[Eric]

Are there any issues I should be aware of selling C.O.D. on Audiogon?

[Mad DOg]

yeah, i wouldn't recommend it...

[Eric]

What are the issues?

[Fife12]

You might not receive your cash?

[Eric]

You mean that UPS fails to get me the cash even though they are paid?

[bubba966]

What are the issues?

People paying the C.O.D. with fake checks/money orders resulting in the carrier not paying you.

[Eric]

So the trick would be to insist on cash payment only

[jmzzz01]

An issue could arise if the buyer refuses to pay, for whatever reason, damaged, etc. Now your item is in a delivery truck somewhere, you have received no money for it, and you have to pay to get it back.

I just don't think I would ship anything until I received payment for it. I know people get nervous sending cash and waiting for the item. We all do. But that's where good feedback and being familiar with Paypal, USPO money orders, etc. comes in.

[fireman]

Hi Eric, I have done COD twice on Audiogon without a problem. I had the person use a cashiers check or certified check payable to me. UPS will not leave the item unless the funds are in the right amount. The bottom line is, if the person wants to screw you, they will do it no matter how they pay.

[Mad DOg]

if the buyer gets cold feet when the delivery man arrives, he can refuse to accept delivery and you get stuck paying the shipping charges.

[Charles Calkins]

Play it safe and have the buyer give you at least 25% of the asking price. I'm sure that is a fair deal. If the buyer insists on all C.O.D. don't do it. That is not a fair deal. This is the way I do C.O.D. deals and so far no problems.

                                           Cheers
                                          Charlie

[Dan Driscoll]

Are there any issues I should be aware of selling C.O.D. on Audiogon?

Just one: Don't.

[Adam_Reiter]

I sold a mountain bike COD.  The guy paid me $1400 CASHIERS check.  No problem.  The transaction with ups went smooth.

Until a week later when the check came back as counterfeit and the bank took $1400 out of my account.


To make a long story short, I tracked the a-hole down by his email ip address to longitude and latitude, I ordered a cell phone trace, and also tracked one IP address all the way back to his desk at work.   Within 3 days of knowing the check was counterfeit, I had the secret service arresting him.  

I got extremely lucky.  I was in Oregon, he was in Utah.  The guy was writing fake check all over the dang place, and he also was impersonating a real lawyer with the real lawyers stack of business checks.  He had all sort of "stolen" gear out of his house.   The police had the case for 6 months and couldnt get anywhere.  I was able to solve it it 3 days.   If some police just knew how to use the internet for all its capable, we'd get some more jerks in jail.

Even the fraud guy at Wells Fargo called me to say how amazed he was and how grateful.   It was really cool.   Especially when I got to go out to Utah and stare him down and sit right behind him in the courtroom and breath down his neck.   Ugly punk he was.

DONT EVER SEND C.O.D!

[Eric]

I decided not to do it. Thanks for the input

[Mad DOg]

if someone is willing to pay extra for COD and is an honest buyer, they'd most likely be willing to agree to do escrow. if they didn't have honest intentions to begin with, they won't agree to escrow since their funds have to clear before escrow will notify you to ship your items.

[MaxCast]

I sold a mountain bike COD.  The guy paid me $1400 CASHIERS check.  No problem.  The transaction with ups went smooth.

Until a week later when the check came back as counterfeit and the bank took $1400 out of my account.


To make a long story short, I tracked the a-hole down by his email ip address to longitude and latitude, I ordered a cell phone trace, and also tracked one IP address all the way back to his desk at work.   Within 3 days of knowing the check was counterfeit, I had the secret service ...

Great story, Adam.  Way to go!!

[nathanm]

Within 3 days of knowing the check was counterfeit, I had the secret service ...

That is a heartwarming story indeed, Adam!  White collar crooks getting what they deserve, I love it!  Hard to imagine that the cops wouldn't have used the same basic methods you did, though.  Hmmm.  

So could you track down a spammer in the same way?  I'd pay good money to find out where one of them lives.  You might say it is a personal fantasy of mine, not unlike one involving Laetitia Casta, but with more of the "violence" angle and less of the "sex" angle.

[BeeBop]

Amazing that you could get such fast action out of the FBI for a $1400 cheque!

[doug s.]

if someone is willing to pay extra for COD and is an honest buyer, they'd most likely be willing to agree to do escrow. if they didn't have honest intentions to begin with, they won't agree to escrow since their funds have to clear before escrow will notify you to ship your items.

i agree 100% here.  i had a potential buyer from a-gon for the thule integrated i was recently wanting to sell.  he insisted on doing cod; cited his excellent feedback, etc., on agon.   i refused & suggested an escrow deal, if he were worried about me.  he refused.  he also refused to pay the equivalent to shipping both ways up front, if i were willing to do a cash-only cod.  he refused this, too.  bottom line?  i sold the amp to someone else.     the guy *may* have been legit, but why should i take the chance?

ymmv,

doug s.

[Adam_Reiter]

Amazing that you could get such fast action out of the FBI for a $1400 cheque!

Just FYI because I didnt know this before my "incident".  The Secret Service is who you call for Fraud.  Cops cant and usually dont do a whole lot.  When you have bad checks, and crimes with money, try the Secret Service first.


The big thing was, I handed over so much info to Secret Service, that they had to nab him.  I did all the work.  I laid everything out for them.  He said it was one of the easierst cases he'd ever touched.    Plus the lady at the Credit Union called the SS over anyway because mutiple bunk Cashiers checks were being written from the University of Utah Credit Union under the same numbers as my check.

Plus then they had the case from the REAL Peter Waldo who was an attorney.  Turns out this ripoff artist Griffen Lamar (guy who ripped me off) worked as an intern for Peter Waldo.  Then he stole a stack of checks from Peter, and started making puchases at stores as Peter Waldo and internet transactions as Peter Waldo.  He dealt with me as Peter Waldo from a "Peter Waldo" hotmail account.

I also tried to get some of his buddies busted too, but not enough evidence for the SS to go on.  He was having all of the merchandise shipped to a buddys house a few blocks away.

 I even got my bike back!  The idiot registered it with the University as his.  Griffin worked at the University in the library!  

 And I got this guy in New York's bike back.  Griffin sent him a $3000, and the guy sent him a cherry new bike.  Griffin still had that bike when busted.  Secret Service busted in his mom's house to.  Came right up on his SISTER sleeping on the couch and woke her up with a gun in her face!!  He freaked out and started screaming bloody murder.  She thought they were getting robbed! lol

They busted him with the stack of stolen business checks, all the blank Cashiers Checks they had printed up.  They found weed, bongs, pipes, and loads of stolen hear.   They said both his and his moms house were disgusting.  Dog crap on the floor in the living room, trashed kitchen, food all over the place!  Just nasty.

Also, if you want to be really safe.... according to the SS, only accept United States Postal Money Orders.  If they somehow spoof them, then they have the postmaster and additional government on their tail.  Plus they are REALLY hard to dupe.  You could also REQUIRE that they send the reciept from the post office trasaction of buying the MO's