Reverb did a good job helping me, the buyer, when I received a damaged amp I bought on their site.
Buying and Selling; shipping items and Escrow.com
Good Morning Audiogonners-
I'm considering attempting to purchase some large/heavy speakers from an individual seller on this site, and am concerned about shipping damage, and wonder of anyone could share experience with escrow.com as a means of payment.
From my personal interactions with UPS and FedEx over the last couple of years, I've learned that (I can't remember which) unless you have a personal or business account, you can't insure (a) over a relatively low figure for "damage"; or (b) for anything other than a lost item, such that the buyer and seller might end up with some very nice speakers damaged in shipping and a shipper that has limited willingness to "do" anything about it.
In addition to that, I've never had the personal pleasure of filing an insurance claim with either of FedEx or UPS, but have read many a horror story about the process.
To the extent that a buyer and seller agree that shipping damage is the responsibility of the Seller, and that (for instance) Buyer can document said shipping damage, and after returning the damaged speakers to the seller, receive a refund of 100% of the purchase price, I wonder if "Escrow.com" is a service that anyone has used and could comment upon?
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- 12 posts total
(+1 @ elliottbnewcombjr)
The answer is simple - Include the cost of VISA, PP or other secure transactions (usually 3%) when negotiating the final cost (including shipping) of the offered item(s).
All buyers - NEVER use PP F&F, cash, or direct payments. All sellers - please know that requiring F&F, cash, etc. nearly eliminates the opportunity for a sale of your equipment. I/we will never buy from you... Case closed. |
I can only speak from personal experience, but I only accept personal check or money order for my sales. Commonly folks ask to pay me via PayPal and I only accept F&F in that instance. It has not hurt my sales at all, in fact, I only have one piece for sale at the moment. Then again, I do not ever ship large speakers as the OP is correct, these have an increased probability of damage, so I sell these on Craigslist, and would never purchase large speakers that had to be shipped. If I did, I would ship via a moving company, rather than a common carrier. As a buyer, I am sympathetic to sellers that ask for F&F, and purchased a Naim Supercap for several thousand dollars last month F&F. It’s certainly not for everyone, but to believe that there are not a ton of transactions happening this way is simply uninformed thinking. There are also some great dealers of used gear for the risk averse, TMR and ECHO are both excellent. |
As the seller, I only accept certain payment (cleared check, or money order, etc.) and shipping terms of FOB (Free on Board) - in which the buyer’s shipper picks up the item, the buyer pays for shipping directly to the shipper, and risk of loss during shipment is the buyer’s risk to file claims with the shipper. Or, the buyer can pick up the item personally. The buyer is free to choose the shipper the buyer prefers (UPS, FedEx, or freight shipper, etc.). "UPS Pack & Ship" appears to be a good alternative for shipment to assure good insurance coverage and minimal potential for difficulties in settlement of claims. I take plenty of pics of the item, the packaging and the packing process to provide to the buyer to support any claims. The buyer is in control of the shipment and the risks, and determines the shipper in which he has the greatest confidence, who honors their insurance, which may be a freight shipper. That is the best way to avoid conflicts. |
- 12 posts total