had not been to that area for quite some time, so I was unaware of the current deteriorated state of the condition of that neighborhood; NOT good. I arrived first, and sat in my locked car watching the loiterers.

A few minutes later, the seller arrived and we got out of our vehicles to consummate our deal. It really did look like a drug deal was going down. He turned out to be a good guy and we did finalize our deal, but not before we were approached by another guy asking for a handout because "his car had broken down on the interstate, stranding his family." The guitar seller without hesitation put his finger in the guy's face and said in a very stern tone, "Turn around and walk away right now!" And he did. The guitar seller then told me in his former life he was an undercover narcotics officer, and he proceeded to point out to me what everyone else in the parking lot was doing there (some interesting "occupations"). He also was armed.

I was glad to be back in my car with two guitars headed home.

Oh, and I paid cash.

 

[Matt H.]

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?

Venmo. It's a PayPal company I've used a few times. My grandson told me about it.

 

[nadnitram]

Venmo. It's a PayPal company I've used a few times. My grandson told me about it.

My collegian daughter uses Venmo for everything. One night they ordered pizza, and she Venmoed (?) $4.12 to her roommate to pay for her share.

I imagine it is generally secure for buyers, but not as much for sellers. I've also read that Paypal's seller protection only covers shipped items, not items sold face-to-face. Additionally, Paypal accounts can be hacked -- you might receive real money, but from somebody else's account. That puts you on the hook for refunding the money you received.