Buying off CL and the buyer wants cash

[caver]

I'm talking about something your interested in off CL or FB Marketplace that's maybe 150+ miles away and they want cash. We'll say an asking price of $10K+ I've been looking into replacing my camper with a used one and dealers around here have nothing I want.
I have been telling the sellers up front that I'm not carrying that kind of cash to meet a stranger. There's also a possibility of legal issues if any have seen the YT video from a lawyer. The rules here want us to avoid legal discussion so I will leave it at that. So far all have been unprepared for me asking that question but have entertained the alternatives. One kid said he would accept a cashiers check. Another would take a personal check after I suggested we draw up a bill of sale and they hold title and camper until it clears their bank. The most recent one was he suggested a bank transfer which I'm cool with since my CU charges a nominal fee and I could take trailer home that day since it was over 300 miles away. If a seller said pound sand, that's their choice. The one kid that wanted a cashiers check (surprised me) was because we would have to go to the bank to pay off his loan and get the title. I'm curious how others approach this.

 

[TnAndy]

IF I were the seller, it would be cash, or hold the whatever until your check....personal OR cashiers.....clears my bank. Cashier checks are way too easy to fake anymore to trust them.

 

[RNeumann]

Meet at the bank. Do the transaction inside- cash, cashiers check etc. It’s not a big deal.

 

[Rock Crawler]

When I sold my BX, it was US paper money... green cash only. No green, no sell. That is typical of how I do it when selling online. If that offends a person, I don't care at all. They are free to buy something else from someone else.

 

[rgr33]

The method RNeumann describes above is the way I have always done it, but it must be the buyers bank, so there is less chance of nsf after the fact

 

[Motorboatin]

I sold a SXS for cash a few years ago. The guy showed up with over 9k in $100 bills. It felt like a drug deal and I was happy when the machine rolled down the street on his trailer. I did this transaction at my office and I was the only guy here and there was two of them. If I ever do that again I will be doing the transaction in a police dept parking lot

 

[AWSubie]

Meet at the bank. Do the transaction inside- cash, cashiers check etc. It’s not a big deal.

Exactly what RNeumann says. The sellers bank will confirm with ur bank that whatever financial instrument u and seller agree upon is valid and the deal is done. If there is a lien against the item then u would complete the transaction at the lenders office instead of the bank.

 

[ovrszd]

I sold a SXS for cash a few years ago. The guy showed up with over 9k in $100 bills. It felt like a drug deal and I was happy when the machine rolled down the street on his trailer. I did this transaction at my office and I was the only guy here and there was two of them. If I ever do that again I will be doing the transaction in a police dept parking lot

Yeah, this has always been my concern. Or flip side, I'm the one with the cash. Especially when the seller doesn't want to meet at their house.

 

[TractorNH]

Always cash (checked with a money pen to make sure it's real) or might meet at the buyers bank to get a cashiers check but the check would ride back home with me, it wouldn't be left out of my sight. Paranoid? Maybe, but I work too hard for what I have to lose it by being scammed.

Several police departments in my area have a camera monitored parking spots in their lot for transactions or they will even allow you to do your transactions inside the PD.

When I sold my truck for over $10k the guy who was buying it thought it was wierd that I was checking the cash with the pen. He told me he was a police officer in a nearby town. I told him I already knew that from finding him on Facebook but I have my own rules for selling my stuff. He wasn't offended and totally understood my point. He originally wanted to use a cashiers check for $10k and the rest in cash. Before he came I told him if I can verify it is real then that would be okay. He had given me a picture of the check but even when I called the bank branch it was drawn from they said the only way to verify it was real was to deposit it. They couldn't even verify to me that the check number was issued to him if I gave them his name. Needless to say, it ended up being a cash transaction.

 

[oosik]

Last year I sold my smaller rear blade. I asked for cash only. The buyer had no problem with that. It was for $800. However - if I sold something for $10K or more - I would feel a lot safer doing the transaction in the bank.

Come to think about it - two great big guys did come in a pickup to get the rear blade. We still needed my tractor and FEL to get the blade in their pickup. It's not like they were going to grab it and run. There is a lot good to be said about a mile long driveway being the ONLY way out of your property.