# Snow is Dumping and the offers are Pouring in.



## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

happen to have a snowblower for sale and it's dumping.

I am not exaggerating here ...... here are some of the offers. ( I wrote CASH only in ad ) glad I did not post phone number.

Bitcoin

Subaru

Antiques

Jewelry

Paypal with an extra $150 to hold until Sunday

Vemo ( ?) with an extra $50 to hold until Saturday

A Painter offered 2 of his paintings ( of my choosing ) plus some cash.

A Toyota truck ( a think it was a 80's years model )

One guy offered to stain my house next summer ( very tempting offer ) but he wanted to take blower now.

One guy offered me half down with the balance paid tomorrow . ( but he wanted to use blower tonight )

One lady came about 50 miles and thought I was giving it away. She did not see the price. she got very upset when i told her it was not free. psycho

Was offered company checks . why? banks are still open.

Had a guy who said he would drive down from Montana and would paypal the money into my account.

also received the lowball offers guarantee they would buy if I held it for them ( the roads are bad )



I like to joke here occasionally but I swear to God this is all true ! and the day AIN'T over yet.


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## HCBPH (Mar 8, 2011)

That shows the downfall of the current education system: people just can't read. Next time, maybe capitalize "CASH ONLY" and I don't know if there's a way to color it, maybe make it in red also if it can be done.

Good luck, hold your ground.


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## WVguy (Nov 24, 2018)

It is scary. Those people are allowed to both vote and reproduce.:surprise:


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## SayItAintSnow (Dec 15, 2017)

Orangputeh,


The next time I hear someone asking for a clear definition and example of the term _"seller's market"_
I'm going to direct them to your post..........:devil:


Good luck with your transaction, old sport! :wink2:
.
.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

I agree that it would be nice if people followed the ad. But if you didn't have the cash, I guess you could argue what's the harm in asking? At worst, the seller says no. You weren't going to be able to buy it normally anyhow, so you're no worse off. 

Using it as an example, the house-staining offer was actually a bit interesting. If that was something you'd really needed, and were willing to do, the guy gets what he needs, you're happy, and there was no cash required. 

Some of the folks at work use Venmo, though I have not tried it. I believe it's supposed to make it easy to pay your friends. One example would be a bunch of people going to dinner. You don't have to request separate checks, you just Venmo what you owe to the person who paid.


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## russ01915 (Dec 18, 2013)

All sales are cash and carry. No exceptions.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

I have a guy coming from about 75 miles away and he has emailed me 7 times with updates on his ETA. 

chain control over Donner Summit

ya , seller's market but that is the exception , not the rule. Have sat on stuff for months before.


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## HCBPH (Mar 8, 2011)

You know, this could be a fun one to add your sale experiences.
Best one I can think of right now was 4 rims and winter tires, 2 being snow tires maybe 2 years old. Cash only, $50, firm price all stated in the ad. Guy calls, wants to confirm I still have them, which I did. Confirmed the details including the price. Guy comes over, pulls out $15. Asked him what part of $50 didn't he understand, guy said he was sending them to Mexico and planned on using the rest to send them. Told him to take a hike. Second guy comes along, overjoyed with the rims and tires and happily paid the $50.


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## sturgissteele (Feb 7, 2019)

Yeah, Venmo is an easy way to send/receive money, but it is not to be used for selling goods. If they audit you and determine you violated the terms, they will reverse the transaction and now you're out the money and the goods.

I'm set up with a PayPal account that is designed for selling goods, and or transfer money to/from friends. If the transaction involved selling a good, then you indicate that (like a check box) and you'll be charged a small fee. 

Good luck with your sale!

Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

sturgissteele said:


> Yeah, Venmo is an easy way to send/receive money, but it is not to be used for selling goods.


Wow, that's good to know, thanks!


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## uberT (Dec 29, 2013)

I was at Home Depot yesterday - - they have a LOT of machines for sale. Quite unusual to see at this time of the year.


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## Bondo 287 (Jan 31, 2019)

Watch out on PayPal. It can be exploited. There's guys that will "pay with paypal" then they come over for the goods. You inform him it didn't go through. Buyer apologizes and uses "his friend's " account. After he's gone you discover about an hour later the funds were retracted and the target account is closed. 



I listed a gorgeous well maintained 04 Caddy CTS I for $1800 on CraigsList. (I got the wife a new SUV and the dealer offered $700 so I decided to sell it privately. ) 

I got the paypal people, the"pay weekly" people, .. but the funniest of all, "what's your lowest price? "
Pure comedy, since Kelly Blue Book had mileage and condition at $5800. And 3 other Caddys on CL were in worse shape were going for twice as much. as I was asking. I'm sure my eventual buyer "flipped" it. I just wanted fast cash.


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## Snowbelt_subie (Dec 20, 2016)

orangputeh said:


> I have a guy coming from about 75 miles away and he has emailed me 7 times with updates on his ETA.
> 
> chain control over Donner Summit
> 
> ya , seller's market but that is the exception , not the rule. Have sat on stuff for months before.


 

we haven't had crap here for snow. its been a slow year i sold all my blowers in late fall early winter. haven't stocked back up i only have 1 for sale a beautiful ariens ST824 i haven't got one message in 2 weeks on it.

i am going to wait until early spring and pick up my 8-10 blowers on the cheap and store them until next fall early winter and sell them.


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## sturgissteele (Feb 7, 2019)

Bondo 287 said:


> Watch out on PayPal. It can be exploited. There's guys that will "pay with paypal" then they come over for the goods. You inform him it didn't go through. Buyer apologizes and uses "his friend's " account. After he's gone you discover about an hour later the funds were retracted and the target account is closed.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Good to know, thanks! Maybe adding a caveat in the advertisement would help, like take possession of goods only after transaction clears?

Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

We got 7 feet last week and expecting 5 feet this holiday weekend.......check out west coast news. people are freaking out.

guy showed up last night. took 3 hours to go 75 miles. handed me my asking price and was gone in 5 minutes.


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## paulm12 (May 22, 2015)

so how many machines do you think you will sell over the next few days?


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## Bondo 287 (Jan 31, 2019)

sturgissteele said:


> Good to know, thanks! Maybe adding a caveat in the advertisement would help, like take possession of goods only after transaction clears?
> 
> Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk



Well, that's what happens. It clears, ... for a little while... 
It's a snowblower. Personally, I'd just insist on "cash and carry.".


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## bigredmf (Jan 16, 2018)

orangputeh said:


> We got 7 feet last week and expecting 5 feet this holiday weekend.......check out west coast news. people are freaking out.
> 
> guy showed up last night. took 3 hours to go 75 miles. handed me my asking price and was gone in 5 minutes.



Please post some more pics after the next 5 feet.


Thank you!


red


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## sturgissteele (Feb 7, 2019)

Bondo 287 said:


> Well, that's what happens. It clears, ... for a little while...
> It's a snowblower. Personally, I'd just insist on "cash and carry.".


Ah, I see says the blind man. Yep, cash is best. Armed with this knowledge, I'm changing my CL listing.

Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

bigredmf said:


> Please post some more pics after the next 5 feet.
> 
> 
> Thank you!
> ...


here now front of my house. and at daughters house .....back door.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

paulm12 said:


> so how many machines do you think you will sell over the next few days?


wish I were @cranman


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## Snowbelt_subie (Dec 20, 2016)

orangputeh said:


> here now front of my house. and at daughters house .....back door.



geez !!! people freak about 5-7 " here .... not FT


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

another 24 inches last night and until noon.


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## cranman (Jan 23, 2016)

Send some my way....no calls in 2 months!


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

just got an email " I seen that you sold it. I would have given you $150 more if you held it til Sunday ******* "

you gotta love people.......


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

That's a tough one. I haven't really had to make the "do I hold it?" decision. Certainly not with the person offering above-asking. 

I would have a hard time passing up buyers today, for someone who says they'll come several days later. I *have* had multiple people say they'll come on future day X, and then cancel. So if I turned away someone who could come today, I'd have missed out, when the future person cancelled.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

RedOctobyr said:


> That's a tough one. I haven't really had to make the "do I hold it?" decision. Certainly not with the person offering above-asking.
> 
> I would have a hard time passing up buyers today, for someone who says they'll come several days later. I *have* had multiple people say they'll come on future day X, and then cancel. So if I turned away someone who could come today, I'd have missed out, when the future person cancelled.


i tried holding a blower for someone a couple times. it worked once. did not work the 33,245 other times.

first come first served
cash and carry.

"a bird in hand is worth 2 in bush"


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## JJG723 (Mar 7, 2015)

I've had an Ariens ST824 on CL for almost 2 months now and only had 2 calls on it. The first person called to ask how old it was. When I told them it was from '96 they scoffed. Said it would be replacing their 10 year old Murray so it was too old... The second person was real interested but then was able to get a machine for free from a family member. 

In my experience selling machines around here is a struggle until the 1st flakes fly. I've always been able to move equipment within a week of the first storm. So far this season we've only had 2 blowable storms buy they were heavy due to the accompanying rain. Perfect conditions for someone to want to pick up a machine but yet nothing. I've seen the same machines on CL all season. Nothing is moving.


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## db130 (Feb 16, 2013)

JJG723 said:


> I've seen the same machines on CL all season. Nothing is moving.


Quoted for truth. There's a surplus of fixed-up snowblowers on Boston CL.


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## JJG723 (Mar 7, 2015)

db130 said:


> JJG723 said:
> 
> 
> > I've seen the same machines on CL all season. Nothing is moving.
> ...


Fact not opinion! hahaha


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## tlshawks (Feb 9, 2018)

There are times where I wish I could fly out east to the NE region during a year like you guys are having, then rent a U-Haul and buy 5 or so of the my dream machines I see listed on CL. Nice older Ariens, some even the early 60's...largely rust free, look great, definitely affordable.

Those types of machines simply do not exist where I live in anywhere close to the same numbers. Granted, it's a population density and potential snowfall amounts thing. But to have the choices you guys do out east astounds me. York PA, there's a round chute half-teardrop with panel extensions Ariens for $200 that looks like it's rarely been used. 

If that were posted locally, I would not be posting this right now and that machine would be in my shed before sundown. 

Listing states was posted 19 days ago...


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Heh, yeah, location location location. A few weeks ago a blower that I was shopping for came up in PA for $110. They're more like $350 here. 

I'd say that we have a pretty good selection here, but other areas do seem to get more appealing prices.


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## sscotsman (Dec 8, 2010)

Yeah, for the past 10 years whenever a question of value comes up, I always say to add on an extra $100 for the east coast cities! 

For example, I might say: "This used snowblower is worth $250 in Western NY and the Great Lakes region (because used snowblowers are plentiful here, demand is high, but so is supply.) But add an an extra $100, price goes to $350, if you are within 50 to 100 miles of one of the large East Coast cities: Washington DC, Philly, NY City, Boston. simply because everything is more expensive there, including used snowblowers" 

Time of year is also a big factor. Subtract $100 if selling or buying in Spring or Summer.

Scot


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## carterlake (Sep 10, 2018)

Pardon the language.


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## ColdinMontana (Nov 18, 2018)

LOL, unbelievable the people that honestly expect sellers to accept a payment plan from total strangers.

You know who accepts payment plans? Banks...and I ain’t one!


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## cranman (Jan 23, 2016)

I love this post....


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

carterlake said:


> Pardon the language.


i understand his pain. i'd buy them just to meet this guy.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

ColdinMontana said:


> LOL, unbelievable the people that honestly expect sellers to accept a payment plan from total strangers.
> 
> You know who accepts payment plans? Banks...and I ain’t one!


i have had 2-3 people ask me to take payments and the sob stories???????? cancer, disibilities , divorce, death, job loss , man haters , women haters , etc etc. I'm becoming immune and heartless.


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## LawnToro (Dec 28, 2018)

I know this is a snowblower forum, but I have a story that fits. 

Earlier this Summer, I was selling a John Deere 14SE, which is often spoken of as the holy grail of mowers. Mine was in great shape, with a good blade clutch, a new drive belt, new clutch cable, and a full service. I listed it on Letgo and Craigslist for $200. In the ad, I stated that all transactions were cash and carry only, and that we would meet at a public location in my town (for my safety, I am only 17 years old). Sounds pretty straight forward, right? I guess not. I had one person send me a note saying that he would give me $40 bucks cash, and that he would pick it up. Ridiculous, isn't it? He was literally offered me 20% of my asking price, and the ad stated that we would meet at a public location. It is ridiculous. And I totally agree with all of the "sob stories." If you can't afford it, then don't buy it! There are plenty of working pieces of equipment on Craigslist for under $50. Why do you need a big fancy John Deere if you can get a basic working mower for $50 or less? I'm sorry that you are in that financial state, but my asking price is there for a reason. Your problems are yours to deal with, not mine.


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## wxman2003 (Dec 18, 2018)

I never got any weird offers for my 26 year old Ariens that I sold last year. However, I did wait to put it in the paper when I knew a decent snow was going to occur. (Helps being a retired meteorologist). Sure enough, the day the ad came out in early November last year, we got 6 inches of wet snow. Ad came out saying $600 cash, first come, first served. By 9 am, my phone was ringing off the hook. A younger guy came to my house, never used a snow blower before, so I showed him how to start it, engage the auger, etc. He proceeded to test it out snow blowing my driveway. He gave me the $600, plus I got him to snow blow my driveway.


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## tdipaul (Jul 11, 2015)

LawnToro said:


> I know this is a snowblower forum, but I have a story that fits.
> 
> Earlier this Summer, I was selling a John Deere 14SE, which is often spoken of as the holy grail of mowers. Mine was in great shape, with a good blade clutch, a new drive belt, new clutch cable, and a full service. I listed it on Letgo and Craigslist for $200. In the ad, I stated that all transactions were cash and carry only, and that we would meet at a public location in my town (for my safety, I am only 17 years old). Sounds pretty straight forward, right? I guess not. I had one person send me a note saying that he would give me $40 bucks cash, and that he would pick it up. Ridiculous, isn't it? He was literally offered me 20% of my asking price, and the ad stated that we would meet at a public location. It is ridiculous. And I totally agree with all of the "sob stories." If you can't afford it, then don't buy it! There are plenty of working pieces of equipment on Craigslist for under $50. Why do you need a big fancy John Deere if you can get a basic working mower for $50 or less? I'm sorry that you are in that financial state, but my asking price is there for a reason. Your problems are yours to deal with, not mine.


This kind of crap comes with the territory when selling on CL. I really think some people do it just for the fun of it, or are really dumb, drunk and/or just plain psycho. As a Seller, got to take the emotion out of it and have a thick shield of armor on to deflect the clowns. 

Bored/dumb guy actual example: 

I had a guy make a lower than expected offer on an old Exmark mower I was selling for $650. He sent me a note saying "$400 cash and I'll be there tomorrow". The mower was not in very good condition and wanted to make room so I thought "WTH" and replied "OK see you tomorrow night. My address is ...". He responded "I cant do it you are too far away". The item's location is at the top of the ad! 

Psycho guy example:

Had a very nice and clean 90's Snapper 24" up for $450 in November. In the ad I mentioned it had new 10w30 synthetic oil in it. A day later my cell starts ringing with a blocked number (all 0's) so right away the "prepare yourself" alarm goes off. The guy immediately starts yelling at me saying that I should be using SAE30 oil and nothing else. I told him "10w30 is perfectly fine oil for it". He then yelled "no you are wrong and you are ripping people off" so I yelled back "its a snow blower not the space shuttle Jackass!" and hung up. I honestly thought all the guy does all day is call people to mess with them. Anyhoo I felt great after that call 

.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

I've mentioned it before, but there are apps that can give you a free disposable phone number. I have been using TextNow, for Android. It's free, and I can get & place calls, and texts. 

So if you start getting spam calls as a result of posting an ad, or someone starts harassing you about oil selections, you can turn the app off, and/or change it to a different number. But they're not calling your actual house or cell number. 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.enflick.android.TextNow


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## vinnycom (Nov 6, 2017)

home depot just put their lawnmowers out....whhhhaaaat


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

LawnToro said:


> I know this is a snowblower forum, but I have a story that fits.
> 
> Earlier this Summer, I was selling a John Deere 14SE, which is often spoken of as the holy grail of mowers. Mine was in great shape, with a good blade clutch, a new drive belt, new clutch cable, and a full service. I listed it on Letgo and Craigslist for $200. In the ad, I stated that all transactions were cash and carry only, and that we would meet at a public location in my town (for my safety, I am only 17 years old). Sounds pretty straight forward, right? I guess not. I had one person send me a note saying that he would give me $40 bucks cash, and that he would pick it up. Ridiculous, isn't it? He was literally offered me 20% of my asking price, and the ad stated that we would meet at a public location. It is ridiculous. And I totally agree with all of the "sob stories." If you can't afford it, then don't buy it! There are plenty of working pieces of equipment on Craigslist for under $50. Why do you need a big fancy John Deere if you can get a basic working mower for $50 or less? I'm sorry that you are in that financial state, but my asking price is there for a reason. Your problems are yours to deal with, not mine.


welcome to the fabulous world of selling to Joe Public.

we should have a sticky thread on the scams from buyers. At least you were smart enough tosell off site.When I smell a scam I direct themto the police station and I never hear from them again when I ask for confirmation.

Paypal scams are rampant now. They pay with paypal and then somehow ( I am not computer savvy ) retract payment after the exchange. The most irritating offers are the ones that say they will give me CASH UNSEEN or even give me $50 more if I will hold for just a day or two.

When they show up and find a scratch they low ball the carp out of you or offer a down payment and ask if they can take item and come back the next day with balance ( TRUE ). It must work for them with some people.

So you are smarter than most . CASH AND CARRY and ask for a little more than you really want so the the buyer thinks he/she is getting "something" in the deal. Then everyone walks away happy. You get your asking price and the buyer get's their deal.

And don't sell yourself short. By that I mean make sure you are getting fair market value for your item and stick to you guns. Do your homework and find out what similar items are going for and price accordingly and maybe price slightly higher for that "wiggle room" most buyers want. Put that in your ad such as $250 or best offer or $250 willing to negotiate. Buyers look for these words. I never put $250 FIRM. That scares people away. You need to get the people to come look at your item and then you can "sell" them . Most of my sales are to the FIRST person that comes to look at it . My ads are detailed , accurate and honest with lots of pictures. You get more "qualified" people that way and cut down on the flakes.

good luck.


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## tonylumps (Jul 31, 2018)

I have been Buying and selling on Ebay for quite a long time.But since Ebay started to favor the buyer over the seller I stopped all shipping.Come look at it .If you like it you pay if not just walk away. I don't care if it is a Motorcycle or a Postage stamp.I live in a pretty populated area and it works out fine.I Post NO SHIPPING PICK UP ONLY about 3 times per ad And I still get people 2000 miles away bidding And people who pay and expect me to ship.I will refund there money Minus a service charge.And if they do not like it I tell them to file a Complaint It will take monthes to get a refund if at all.


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## bartjoebob (Nov 15, 2018)

PayPal is legit. Same as cash. I've had an account for literally 20 years to pay for eBay purchases. It's an intermediary. You link your bank account and you can then transfer funds sent to you from the site. Venmo is a PayPal company and allows direct person to person transfers. I would have zero issues at all accepting $150 over asking price with either method. But if you don't want your banking info attached to services like these, cash works just fine too. 

PS- my first snowblower was a 10 yr old Ariens ST824 bought off craigslist in the fall for $350. I sold it 10 years later before a December snowstorm for $475 at 20yrs old! It was excellent maintained and looked great. My phone and email were ringing off the hook. The rush is real!


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## db130 (Feb 16, 2013)

bartjoebob said:


> PayPal is legit. Same as cash. I've had an account for literally 20 years to pay for eBay purchases. It's an intermediary. You link your bank account and you can then transfer funds sent to you from the site. Venmo is a PayPal company and allows direct person to person transfers. I would have zero issues at all accepting $150 over asking price with either method. But if you don't want your banking info attached to services like these, cash works just fine too.


Have you been living under a rock? Paypal scams are so prevalent:

https://www.paypal.com/cs/smarthelp/article/what-are-common-scams-and-how-do-i-spot-them-faq3176

cash only!


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

bartjoebob said:


> PayPal is legit. Same as cash. I've had an account for literally 20 years to pay for eBay purchases. It's an intermediary. You link your bank account and you can then transfer funds sent to you from the site. Venmo is a PayPal company and allows direct person to person transfers. I would have zero issues at all accepting $150 over asking price with either method. But if you don't want your banking info attached to services like these, cash works just fine too.
> 
> PS- my first snowblower was a 10 yr old Ariens ST824 bought off craigslist in the fall for $350. I sold it 10 years later before a December snowstorm for $475 at 20yrs old! It was excellent maintained and looked great. My phone and email were ringing off the hook. The rush is real!


I would not mind getting some free ventilated block snow blowers and replacing the engine with Predator 212cc and a shield just under the gas tank. We have set a record for February and have nearly 3 feet of snow on the ground. Best snowmobiling in 20 years.


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

db130 said:


> Have you been living under a rock? Paypal scams are so prevalent:
> https://www.paypal.com/cs/smarthelp/article/what-are-common-scams-and-how-do-i-spot-them-faq3176
> cash only!


 I just checked my records and I've made 2500+ purchases and 400+ sales using PayPal. You just need to use common sense in WHAT you purchase and from whom. The actual payment processing is pretty bullet-proof and the buyer/seller protection features work as advertised.

Those scams are not specific to PayPal; any payment method can be exploited if you are not using common sense. Even counterfeit cash...


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## Sid (Jan 31, 2014)

Had a canoe for sale, put it on a local radio, got three calls, one was a local dentist, I told him two other buyers were coming, he left a guy in his chair, and came over, [about half a mile] and gave me a deposit, and his buddy came later, paid up and took it. I think he still has it.
Sid


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

I'd like to have him as a buyer, but not as a dentist


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## drmerdp (Feb 9, 2014)

The most common PayPal scam is an extremely authentic looking email saying that the money was sent and received. But it’s fake. A simple glance at you account can verify this. 

If you have the buyer send the money as to a “friend or family” then it’s as good as cash with no fee or strings attached.


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

Just out of curiosity I checked Craigslist and right now snowblowers are definitely selling for a premium. We have tons of snow on the ground and I used my snow blower lots more this year than last year. Too bad there are not any free ventilated block snowblowers which could be easily re-powered and sold for a profit


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