Infrequent Seller Questions

[Parker135]

I'm about to post a concertina for sale here in the US and would like to know what payment methods are considered secure, other than cash in person.  I have PayPal and Venmo accounts.  For PayPal I would want to sell via "Friends and Family" or have the buyer pick up the fees.  Any other suggestions?  Is is safe to accept a bank check and wait for it to clear?  What about money orders?  Aren't those often faked?  I know this has been discussed here before, but it appears to have been a while.  Thanks for any suggestions.

Parker

[Ken_Coles]

Musicians debate the use of Paypal "friends and family" as it removes the recourse the buyer has for a bad transaction. An alternative is to have them cover the fees.  I did one deal where I sent a personal check (I and the seller were both in the US) and he waited until he was sure it cleared to send the instrument. We already knew each other personally so that was fine with me. Others may have other solutions.

 

Ken

[wschruba]

I prefer using paypal.  If the seller is not automatically using goods and services, I will use it, and pay the fees associated.

 

For low dollar transactions (under ~$100), I do not care one way or the other.

[Parker135]

I think I sidetracked the discussion by mentioning the fee situation, but while we're on the subject, PayPal provides buyer protection while Venmo doesn't, I don't believe, but both are part of the same company.  Either way, my primary concern is to have a secure transaction.  

 

Wschruba, I get it.  That makes sense from a buyer's point of view.  

[Jillser Nic Amhlaoibh]

I see a lot of ads where, as mentioned by someone else in this thread, the ad states "buyer to pay fees" regarding Paypal payment rather than opting for the f"riends and family" option as the latter gets a lot of press regarding it being potentially dodgy for the buyer and I've definitely been on other instrument forums where people comment that if an ad specifies "family and friends" then they won't consider buying the instrument. Venmo is considered to be risky for transactions for larger amounts from what I've read and I wouldn't go near a money order as they can be the payment form of choice for scammers.

[jkmelb]

Personally, I would never send money to someone I don't know as "Friends and family". Especially, because we are not talking about $20 here, but a concertina can cost $1500 or $2000 or more.

 

Paypal fees are just a fact of life and as a seller, you have to carry them. Just include the fees in your asking price. Paypal gives the buyer peace of mind, when sending such a large amount of money.

[Eric Lerner]

I believe Paypal rules bar sellers from charging the buyer to cover Paypal fees.  You can include enough to cover fees in your sell price, but explicitly charging for Paypal use is against the rules.  The buyer can report you if you do that.  

[Parker135]

So it sounds like folks are comfortable with PayPal, which I already have.  I can handle the fees accordingly.  Thanks, everyone.

[David Levine]

I avoid Paypal if I can. I prefer to use Zelle, or bank transfer, personal or bank check. The "PayPal Mafia" refers to the founders of PayPal, like Peter Thiel and Elon Musk, for instance, who fund right-wing Republican causes and political figures, including Donald Trump and JD Vance. Venmo is owned by Paypal. 

My apologies for bringing the real world into the ivory tower of Traditional Music. 

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jan/26/elon-musk-peter-thiel-apartheid-south-africa

Edited March 4 by David Levine

[Parker135]

18 minutes ago, David Levine said:

I avoid Paypal if I can. I prefer to use Zelle, or bank transfer, personal or bank check. The "PayPal Mafia" refers to the founders of PayPal, like Peter Thiel and Elon Musk, for instance, who fund right-wing Republican causes and political figures, including Donald Trump and JD Vance. Venmo is owned by Paypal. 

My apologies for bringing the real world into the ivory tower of Traditional Music. 

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jan/26/elon-musk-peter-thiel-apartheid-south-africa

I am very sympathetic to your position.  I've heard of Zelle but never used it, and I'm reluctant to try it for the first time for this transaction.  For better or worse, I suspect more people are set up to use PayPal.  I do like the bank transfer idea though.

[Matt Heumann]

Politics aside, I still use Paypal because it can be used for so many more different vendors. But.....when I'm buying something like a concertina or parts, I don't think the seller should absorb the transaction charge, so I usually offer to cover it or go halves with the seller. Also, any problem I've ever had, they resolved to my satisfaction.

My own personal values/opinion.

[David Lay]

I have been burned by PayPal when they allowed a seller to increase the price after my authorization. !??  Zelle is supported by my bank but you own any problems with the seller.  The bank limited my transfers to $1200 per week or month - I cannot recall which.

[wschruba]

7 hours ago, David Lay said:

I have been burned by PayPal when they allowed a seller to increase the price after my authorization. !??  Zelle is supported by my bank but you own any problems with the seller.  The bank limited my transfers to $1200 per week or month - I cannot recall which.

 

This is a good point-of-order.  My partner purchased a hurdy-gurdy for me, and they wanted to use Zelle--okay, no problem--but the cost was over whatever arbitrary limit there was on the transfer, so it kept cancelling it until we looked at the fine print.

 

Turns out that we needed to have both of us transfer some portion of it.

[Parker135]

Luckily I'm the seller in this case, with no intention of cheating anyone, so I think it's coming down to PayPal, cash, or bank transfer.