How do I avoid fraud when selling a ski on ski-it-again

[escmanaze]

Hi Guys,

I'm an inexperienced seller on ski-it-again. I'm selling a ski and I think the buyer is officially all lined up. So far everything seems legit, so I don't have a specific reason to worry other than just general concern. Any tips, tricks, etc. for staying safe?

 

What is the normal for when I expect payment? Expect it when fedex delivers it? Expect it before I even ship it fedex? split?

[TallSkinnyGuy]

Get full payment before you ship it. If the buyer is concerned about your credibility, talk on the phone with the buyer and/or talk to them through BOS or another forum where you have high participation and credibility.

[baja]

Just require payment by PayPal. The money is yours in 5 minutes. Then you ship. No scam possible and you don't waste your time.

[foxriverat]

Paypal is the way to go. Also make sure you figure in shipping costs. Skis are not cheap to ship

[LeonL]

But....put yourself in the shoes of the buyer. He sends money without any assurance that he's going to get anything. Call me an idiot but I've shipped skis to people without any money up front and never been cheated. Worst experience I had was after I got the money the buyer complained about some Sharpie marks I made while trying the ski, and that it wasn't the model that I said it was. I was flabbergasted by both. I responded "put a binding on it and the marks will be covered, or use some ffingernail polish remover". As to the correct model, I said I don't understand what you're talking about. The buyer later admitted that they were wrong. Obviously the buyer was unknowledgeable and someone else was giving them bad info.

[BraceMaker]

I wouldn't plunk down the coin to ship until the payment is sent.

 

Paypal lets you "invoice" the buyer which when paid you ship - but this does cost you a bit of money as a seller. It is "free" to the seller if the buyer sends you money as a gift, but frankly if I'm a buyer I'd worry that if I never got the ski I'd not have any recourse w/ paypal.

 

I've purchased 10 or so times off ski-it-again and have never been bitten.

[lakeaustinskier]

As someone who has bought and sold not only skis but also boats on SIA the best policy is complete honesty. I'm getting ready to sell a boat on SIA and I've already taken pictures of all the positives and negatives of the boat. Also, I know this sounds old fashioned but if the Buyer or Seller will only deal with you via email or text - walk away. There's nothing better than voice communication to make sure everyone is happy.

[bigskieridaho]

Just like any place you buy something from, boats, skis, etc. Ask for close up pictures of everything or utilize even a FaceTime with them and you can talk person to person and see the product. Money up front always by PayPal so it is legit and you have records. I have bought numerous items on SIA and it has been awesome! Hope this helps.

[swc5150]

I've used Paypal for the handful of skis I've sold on SIA. I've also sold 4 boats on SIA, with no issues...and never spoke to the buyer before delivery day (I'm fine with the email/text thing in this day and age). The nice thing about SIA is the seller or buyer, I've found anyway, can usually be tracked back to BOS, PN, TT, Bu Crew, etc. It doesn't seem to be a c-list type of site, where every scammer in the world is targeting.

[DavidN]

There’s always a risk even if you use PayPal as a seller.

The buyer can “open up a case” with PayPal any time (up to 5 Months or so) after receiving the item, requesting his money back through them.

Then it’s on you to proof that the item was delivered (and not only a box containing a 2x4) and in a condition you both agreed on.

 

Take and keep lots of pictures of the article and even of the process of it being packed and the finished (and undamaged) box to be prepared for a potential case with PayPal.

As stated above - talking to the buyer helps you get an impression, but is no guarantee that everything wents smooth.

 

I prefer to sell locally, but unfortunately that limits your target group aka potential buyers.

[waterskicorey]

I've sold and bought lots of things on SIA and never had a problem, water skiers I have found, are just great honest people

[Tdub]

Never a problem with SIA. Paypal is the way to go.

[ToddA]

I have bought a ski, and sold (probably) 5 skis, as well as bindings on SIA. I have never been bitten, and like mentioned up above by @LeonL , I have also shipped before receiving a check. I have since gone with PayPal to receive payment, even though I haven't had a negative experience previously. I have found everyone that I have dealt with very honest and positive. Best of luck! :)

[76SS]

I recently bought a ski on SIA. The add stated that it belonged to a 80 year old guy and was lightly used. Knowing that there aren't many 80 year olds skiing, much less 80 year olds skiing on a D3 ARC-S I got suspicious and asked if we could have a quick call. 30 minutes later I had an awesome call with this guy and should I ever travel to his area I would love to get out on the water with him and take a few sets. There are @ss holes everywhere but, I think the skiing community as a whole, is primarily composed of good, honest people.

[MuskokaKy]

I made a purchase last spring from a BOS forum / Baller. Baller purolated the package to me in Canada prior to me paying!! i said i would pay for it to just let me know and sent him the money as soon as it arrived. Oklahoma boys are top shelf!! Great experience for me and i trust people on here hands down. I'm in the process of buying a trick ski from another baller on here; luckily we live quiet close to each other so its like a local sale...

[skibackwards]

Everything I bought on SIA has been great and the transactions pretty smooth.

 

[escmanaze]

thanks everybody for the input. Wish me luck!! Here I go!!

[thager]

I always go to usaws and try to pull up their name. Tournament skiers have always been ok.

[gregy]

I kinda screwed myself once. We agreed on a price plus shipping. He paid for the ski. I went to find out what shipping was and went ahead and shipped the ski. The guy would never respond to my emails after that. So not all skiers are honest. Get all the money up front.

[Kwoody51]

While I haven’t sold as much ski gear i’ve sold LOTS of other items via forum and boards.

 

I always get payment up front prior to shipping. I send as many pics as needed for the seller to be comfortable. Pretty quick you can tell if you are dealing with an enthusiast or a tire kicker.

 

As a buyer i’ve only been burned once and CC company took care of me (repaid me) and went after seller for fraud.

 

There are criminals out there but most people are good :smile:)

[MuskokaKy]

Hey Guys, I'm bumping this thread as I am looking to purchase a reflex 3.0 hardshell from @DRail. anyone know him? he's West Palm Beach,FL and says he doesn't come on here much. I looked him up online and he said he use to work for h20proshop . Just seeing if anyone can verify here as he wants full payment upfront. Never had to pay upfront; most guys on here i had ship then paid after, but those were deals done via BOS.

 

Thanks,

 

Ky

[oldjeep]

Seriously, most people don't expect to be paid up front?

[Deke]

Paying up front is the norm. If you are concerned for some reason you could use an escrow service. Have you actually spoken to the seller?

[rfa]

@MuskokaKy, I have known @DRail for a long time, skied many times with him mostly in NY, also in MA...good guy! Tell him Rui said so...as far as who ships or pays first, that's between the two of you. Good luck.

[BraceMaker]

Another tactic is to create yourself an ebay listing, then post a link elsewhere, then you use Ebay as the anti-fraud side of things.

[parkerc2112]

Some asshole misinformed me(new to hard shells) on a Reflex boot,sent him money and shipping. After repeatedly asking sizing questions, I paid shipping, too small so asked for refund. He denied it. There are real assholes out there with zero character. Only do business with people I know.

[MuskokaKy]

Thanks Ballers,

 

@oldjeep i have bought and sold on here for the past year about 6 times and never got paid or sent payment without the receiver looking over the product. Always seemed to work, especially with guys on here. I'm not against it just want to make sure. I did give @Drail most of my info upfront as well as contacts on here and SIA he could verify me with; but he said he didnt go on either site much ( which was why i was little more hesitant)

 

@rfa Thank you. that's all i needed to here. I did some searching on him and your story makes total sense. I will just pay him and get the binding shipped asap. Thanks again it is greatly appreciated!! If you're ever north of the boarder and want to run set let me know.

 

Will be using Paypal.

 

Thanks again

[escmanaze]

Quick update from my side of things, everything went well with my SIA sale. Dude sent the money through paypal, I shipped the ski, everything was all good. Man life is nice when it just works out. :smile:

[MDB1056]

Glad it all worked out. FYI forward - I've found Fed Ex GROUND to be the very best shipping option. MUCH less expensive than UPS, USPS, or regular Fed Ex . SIA transactions are usually pretty smooth. I've never had a problem.

[Ed_Johnson]

Just sold a ski and shipped it. Pricing was $67 Fed-Ex Grd, $65 UPS, and $43 USPS. That was from Orlando to Wisconsin. Went with USPS, took 7 days, and arrived safely today, with good auto updates all the way.

 

 

[oldjeep]

@Ed_Johnson that has always been my experience with shipping oversized as well. USPS was always significantly cheaper

[Bdecker]

I’ve bought some ski stuff via SidelineSwap recently. They have a built-in shipping mechanism so you instantly know how much shipping costs, automatically tracking when the seller ships, etc. Would be great to see this functionality on Ski-it-again, although clearly Larry would need to get a piece of the action to make it work.

 

Waterskiing is such a small sport that I’m reasonably liberal about trusting buyers and sellers without being totally reckless.

[Drago]

Don't forget to add opportunity cost of standing in line at the post office. How much is 1/2 hour minimum of brain damage worth?

[MuskokaKy]

Update;

 

Paid for the binding upfront via Paypal; It arrived today ; brand new as described with no issues. @Drail is solid and thanks @rfa for the vote of confidence. Made my decision easier. I agree with the comments here regarding the small community of skiers and such and that does play a factor into trusting one another. I can now say i have participated in paying up front and waiting for payment and have yet to have an issuers with a BOS baller or SIA ( seems like they often are on both).

 

Not impressed with FedEx; but have been very happy with USPS and UPS.

 

 

[oldjeep]

@Drago - post office is a dream around here. The FedEx location on the other hand makes me want to hurt people - guaranteed to be standing around there for a minimum of 30 minutes even if you have a prepaid. Guess it depends on your local setup.

[MDB1056]

wow... I'm surprised. Last two I shipped Fed Ex Ground were both under $40 , and one was even with a binding. Central Arkansas to Wisconsin and other to upstate NY. As I recall one was $32 and other $37.