Possible scam? Help appreciated

[elizabeth balcomb]

hi.

I am selling a bike on the hub, have a possible buyer who hasn't asked a single question about the bike and hasn't tried to haggle at all.  He lives in zimbabwe, one of his friends will pay for the bike, and another will come from jozi to fetch it.  He wants to use bike hub pay. 

I pressed the accept button.  But it just doesn't feel right.  I understand I need to rather use a courier service so there us proof of receipt.  Other than that, how could this be a scam?  It just doesn't feel right.  

[GLuvsMtb]

Just wait for bike hub pay to confirm that the funds have been received and cleared on their end before you ship. 

[Lynskey]

Admin.. help? Please.

[OVERDRIVE]

SCAM

[RobertWhitehead]

I've sold to a guy from Zim twice before, he uses an export service based in Joburg to come and have a look at the bike and if all is in order the export service pay you direct. No questions asked. If they used BHP then it adds another layer but you will get your money. 

[Balooba]

If Bikehub Pay confirms that they have the money, you good to go.

I had a case where the chap did not want to use bikehub pay, I stepped away from that sale.

[Chadvdw67]

Everyone saying "if BikeHub pay confirms the money" then all is good, what if the buyer says he never recieved the bike? Without a courier service there is no waybill to track, the seller is still at risk of not recieving the funds, only a buyer really has any real protection

[Matt]

14 hours ago, elizabeth balcomb said:

hi.

I am selling a bike on the hub, have a possible buyer who hasn't asked a single question about the bike and hasn't tried to haggle at all.  He lives in zimbabwe, one of his friends will pay for the bike, and another will come from jozi to fetch it.  He wants to use bike hub pay. 

I pressed the accept button.  But it just doesn't feel right.  I understand I need to rather use a courier service so there us proof of receipt.  Other than that, how could this be a scam?  It just doesn't feel right.  

Hi Elizabeth,

You're right to be skeptical of a deal involving a third party collecting like this. It's been a common scam tactic across most marketplace platforms. 

However, at the same time we've had a number of successful deals with buyers from neighbouring countries, with a friend/contact collecting on their behalf. 

To ensure you’re protected:

1. Only release the bike once Bike Hub confirms payment is secure. If the buyer has paid and the deal is marked as Completed on Bike Hub, the funds are guaranteed and will be paid out to you. The buyer cannot reverse this.

2. If meeting in person, do so in a safe public place, like a bike shop or police station. Only agree to a meeting once Bike Hub has confirmed receipt of the payment. The person collecting will need to Complete the deal on Bike Hub (or have the buyer do it) before taking the bike.

If you have any questions or concerns just let us know. 

Regards,
Matt

[Matt]

4 hours ago, Chadvdw67 said:

Everyone saying "if BikeHub pay confirms the money" then all is good, what if the buyer says he never recieved the bike? Without a courier service there is no waybill to track, the seller is still at risk of not recieving the funds, only a buyer really has any real protection

Good question. In a collection deal, the key protection is that the seller only releases the item once the buyer has completed the deal on Bike Hub.

At that point, the funds are guaranteed and paid out. The buyer can’t reverse it.

Importantly, the buyer is not in possession of the money. Bike Hub Pay holds the funds and can still release them to the seller even if the buyer acts in bad faith.

More here: https://help.bikehub.co.za/en/articles/4967228-how-do-collection-deals-work

 

[DJR]

Whatever happened to "It's a boerseun, you can trust him" or "he belongs to my moms' church, he must be honest" or "he's a Grey old boy, they are all great guys" or "he doesn't know what Facebook is, he must be old skool genuine"? Or "he sounded honest over the phone"?  What about "bring cash and meet me in front of the police station? I miss the simpler times..........and feel more like an old fart by the day!

[DJR]

Or best of all: "He's been on BikeHub forever......and therefore can be trusted" Just come fetch the bike, ride it and if you are happy, then pay me!

[Mook]

46 minutes ago, DJR said:

Or best of all: "He's been on BikeHub forever......and therefore can be trusted" Just come fetch the bike, ride it and if you are happy, then pay me!

Don't trust no petrochemical engineer working on an offshore rig, despite having been a Hub member for 10 years with only 1 previous post ........... 😝