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No Sellers willing to do COD anymore???

I first got into this hobby about 4 years ago (at least in terms of owning "high end" equipment).......one of the main ways I was able to do that was by buying almost everything used. My speakers (B&W M802's) I found used at a local audio dealer, & after that, bought most of the rest of my system from private sellers thru Audiogon, always doing COD, which seemed almost SOP at that time.

Now, most sellers INSIST on Cashier's Check upfront, end of discussion. And I admit, when I'm selling items long distance, it would be nice to be able to impose that, but the last time I tried that when listing something FS, no one was willing to do that. Am I missing something? Would anyone ship their expensive audio stuff to someone just relying on their word that they'd then send them the $$$?? It seems too one-sided now......even with all the potential pitfalls of COD; at least it's sort of equal for both parties. Thanks for any input!
steveaudio
fly_fish_nz
70 posts
 
Last Tuesday, I sent a Money Order cross country, which unfortunately the seller has not yet received. 7 days seems pretty long for a first class letter, and I was wondering if it does not appear in the next few days, what options do I have with an MO? Am I able to effectively stop payment at the Credit Union?

Regarding the other question, I will not send COD, since, at least as of last year, I was not able to specify that ONLY a cashier's check could be accepted.

Thanks, C.
sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
FlyFish: UPS and Fedex have always allowed you to limit it the cashiers check only. This is not new. With the Post Office you can make it Postal Money Order only.


I bought a $1000+ item COD three weeks ago. It was actually the sellers idea.

fly_fish_nz
70 posts
 
Thanks Sugarbrie (edible combo?). About 1 1/2 years ago, I checked with UPS and USPS and was told that they accepted personal checks, cashier's checks, and money orders, but that I could not specify which ones were sufficient for delivery. Sounds like I may have been misinformed, which is good to hear. If you are right, I am pretty sure that other sellers might be laboring under the same misconception I have, which would explain some reluctance to use COD.
dkuipers
64 posts
 
I have sold tons of items on audiogon, and I never do COD. There was a real scandal about a year ago here, some guy in California "bought" a ton of gear from audigon members, all expensive stuff and all "COD". He ended up being a crook with a fake address and sent back fake money orders. There were several extremely upset audiogon members here as a result, as you can imagine.

That episode only reinforced the reluctance of sellers to do COD anymore, and that's just the way it is. Review a seller's feedback and make your own decisions about whether you are comfortable with upfront payment or not. If you're not, then pay the higher price to buy from a dealer to support your risk aversion.
mfkeleher
146 posts
 
In the past month I've sold three items COD. Using UPS, and shipping at an actual UPS counter, it only cost $6 for the service and certified check or money order can be specified. There are drawbacks. My Krell integrated was delivered last Tuesday, and here it is Wednesday and the check has not arrived. The first time, I shpped at a Post Net counter and 8 days after delivery I had a call, the check was mailed to the Post Net. If one is eager to get the check to buy some more gear, it's pretty frustrating when UPS can't get a check back in the same time it took to get the product to the buyer. I could see that the poor check return performance might be the reason some don't use this approach.
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