Is this a gumtree scam?

[Horehound]

I'm selling a table and chairs on gumtree. I got a message a couple days ago asking if it was available but actually I didn't reply because someone else was coming to see it (turned to be a no show) and I totally forgot. So today I got a second message asking if it still was available and they will offer me £100 and collect in a few days.

Things that are bothering me:

1. I have it listed at £50 so why is he offering £100
2. he said he will arrange the pick up with the courier tonight and let me know. But he doesn't have my address he only knows the area as per the ad. Wouldn't he need to know my full address to arrange that?!
3. I asked how he will pay if he is arranging a courier to collect and he said he would give the courier cash. I asked why the courier would see him first and he said "oh the courier is a mate, I'll send him the money and he can give it to you". I said "can't we use PayPal?" He replied "I don't trust PayPal" I said it was the most secure way of paying he said he did t trust it again..
4. the phone number he called me on came us as being Polish, he had a thick London accent and of course he could be a London guy in Poland but something just doesn't sit right.

What do you think?! Im worried he can do something now he has my phone number.

Doesn’t sound right to me. Don’t give out your address.

What person pays more than asking price. That gives me the creeps, wouldn't trust them. Sounds overly complicated.

You can block further calls from that number to stop him bothering you but he can’t do anything with just your phone number anyway.

If you’re really bothered just take the listing down and try a local Facebook buy/sell group.

No legitimate purchaser would offer double the asking price.

More than likely it would evolve into some scam whereby you end up transferring money to the 'courier'.

Yes. I had the exact same when selling a pram. It’s a scam.

Yes scam, "mate" will forget money or pay with false notes, or intimidate you saying they have paid. Item will go missing and they will ask/pressure you to "reimburse". Don't do it. Block, and move on

Oh yes he asked me to delete the listing so he knows he's got it.
I have actually deleted the ad and I fine with that because if this is a scam I'm certainly not Gona continue to sell in gumtree.

However! I have just done some googling and actually it looks like PayPal is not safe for gumtree because scammers send fake PayPal emails so maybe he was right about that point.

I agree the offering double is very strange and the only thing I can think of is he has misread my ad stating £50 and thought it was £500?
It is an antique dining set so maybe just presumed.

But as pp says..if he can't do anything with just my phone number what could the scam actually be?!
Tbh idon't even care about the money as I just want rid of the damn thing and was about to relist it as free!

@BasilDiffuser and what is the scam? Did you get scammed of did you tell the to bugger off?

@Ratbagratty mmm yeh that's a good point. Well if he does forget the money I'll say take the thing anyway. Saves me humping it anywhere!

This is a scam, I can't rememberexactly how it works but I've read about it somewhere, however, I should warn you that PayPal isn't safer when someone is collecting in person. There was a huge scam where the person would pay by PayPal, come pick it up then do a claim back saying they hadn't received it. You have no proof, as they came in person and you didn't post it, and PayPal ALWAYS side with the buyer and refund them.

Yeh just realised that @Whyhaveidonethis

There are multiple variations on this scam. "Not trusting Paypal" is often a lead in to get you to transact by bank transfer (which offers zero protection). E.g. courier may present you with a dodgy cheque for, say, £300 and ask you to transfer the surplus £200 to his bank account. They rely on building a relationship with you, so that when things 'go wrong' at the last minute, and they have to change the payment arrangements, you feel guilty at pulling out of the sale and agree to all kinds of things.

www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/money/2014/aug/09/paypal-buyer-protection-ebay-fraud

Just to clarify..there would be no need for me to transfer any money since it's me who had the item and they want to buy it :s