General Cycling Discussion - COD items for sale?

Has anyone had any bad experience selling items COD through the post?
I understand the buyers lack of trust sending me a cheque, but is there a known scam on the books regarding COD's?
Can they pay with a bad cheque? And if it bounces, am I going to loose the payment?

Thanks.


Scoob.

COD is fairly safe, when sending something COD be sure to check off that you will not accept checks. Since a person can write a bad check and you are out of luck then. If they send a money order/cashier check possible they could cancel it to, but that takes longer to do.

Main drawback to the seller when selling COD is, you pay the shipping ahead of time, so if person does not accept it when it arrives to them you are out the shipping charges no matter what, it comes back to you so you are not out the item atleast. I sent something COD a couple yeras ago it took 2 months for me to get teh check from UPS.. normaly is 2-3 weeks if I remember correctly.

I was screwed with COD, I didnt do some kind of secured option and the kid payed with a regular personal check....he got the part, didnt like it, damaged it and sent it back. Not only did I have to pay for the shipping (which would have been covered by the check) but I was told if I didnt pay the cancellation fee on the check I wouldent get the part back. Bullshît....

This brings me back to the good ol Caveat Emptor - Buyer beware.

COD can be iffy as there really aren't many security features for it. Be cautious and only use when it is coming from a trustful and reliable source.

Can't you use paypal? It's so easy to set up an account with them, and it ensures that you will get your money without hassle, and on time, and BEFORE you ship the items.

Once you get the payment, you can confirm with the buyer that the item's been shipped.

Koffee

The buyer wants to ensure that he gets the item shiped, he's asked that I pack the stuff in a box with a window in it, so he can verrify contents first. before he pay's.
Im going to think about this, may ship it to my Brother in law, then the guy can pick it up from My brother in law's house. pay if he wants it, if not Im only out $6 for shipping. not 13, for the COD bologna.


Scoob

Yep I agree with Koffee as many problems as paypal has i like it the best. Just use a credit card to pay, then you always can contest with your credit card worst case scenario if buying something, and when selling you can use the paypal ATM/Credit card to pay for the shipping etc.

If I use pay pal to accept payment, I have to pay an unreasonable charge to get my money. If I were in the US, There is no charge, but Im in Canada.

If it were me, here is what I would do.

If the guy wants to pay by check, have him cut you a check for the item and shipping. Wait till the check clears and you have cash, then pack and ship the item. Zero exposure for you. If he sends it back, it is on his dime. If he doesn't like these terms, tell him to purchase elsewhere. Resolving disputes like this with folks in a different country can be a real hassle;

Dan

Anytime I sell something (usually on ebay) I only accept payment by PayPal or money order. If it is an expensive item though I never withdraw the money from the account until I know the buyer is satisfied. As for doing the C.O.D. thing and going thru that hassle I guess it depends on how bad you need the money and how big of a hurry you are to sell. It's to big of a pain for me to have to worry about though.

Just my 2 cents.

I was told that COD in Canada was only CASH. NAd if a cheque were to be used, the post office would be on their tail if it was void, so I wouldn't worry. I bought lots fo stuff COD and it is all safe.

Originally posted by DanFromDetroit
If it were me, here is what I would do.

If the guy wants to pay by check, have him cut you a check for the item and shipping. Wait till the check clears and you have cash, then pack and ship the item. Zero exposure for you. If he sends it back, it is on his dime. If he doesn't like these terms, tell him to purchase elsewhere. Resolving disputes like this with folks in a different country can be a real hassle;

Dan

Also, WHO would like those terms, he could MAJORLY ri pthe dude off, if you were buynig something and the seller asked to do this what would you think?

Originally posted by urbanking
Also, WHO would like those terms, he could MAJORLY ri pthe dude off, if you were buynig something and the seller asked to do this what would you think?

Ahhh, then if thats the case, Im good to go, Ill Call Canada Post, see If I can confirm about the cash only. They refer to C.O.D. as "Collection On delivery".
I assumed that they would accept a cheque...

Originally posted by urbanking
Also, WHO would like those terms, he could MAJORLY ri pthe dude off, if you were buynig something and the seller asked to do this what would you think?

These terms are quite common, actually. When you buy something through a mail order catalog or via a phone order, you must usually pay in full before the item is shipped unless you are known to the seller and have a line of credit set up already.

As far as the possibility for theft, yes a dishonest person could take advantage of this, but the reverse is true as well. So I take the position that I am better off safe than sorry.

Dan

Urban, Canada Post only accept cash for COD's from private residences.
Now we both know!