Protecting the Seller: Or how not to get in trouble

[gonzo74]

I think this is my first post! I would like to seek the advice of more experienced sellers of expensive gear. I have a Leica Summilux 50mm for sale and a very interested buyer in China. Should I stop there? I am selling it on ebay because I'm not sure where else to do so as I would like a fair price (it is near mint and my M3 Summilux needs work). How can I best protect myself should I decide to go through with the sale. The buyer is insisting on normal Deutsche Post not DHL because it is cheaper; fifty bucks vs 15, will pay through paypal so I have a verified address ect. is there anything else I should consider? I would like to know if anyone has advice on this one. Should I rather wait and find a buyer in Europe to save myself potential hassles or even my lovely lens. Thanks much. (Usually I am reading the posts but too shy to comment. I do see that there is a Leica & girl thread will go say hi there).

 

[radi(c)al_cam]

Dear gonzo,

well, there are so many cases of stolen identities atm, I would be very cautious.

Regarding the item's price, a wish for a less secure postage "because it is cheaper" makes me VERY VERY sceptical of the buyer...

 

[Roger Hicks]

A fair price is what you actually receive for the lens, not what someone says they will pay. Your call.

Cheers,

R.

 

[jesse1dog]

Can't help you with this query but nevertheless, welcome to the forum.
As you have been reading here you will know that there are a lot of great guys with a huge amount of experience. Generally if you ask for help its forthcoming.
I wish you well with your sale. I haven't seen your ad on eBay so don't know what restrictions you have made. If you are unhappy about how things are, I think you can probably withdraw the item. Many sellers seem to be able from my experience, but I don't know how you would do that - maybe on the basis of inaccurate description. Life is too short to be unhappy about the sale!
jesse

 

[gonzo74]

Yup, my thinking as well (sometimes thinking out loud is good!). If I had an expensive whatever in the mail, it is worth it to pay the extra shipping costs to ensure that it will indeed arrive and if it doesn't then I have the chance to be reimbursed. The buyer wrote that she does this "all the time," and she has never had any trouble with packages from Germany. Indeed her feedback is 100% but she has the comments listed as private, so I can't see them. Thanks for the welcome jesse, yes lots of great information on RFF, I've been a member for a year now but haven't posted until now. (Funny way to start off I'm sure.) I'm not desperate for the cash, I have a vintage Summilux for my M3 that needs repairs, and I use my M pretty much exclusively these days. It is a shame to have it sitting around. I will write to the potential buyer and insist on an insured shipment, ect. The other thing that is nutty is paypal! I wish that there are better ways to protect the seller too!

 

[remphoto]

Did you post your lens on this forum's classifieds? There is a great bunch of buyers/sellers on RFF and my experience has been excellent. I am sure there are scammers who occasionally show up, but often you can see the history of posts from the person and scammers will get called out if they ripped off any other forum members.

Good luck. Personally, I would not go through with the ebay transaction.

 

[gonzo74]

I did consider it after looking through the classifieds here as well but it is for an SLR, the lens is a Summilux R 50, I'd been using it on my Leicaflex SL, and assumed that I can't post it because it isn't specifically for a rangefinder. Otherwise I would've. Plus it is A European sale, with the exchange rate I figured it wouldn't attract many buyers from the States...