I try to get folks to do a bank transfer because it’s the most secure form of payment. But few want to do it. The standard is PayPal. You can create a PayPal account and set it up so you can receive funds. Audiogon also allows buyers to use credit cards for a fee. Paypal charges 3% tho, so you need to make sure you tell the buyer to add 3% to their offer for paypal.
I don’t sell anything using PayPal to audiogon members with zero feedback. Zero feedback audiogoners from other countries and are particularly dangerous.
Don’t ever take checks; not even cashiers checks. There should never be a reason to pay by check these days. It’s cheaper,faster and more reliable to bank transfer or wire than FEDEX a cashiers check. Cashiers checks are a favorite for West Africa criminals.
If you don’t know what Fair market value is, you can reference audiogon bluebook. That is sometimes reliable if there are enough transactions in it. It can also help with negotiations.
I wouldn’t be afraid to sell overseas tho. I’ve sold some expensive stuff to really good audiogoners in France and Germany. You just need to get a wire. I think PayPal international is even more than 3%. It’s like 4%. So the cost to wire is sometimes less and more reliable.
Most audiogoners with good feedback are great and easy to deal with. I’ve never had a problem after the sale.
Michael I could use some education. What is the sales process on Audiogone? Do you paypal the bill and collect first and then ship? In other words, how do you get protection against non-payment?
At some point I need to start my "collection" to create funds for new bits and I am as green as it gets when it comes to online selling. Buying -- now I have a PhD in that!