• The rules for The Exchange can be found here. Please read and follow them. Stop using Paypal Friends & Family and follow our best practices to prevent getting ripped off or having a bad deal.

PayPal friends and family

It should worry you and as others have said, walk away.
The most I would do is what you offered-to pay the fees, most would not do that.
There is almost always another chance to buy the knife
I often pay by USPS money order, and it is the correct alternative if you don't want to deal with PP or their fees, but I would only use it with someone I trusted. Without knowing the party, my trust would be weak on this one.
 
Last edited:
OP - you should just walk away as many already suggested.

To the seller (whoever that is) - assuming you are just worried being scammed, you should straight up and decline a deal with the OP instead of insisting paypal f&f.

A deal can/should be done only when both sides trust each other. Otherwise, it is better not to deal.
 
Salo said:
ive been chatting with someone about a knife I’m interested in and we’ve agreed upon a price but he is insisting I send the money through friends and family using the argument that I could scam him if I send it with goods and services. I even agreed to pay the PayPal fees and it’s perplexing.
I don’t feel like there’s ever a good reason to send a large sum of money with no buyer protection. The seller is a member on here and he has positive feedback but it still worries me. Thoughts anyone?
Click to expand...

I can certainly understand the reasons as a seller to want to avoid G&S, but this sounds like a trust issue. I'd walk away.

BF is full of stories of guys who've been ripped off by buyers, as well as sellers. When selling, I only ask for F&F with people I know, or think I can trust. Every knife I'm selling here right now (mostly customs) is priced as G&S. I don't know you, you don't know me. Hopefully, that will change. When I'm buying, I really need to know who it is.

Sadly, if you look through this very forum you'll find stories of sellers and buyers who will build up positive feedback - sometimes a lot - and then start their scams. The people who've had positive dealings will often still vouch for them, until it's been found out they're repeat offenders and just re-register to start it all over again.

Walk away.
The fear of loss is a powerful negotiation tool on both sides.
 
Victorian Squid said:
When selling, I only ask for F&F with people I know, or think I can trust.

Sadly, if you look through this very forum you'll find stories of sellers and buyers who will build up positive feedback - sometimes a lot - and then start their scams. The people who've had positive dealings will often still vouch for them, until it's been found out they're repeat offenders and just re-register to start it all over again.
Click to expand...

Sorry but, F&F is never appropriate for a sale. It is not an opinion, but spelled out very clearly by PP

Yes it is true there have been a few that built up feedback then scammed, but very few. Of those most built it very quickly then got to the scam. Most of the longer term ones I believe just fell on hard times and had a weak moral compass-not an excuse, for there is none.
and that was an opinion:)
 
Keep in mind that if you pay with F & F you are gifting the money to the seller with no expectation of receiving anything back. You don't think so, but that is how Paypal will look at it if you send your F & F payment and never get the knife you used it to pay for. You will have no recourse if the knife doesn't show up or mysteriously gets lost in the mail.
 
Better to not send F&F and still be looking for another 5 years for a knife you paid for but don't receive ...

If any seller even asked for F&F I'd walk ... and if you offered to pay for the fees that should be the cherry on top ...
 
Just tell the buyer you will pay the extra for G&S. He'll get all his cash.

If he still balks, then he's hedging on a return, and anticipating a problem which he is not disclosing.

Like Victorian Squid Victorian Squid said: It's a trust issue.
 
Nah, it’s not worth engaging with this seller. If he’s worried about the $, he can do what most thinking people do: roll his costs into the purchase price and pass them on to the consumer.

The seller’s behavior (as portrayed in this thread) comes across as manipulative, surreptitious, and dishonest.
 
My signature makes my opinion clear. To my way of thinking, it's as simple as this: A person is either a man/woman of integrity and honesty or...not. A person who will steal (whether goods, or services such as PayPal's) is a thief, full stop. Don't deal with thieves.
 
SharpByCoop said:
Just tell the buyer you will pay the extra for G&S. He'll get all his cash.

If he still balks, then he's hedging on a return, and anticipating a problem which he is not disclosing.

Like Victorian Squid Victorian Squid said: It's a trust issue.
Click to expand...

If you are still set on getting this knife from this individual, I would do what Coop mentions.

I've had a few "well-known" established makers request F&F but all were amenable to me insisting on G&S (while also paying the fee). I've never bought again directly from any these, as the motivation behind the F&F request was unclear to me. It would be interesting to hear from a makers perspective why they would even mention F&F, especially with the negative connotations on here.
 
If you check the exchange rules you will see that F&F is highly discouraged. It also says that if you choose to pay by F&F and don't get your knife, don't come crying to the moderators about it.

The fact that the individual won't take G&S even if you pay the fees is doubly concerning.

I would not do business with that individual.
 
Ive asked if anyone can vouch for the buyer... and he cant name one.
I have 50+ people that can vouch for me.

Thats the issue...
 
Smiler said:
Ive asked if anyone can vouch for the buyer... and he cant name one.
I have 50+ people that can vouch for me.

Thats the issue...
Click to expand...
Since you've jumped in...that makes no difference. Proper usage of PayPal dictates Goods & Services payments for any purchases, you requesting F&F is a violation of the ToS you agreed to when you signed up for PayPal.
 
Well there are cases when the buyes claims he didnt recive anything but did.

No vouches and a 1200 deal is realy strange to me.

I have no problem paying f&f myself.
 
Smiler said:
Ive asked if anyone can vouch for the buyer... and he cant name one.
I have 50+ people that can vouch for me.

Thats the issue...
Click to expand...

Are you the seller?
He actually has a longer record here and more feedback than you.
Regardless-how much vouching is needed to sell someone a knife. They pay you and you send the knife. If you have fully divulged all flaws there should be no problem if it makes it to them. Have him sign for it and insure it. Or better still send it registered mail.
There isn't a thief hiding behind every transaction. Likely hundreds are done each day here and every so often one goes bad.
If I didn't trust the person I wouldn't deal with them at all, but under no circumstances would I ask for F&F.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top