Payment query for Facebook marketplace

Now Facebook scams aside if they were to bank transfer the cash to me first and then I send the item is there any way that they could take the money back out of my account? Or challenge me and force a refund etc.

Turn that on its head - If you were a buyer and the seller asks you to use a payment method, up front, that offers them no recourse should things go wrong, how would you feel about the deal?

Oh I completely agree but I'm just obviously aware that Facebook is abundant with scams these days but I'm not really sure how they work.

Just link them to eBay

I wouldn’t buy or sell anything on Facebook that wasn’t cash on collection.

PayPal?
I buy and sell stuff on FB using pp.
They pay the fees usually.

It's no Biggie, I like the fact I can save myself a drive to collect something.

Who has cash nowadays anyway?

I'd take it.

I buy and sell like that all the time.

As a buyer I only do small items, say up to about £30 or so by transfer or pp gift and I've not yet been stung. As a seller I'd be happy with either.

I also have a BS filter and just ignore anyone who sounds iffy.

pp gift and I’ve not yet been stung. As a seller I’d be happy with either.

"not yet"

As for the OP,

It's probably safe, Faster Payments aren't generally reversible but why risk it? Are the only interested buyer in the country?

What if it's a hacked bank account belonging to someone else; if the sender claims that they lost their card and don't recognise the transaction; if a scammer has fraudulently convinced a third party to make payment ("hi mum, it's me, this is my new number, I'm stuck at the airport"); if they email you a doctored screenshot showing payment which won't clear until tomorrow; if they claim you sent them a brick in a shoebox... then what?

Facebook Marketplace has zero protection for either buyer or seller. Paypal is quick and easy to set up, the answer to "I don't have Paypal" is "come back to me when you do." As is eBay, for that matter. Is it perfect, probably not, But I would be distrustful of a complete stranger offering to give me free money unprompted.

pp gift and I’ve not yet been stung. As a seller I’d be happy with either.

“not yet”

^ This. My wife uses Facebook lots and always uses PP Friends and Family (I didn't know this) and hadn't ever been scammed although she is usually only buying or selling in groups (ie, horse riding groups etc). Recently she bought a North Face jacket (£60) on Marketplace, used Friends and Family and the jacket never turned up. She contacted the person that was selling it and they very nearly tricked her out of another £60 by sending a payment request that they claimed she had to accept in order for the refund to go through. She asked me and I thought it was very suspicious and told her not to go ahead (and I also asked for advice on here to be doubly sure). Fortunately she put a claim in to our bank (HSBC) and they actually refunded her which I was stunned by.

She doesn't use Friends and Family anymore.

I nearly fell for a Marketplace Paypal scam a few weeks ago. I was selling a desk. A woman messages. Seemed very normal, said she wanted it and her husband would be round to collect it shortly. She asked to pay via paypal straight away to secure it which was fine. I gave her my paypal address. Then the scam became apparent. I got a fake paypal email saying the payment had failed because I didn't have a business account. The scammer then messages me saying she got the same email and apparently I have to receive a bigger payment to qualify for a business account. She would send me £200 then I'd refund her £170 as the desk was £30. Blocked her at that point once it became obvious it was a scam. For days later I was getting bombarded by similar scam attempts. Eventually had to take the advert down.

One thing to check on your ad. Are you getting a ridiculous amount of clicks on the ad? My £30 desk had 500+ clicks on it in a couple of days. Clearly being targeted as nothing I've ever sold before had that amount of attention

My wife uses Facebook lots and always uses PP Friends and Family (I didn’t know this) and hadn’t ever been scammed

Time was, there was a thread on here like once a fortnight, someone asking for help after being scammed in the classifieds. The seller's account was brand new, no posting history, the buyer paid Paypal Gift (as F&F used to be called).

Well, they're idiots. 🤷‍♂️ And for what, to defraud PayPal out of a quid which the seller is liable for anyway. If it was a bloke in a pub you'd never met before with an accent from 300 miles away who was selling something, asking for cash on the spot and promising to pop round to drop the goods off at your house in a couple of days, what would you say?

although she is usually only buying or selling in groups (ie, horse riding groups etc).

Even if the seller can be vouched for, it's wholly possible for the account to have been hacked.

I use PayPal for small items on Marketplace, both buying and selling. Generally it’s someone I vaguely know, through owners groups or on certain selling groups. If it’s up to £30 or so then F&F or I’ll pay the fees.

I’ve got some items going in the post today to send to someone I don’t know. They took a chance but it will work out OK because I’m honest. If not then I’ll do the right thing or mark it down to experience.

For a big ticket item I’m not sure if Marketplace is the best option, but then again eBay is no better.

Generally the way it works is they say you send it RM or Parcel force insured/tracked etc. They say they will transfer the money when you send them a photo proof of sending. Sounds reasonable, except that once you hand it over the counter at a PO or similar you cannot get it back, even if you're still standing there 10 seconds after you handed it over. They don't pay up, and your item wings its way to the fraudtser and there is nothing you can do.

That said, I have sold stuff on FB no problems, and persuaded people to ship to me just like your buyer is asking and no one lost their money, so its not always a scam. Just be aware though, if they ask for proof of sending, you should offer a photo of the goods labelled and booked, nothing more. If they want more walk away. Only accept payment thats cleared in your bank account (so PP is fine as long as the money actually arrives and you remove it), and never ship anything until it's in a state where you could spend that money down the shops right then if you wanted to.

For a big ticket item I’m not sure if Marketplace is the best option, but then again eBay is no better.

That's not really the case.

eBay and Paypal work together, you've got an audit trail. It's not perfect, but it's there, you have means of raising a dispute.

Facebook Marketplace, you're on your own. It's no different from sticking up a card on a supermarket small ads board.

I've bought and sold stuff via paypal on marketplace and not been stung. As above, you can usually sniff out a scam, and I'd not do it for anything more expensive than a round of drinks / than I was prepared to lose.

Bigger stuff I'd always deliver / collect in person and do it by cash or bank transfer.

TBH I'd rather knock £20 off the price of something to make it a more appealing purchase, and then have to fight off local buyers who'll come to my door for it than deal with the faff of posting.

Its crazy now I look back but I sold a road bike for £900 on facebook once.

Buyer asked for a video of it running through gears in a stand. I obliged, then bang money was in my bank.

Luckily for him I carefully packaged and shipped it recorded. Got a thank you message and pic of it outside a seaside cafe a week later.

Not all bad on there..

Yeah, like the old Freeads, I'd only do local pickup on FB. It's why things are listed by location on there. How did a person in Scotland find your Milton Keynes ad?* and then think that was the best option for buying a laptop??

(*yes, I know you can ignore location! it was rhetorical)

Yeah, like the old Freeads, I’d only do local pickup on FB. It’s why things are listed by location on there.

I was about to type 'Its hard to get scammed as the seller' but of course people can and do, but what I mean is that as the seller on FB all the power rests with you so its a great place to sell, even with shipping. The buyer has very limited/zero come back, so its totally fine to ship stuff as long as you:

- Don't ship anything until after you have cleared funds - dont accept any BS on why they can't send it/what you need to do to get it. If they can't PP or wire you money, ignore them.
- Always include shipping insurance in your cost.
- Send plenty of before / after packaging pics and info on the shipping.
- Never give out any other details (phone/address etc.)

I have a second bank account which is a quick online limited access 'savings' account tied to my main account. I can give out the number for, but it can't be used to remove money from that account easily as its always empty other than just after a sale. Useful for such purposes.