eBay

sharingtheland · ‎07-26-2019

Are we still allowed to take a check if buyer asks first? And, it's an auction so until the buyer pays (i.e., check clears) the shipping deadline doesn't kick in, right?

Signed,

Been Stuck In Emergency Rooms and Hospital Rooms Since Wednesday With The Man With A Bacterial Infection And Who Knows When I'll Get Some Sleep

Sherry

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this*old*attic · ‎07-26-2019

Nope

But it’s up to you. I wouldn’t, it’s not 2001 anymore.

this*old*attic · ‎07-26-2019

And sending prayers and well wishes your way while I’m at it

femmefan1946 · ‎07-26-2019

I would equate it with Cash on Pickup.

When the cheque clears, you ship and manually mark the item paid .

The seller cannot demand a payment that is not electronically trackable, but the buyer is allowed to take the chance, keeping in mind that cash, cheques and money orders, once handed over to the seller cannot be refunded if there is a problem.

I actually had my first successful Pickup yesterday. (I've done others and they were mostly a pain in the neck.) EBay Messages did allow me to give my buyer two addresses so she could choose to pickup at the house or at one of the 21 coffee shops within walking distance of the house. I was a little surprised they were so easy about it.

a_c_green · ‎07-26-2019

The Shipping countdown starts when the item is marked as Paid, either by the seller doing so or by the buyer's payment received by PayPal.

I would never take a check. Both you and the buyer would run out of patience waiting for it to clear. Tell the buyer to get a US Postal Service money order and send that instead. That is payable immediately in cash for full face value at any post office, and you can mail your package on the spot. Don't forget to mark the item as Shipped and upload your tracking number as soon as you get home.

pburn · ‎07-26-2019

I write about two checks a year nowadays and never pay attention to how quickly they clear, but with Check 21, a check should clear a lot faster. Before Check 21, the average time for a check to clear was two to four days. Now, most checks clear within a day.

I remember right after Check 21 passed, there was a place I shopped at frequently. I'd write a check, they'd turn it into an electronic transaction, and hand the check right back to me. I'd go home and check my checking account online, and the money would've already been withdrawn--as quickly as a debit card transaction.

jvsevuer0 · ‎07-26-2019

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

Don't be stupid.

sharingtheland · ‎07-27-2019

@jvsevuer0 wrote:
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
Don't be stupid.

That was helpful, thanks.

Stupid I'm not; I just haven't had the check question in a long time and I've had no sleep in days. It's an auction ending tonight and the amount should be fairly high. The maybe-buyer's feedback is excellent.

Thanks to a_c for the money order idea; I had forgotten about that in my stupor. Back to the old days, eh? No idea why the maybe-buyer wants to use a check - hates paypal ? And I still write checks for the monthly bills and mail them in envelopes with real stamps.

Sherry

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a_c_green · ‎07-27-2019

@sharingtheland wrote:
Thanks to a_c for the money order idea; I had forgotten about that in my stupor. Back to the old days, eh? No idea why the maybe-buyer wants to use a check - hates paypal ?

I still hear from such customers occasionally. Rather than argue the merits of PayPal, I simply point them at their post office and let them use that for their non-PayPal payment method. Sometimes they do; sometimes they're outbid anyway and the whole issue is moot.

@sharingtheland wrote:
And I still write checks for the monthly bills and mail them in envelopes with real stamps.

I do that occasionally too, mostly for local outfits who either don't offer on-line payment or are using some fleabag on-line payment service that I wouldn't trust with my credit-card info any further than I could throw it by the leg. Otherwise, for payments I mainly use a credit card that gives me a percentage back in cash, and repay them once a month out of checking.

P.S. I forgot to add earlier that if it's a rather large USPS Money Order that you're presenting, your post office may ask you to come back a little later in the day when there's more money in the till. That's happened to me a couple of times. However, they can still verify or validate it for you right there, even if they're a bit low on cash at that moment, and you can then deposit in your checking account instead if you like.

myescape · ‎07-27-2019

Technically it is against policy for buyer to offer a check

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/payment-policies/accepted-payments-policy?id=4269

Any payments that occur outside of eBay pages are not allowed, except in certain listing categories

Not allowed

Sending cash through the mail
Sending cash or money orders through instant, point-to-point cash transfer services (that aren't banks) such as Western Union or MoneyGram
Mailing checks or money orders (except for items in categories specifically permitted)

This is a user to user board not eBay employees.
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When people show you who they are, believe them

mr_lincoln · ‎07-27-2019

@sharingtheland How would the Buyer know where to send the check? You aren't supposed to send personal info in eBay messaging unless its a Local Pick up sale, would you seek out their email address and send the address that way?

For myself I would have no issue with it but then its not my sales venue, probably should be but its not.

Regards,
Mr. Lincoln - Community Mentor

sharingtheland · ‎07-27-2019

Thanks, misfit, that's the policy I needed to see. I will untell the maybe-buyer to use a money order, although I don't know how ebay will know if that's how the maybe-buyer paid. I should have local pickup on the listing to cover that, eh ? Which means I need to zip to change it; it ends in 13 hours.

It also means there are a zillion watchers on this item which actually received 2 bids right away - unheard of in these times - and I should just stop diddling with one person's question. Hmmm, this person buys a lot; off to check other sellers...

Nah, that takes too much time. I'll just wait and see who wins.

Sheesh...

Sherry

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sharingtheland · ‎07-27-2019

@mr_lincoln wrote:
@sharingtheland How would the Buyer know where to send the check? You aren't supposed to send personal info in eBay messaging unless its a Local Pick up sale, would you seek out their email address and send the address that way?
For myself I would have no issue with it but then its not my sales venue, probably should be but its not.

Well, yeah, there is that - the address thing. Sorry, I'm not at peak performance right now.

I give up on this; too much to think about right now and the widget is going to sell whether or not this buyer bids.

Sherry

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