Payment terms so i don;t get scammed

[Antiscammer]

I'm selling an item on Gumtree and it's very expensive, a good few hundred pounds.
Posted it for sale and got a message almost immediately that someone wants to buy it but it has to be this morning.

What payment methods can i accept that won;t lead to me getting scammed?

I read a thread on here recently where someone sold something but then the buyer managed to recall the money, the thread seems to have been deleted though.

Is a bank transfer foolproof?

I think it sounds dodgy that they'll only buy it this morning so won't be rushed into anything but any advice for payment methods or things to be careful of would be great.

Cash on collection

Yes that's the first choice. May have to stipulate cash only I guess.

Agreed, cash on collection

Definitely cash on collection. Additionally, meet in a public place, not at your home.

Good tips. Thank you. Wouldn't have thought about not meeting at home, very sensible. It's actually my husband selling so this didn't immediately occur to me as much s it would have for myself.

Never ever agree on bank transfer. I got scammed this way. Always cash on collection

Cash, all the way. And yes to not giving your home address.

I have sold a few items on gumtree and FB recently and ask for cash only. A genuine buyer won't object to this as they can inspect item before handing it over. Beware of the response saying I will send payment by xx courier and collection by YY courier. That is a scam! Bank transfer sounds safe but I have heard of it being reversed when owner of bank account claims a fraudulent transaction. PayPal is also a no-no as can also be reversed. Cheques (does anyone still use them) can bounce.

Husband got a message with a request to pay by paypal and saying that they're out of the city on business so they would send an agent to collect. Yeah right. Not touching that with a barge pole.

I basically told them to bugger off. Imagine that your whole day is just surfing the internet trying to scam people? Absolute scumbags.

I think PayPal have recently tightened things up to make things safer for sellers for collection items.

I recently bought an item and was surprised when the seller asked for PayPal payment. PayPal sent me a QR code which the seller scanned when I collected - which apparently gave her protection against me trying to scam her by using a stolen credit card/claiming not to have received it etc, etc

But if your gut feeling is that it is a scam, then stick with that. It's not worth the stress

@Antiscammer

Husband got a message with a request to pay by paypal and saying that they're out of the city on business so they would send an agent to collect. Yeah right. Not touching that with a barge pole.

I basically told them to bugger off. Imagine that your whole day is just surfing the internet trying to scam people? Absolute scumbags.

Yes, that's what they did to me when I tried to sell a bike. It was just way too elaborate. I bet they agreed to pay the price, and all costs etc

Glad you're being wise to the scam tactics! If you want to play it extra safe, try to get one of those pens to check bank notes are legit.