buying off kajiji

[R3DOPS]

I was wondering if anyone can help me with this. I am about to get a few game cube games off kajiji but its too far away for me to drive there. My question is how can i pay them? With paypal or via direct deposit? Im just trying to avoid getting scammed. And if i choose paypal how do i send them the money via paypal so i dont get scammed. Thanks for the advice 

[dalekphalm]

1 hour ago, R3DOPS said:

I was wondering if anyone can help me with this. I am about to get a few game cube games off kajiji but its too far away for me to drive there. My question is how can i pay them? With paypal or via direct deposit? Im just trying to avoid getting scammed. And if i choose paypal how do i send them the money via paypal so i dont get scammed. Thanks for the advice 

If you can't drive there, how are you going to pick the item up? Bus? Walk?

 

... you're not gonna have him ship it to you, are you?

 

Kijiji is ridiculously easy to scam on.

 

My simple advice is:

1. Cash only

2. Pickup only

3. Physically examine item *in person* before paying

 

If you cannot follow those rules, I'd advise you to buy the item on eBay instead, as eBay offers comprehensive buyer protection. 

 

Yes, PayPal also has some basic buyer protections, but it's your word vs them and some people are really creative at inventing fake evidence.

[AshleyAshes]

Kijiji really is not the place for by mail transactions.  It just puts two people in contact unlike eBay or something that tracks and contracts the entire transaction.

 

And, well, your profile says 'Toronto' so that means you have a huge range of LOCAL sellers you can access by Kijiji and there are also lots of retro game retailers with brick and mortar locations you can shop at too.

[R3DOPS]

HEY thanks guys for the advice. Saved me allot of hassle. 

[dizmo]

Most sellers won't accept prepayment and don't want to shop anyway. 

 

EBay is a good choice. 

[Fahim Foysal]

i thought paypal buyer protection mostly sided with the buyer.

[dalekphalm]

2 hours ago, Fahim Foysal said:

i thought paypal buyer protection mostly sided with the buyer.

It can - but there are a lot of factors and when using PayPal for a "private" transaction. PayPal doesn't offer as much protection as it does when combined with eBay. The transaction itself is basically a verbal agreement, and there is less evidence of each phase of the transaction.

 

Sure you might be alright, but kijiji is designed around making in-person transactions. You're basically pushing your luck by trying to do a shipped transaction via kijiji + PayPal. Odds of a scammer screwing you are much higher.

 

If you're gonna do that - as said multiple times, might as well check eBay instead. You will likely be able to find the same thing, and if you're shipping it anyway, the price might be similar. But even spending a bit more is worth it to know that eBay buyer protections are near rock solid.