Kijiji sale - would you take a cheque as payment? - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Devils'Advocate · 10-11-2010, 07:18 PM

I put a laptop up for sale on Kijiji for $350. Typically, I got a few people lowballing me @ $250. I also got this one (names hidden obviously):

"Hi there, my name is X and I run the Y Tenants Association. We have a little satellite office and looking for a newer Laptop, so that we can manage our office/ tenants association. Is it still available and can we arrange something to come see it? Being we are an Association run by the city of Ottawa we are not able to give cash so we are authorized to use business Cheque only. This is so that the City can track all the funds we use to set up our office. Would that be acceptable to you?"

Sounds legitimate. But I've heard of people being scammed with bad cheques before. And as you probably know, if someone gives you a bad cheque, the depositor is on the hook:
http://www.cba.ca/tips/en/content/co...une_EN_07.html

And even if I had the person come with me to bank to have the cheque cashed, they don't actually clear for 2 or 3 days, so they wouldn't detect any fraud until the person was gone with the laptop.

Rathji · 10-11-2010, 07:20 PM

Get them to write the check out to themselves from the association and then give you the cash.

Only way I would do it.

Madman · 10-11-2010, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rathji

Get them to write the check out to themselves from the association and then give you the cash.

Only way I would do it.

Agreed.

No way I would ever take a cheque.

Also - are you in Ottawa?

Devils'Advocate · 10-11-2010, 07:22 PM

Yes, I am in Ottawa.

Ice · 10-11-2010, 07:22 PM

Meet them at their bank and cash it there. They'll verify its legit before giving you the cash and you won't have to wait for it to clear. You don't hand over the laptop until you have cash in your hand. In fact, if you offer to meet them at the drawee bank to cash the check and you don't hear back from them, you'll know its a scam.

Madman · 10-11-2010, 07:23 PM

Ok, good - that part was an instant red flag for me if you weren't.

Northendzone · 10-11-2010, 07:25 PM

to me the wording of the e-mail is a little awkward. I suppose you could dop some investigation and and see if this association is legit, and call the office.

i also wonder if you could tell them you will deposit the cheque, and they can have the laptop when the cheque clears - although i suppose if it bounces, you are still on the hook for some bank fees.

i have tried kiji twice to sell stuff and all i got were folks whow ere initially anxious to come and see my items and they then vanished......

Reaper · 10-11-2010, 07:32 PM

Cash only is my rule for kijiji.

ericschand · 10-11-2010, 07:35 PM

I don't get it. Are businesses not allowed to get a certified cheque? Money order?

Also, if it is run by City of Ottawa, why are they shopping on Kijiji? That seems odd.
Another thought, if it's City of Ottawa, wouldn't it be a PO based system then?

ers

DownhillGoat · 10-11-2010, 07:41 PM

No.

a) everything sounds fishy in that letter. Especially "Would that be acceptable to you".
I have my doubts the city of ottawa is in the market for a used laptop. Most companies/organizations have preferred vendors, not kijiji...

b) Anything past a couple hundred bucks is wire transfer or email interac only. I've seen enough counterfeit cash around Calgary. Cheques are easy to forge, as are bank drafts/money orders. The only way I'd take one is with Ice's method.

DownhillGoat · 10-11-2010, 07:48 PM

Reading it again this screams scam. I've noted some of the flags.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

"Hi there, my name is X and I run the Y Tenants Association. [Not a very formal intro for a city department] We have a little satellite office and looking for a newer Laptop [note the random capital letters], so that we can manage our office/ tenants association. Is it still available and can we arrange something to come see it? Being we are [poor grammar/syntax] an Association [another random capital] run by the city [missing a capital] of Ottawa we are not able to give cash so we are authorized to use business Cheque only [poor grammar/syntax] [random capital]. This is so that the City [now city is capitalized?] can track all the funds we use to set up our office. Would that be acceptable to you?"[poor grammar/syntax]

schteve_d · 10-11-2010, 08:57 PM

My Spidy sense gets tingly on this one. I'd say it's almost surely a scam for reasons already noted.

The City is setting up an office with used computers? Sounds fishy.

kirant · 10-11-2010, 09:07 PM

Yeah, I'd follow Ice's suggestion. As noted before, it's pretty fishy (given the hideously poor e-mail for an official group). What really concerns me is the lack for formality and the 1 paragraph format of the e-mail. Normally anything done by the city has contact information at the bottom. (Though I'm not sure if Ottawa is different...)

Resolute 14 · 10-11-2010, 09:21 PM

If they need to track expenses, they can easily get a postal money order or a bank draft, both of which come with receipts. There is no chance in hell I would ever accept a cheque for an online sale. Chances are if you state that you'd accept a bank draft, you'll never hear from them again.

BlackEleven · 10-11-2010, 09:34 PM

Tell them you'll only take certified cheque. If it's legit they should have no problem with that.

Ramsayfarian · 10-11-2010, 09:40 PM

I wouldn't accept a cheque.

Google the organization and see what comes up. I'd also google a key sentence or two from the email. Just make sure you have it in quotes.

psicodude · 10-11-2010, 09:44 PM

Publicly funded operations do not shop on Kijiji. Ever.

Rifleman · 10-12-2010, 12:55 AM

Post the entire unedited email please.

Devils'Advocate · 10-12-2010, 02:32 AM

I'm not about to go posting peoples names on a public forum.

Well, much of the low-income housing that Ottawa has is run by tenant boards that work at an arms length. I was just speaking to a friend on Friday about a teen rec center that is also run at arms length. They have to run things on a shoestring, so whenever he has a chance to buy things used, he does. And given that this is low-income housing, the bad grammar would be somewhat expected given that many in low-income housing are not university educated. Hell, looking at some of the posts by university educated people on CP, even that is not a guarantee of good grammar.

I replied saying the only cheque I would accept would be certified cheque.

Devils'Advocate · 10-12-2010, 07:19 AM

FYI - I just got a response from my e-mail saying I would only accept a certified cheque.

"Thanks for letting me know." End of discussion.

I probably wouldn't have bitten as it seemed fishy.... but I'm happy I'm not the only one that was skeptical. Thanks all.