Selling to someone with zero feedback. Need advice

[Spencerkey]

I was wondering if anyone has turned a buyer down because they have no feedback score. I am in the midst of selling my heli and there has been a few red flags with questionable buyers. One in particular has been a member for over 5 years. They have not posted a single thing until a few weeks ago about interest in someone's heli. Now they are interested in mine and I don't know how to politely say, 'I don't want to sell to you because you have zero activity and no feedback score.'

Can I say I do not want to sell to anyone who has no feedback score let alone no active time on HF?

My spidey sense is telling me something is not right and I don't want to get screwed. Call me crazy.

[Spork01]

You are in control. Its your decision to whom you want to sell to. Trust your instincts.

[Spencerkey]

Thanks for the quick response. I'm going to turn him down.

[blazer2]

if you dont feel good about it say no thanks....

like said its up to you ...

i have in the past said no...

good luck.

[Epoweredrc]

its your item, your money, your time ( box up, go to post office, ship , ect)
but i will say i just did a trade with a guy on here who been a member for a few yrs, has Zero feed back, he shipped first gave me my tracking # then i shipped my item. I know im extremely happy with mine and i think he is his item, he gave positive feedback.
remember at one time none of us had any feedback. we all started somewhere. but if its a high priced item i understand and sure they will also.
My dad was turned down by a guy on RGC a few yrs ago cause he didn't have any feedback he thought it was strange afterall my dad had over 50,000 post on there and plenty people know who he is but this guy didn't

[TowPilot]

Epoweredrc, the OP said he was not comfortable with the background of the zero feedback member.

I am in the midst of selling my heli and there has been a few red flags with questionable buyers. One in particular has been a member for over 5 years. They have not posted a single thing until a few weeks ago about interest in someone's heli. Now they are interested in mine

Buyers and sellers are prudent to vet the person they are dealing with by researching not just the feedback but the past posts.

The OP is doing just that and taking into account the big picture regarding the HF member.

[James Recard]

I don't see why you can't be upfront and tell him you need the cash first... obviously you know the risks when you sell through PayPal ... A reasonable buyer will recognize your good feedback and reputation and either understand or not... people did sell things before PayPal, it's not the only way.... just mitigate the risks to a level you are comfortable with. No need to shut the door completely though. . He's gotta earn that first feedback somehow.

[jverhaeren]

If they pay you, why would you not sell to someone? buying would be a different thing, but selling, I cant see an issue.

[Spencerkey]

I have sold before to HF's with zero feedback and I have had great success. In fact, I've sold things to them again. But when I get a vague PM from a HF who wants a heli I need to ask a few questions. When there seems to be a disconnect between myself and the buyer then I feel things are not right. I went a step further and looked into his history of previous posts. He had none. Not a single post in 7yrs from his join date. That seems odd to me. I know we take breaks from the sport but at some point within flying we all needed help and have posted something on this forum.

In the end it all worked out for the best. I sold my heli the following day. I appreciate everyone's advice.

[flint723]

I have sold to zero feedbacks before too and also refused some. I agree usually after a few pms you will get a feeling about the person and at that point decide if you really want to sell to them. I usually say if they have no feedbacks they must have confirmed address on paypal, and I will only send with tracking and ins to make sure it does arrive. If they try to make you send to another address or try to pay as gift, I will normally refund (if they paid) and tell them why. I have also accepted gift payments after explaining to them that paying as gift forfeits any paypal protection to the buyer.

I have only been burned once as a seller (a long time ago on rcg). That said I am more leery of selling on forums now than I have been in the past couple years.

[Fauropitotto]

Originally Posted by jverhaeren

If they pay you, why would you not sell to someone? buying would be a different thing, but selling, I cant see an issue.

Buying and selling is a transaction that requires the honesty of both parties.

A dishonest seller can send you a broken item. A dishonest buyer can claim that he received a broken item, causing trouble for everyone.

This is problematic especially with complex high dollar items like helis where a dishonest (and inexperienced) buyer can crash...only to turn around and demand a refund.

Especially on a forum, I wouldn't touch any deal or exchange with any person that has no feedback, or low post count. If they have not invested the time to build an online reputation then they'll have nothing to lose if they decide to screw you over.

[learnedthehardway]

Always trust your gut. If you get the sense something's not right then it's probably not.

Money first through PayPal does eliminate a lot of risk but selling a heli to someone with little experience can get you a negative feedback on the transaction when they blame you for their inability to get it to work right. Weigh the risk vs reward and decide, but if your gut is screaming no then run for the hills...lol

[K2Freak]

And (again), the seller takes the lion's share of risk when transacting via PayPal.

[Trex-Twizzle]

I understand the reasons of being skeptical about buying off someone with no feedback but people have to start somewhere. I have been contemplating selling some stuff on here but I always see people saying not to buy from others with 0 feedback. This had deterred me from selling the things id like to even though I'm an honest person that just has not sold anything before.

I feel if they are active in the forms and don't just join to sell as there main purpose then they are more likely to be honest. I would not buy from someone that is not active in the forms. this information I believe to be more important than feedback unless its negative feedback they have.

[yakky]

Ask the prospective buyer lots of questions, if they get annoyed with you and don't give good responses, tell them to hit the road. If in doubt, give them a call. Even with good feedback, I've gotten the 3rd degree from sellers on a $150 item, I guess I gave them good answers. Don't be shy, its your stuff, and as said, Paypal sides with the buyer unless you have lots of proof.

[xtremetoyzracing]

Does buyer have other feedback on other sites that can be validated? I have trusted buyers with zero feedback and had it go both ways.

[Epoweredrc]

Originally Posted by Trex-Twizzle

I understand the reasons of being skeptical about buying off someone with no feedback but people have to start somewhere. I have been contemplating selling some stuff on here but I always see people saying not to buy from others with 0 feedback. This had deterred me from selling the things id like to even though I'm an honest person that just has not sold anything before.

I feel if they are active in the forms and don't just join to sell as there main purpose then they are more likely to be honest. I would not buy from someone that is not active in the forms. this information I believe to be more important than feedback unless its negative feedback they have.

Got any small items? I would start with lower price stuff and then build up your feedback, ask the people to please leave feedback also. heck I have been here since 2007 and i have 23 positive feedback I know some never left me feedback that is okay. that is not a tone but its something. You joined this yr in Jan and have 231 posts. you post a fair amount most should feel okay buying from you.
people who scare me are the ones just joined last week and they have a $900 heli for sale. with zero posts.

[im4711]

wow - sounds a few bad apples start ruining it for many others.
Zero feedback simply means he never purchased or sold on HF. So hard to get feedback for transactions if you are never trusted.
Also not having my posts does not make a HF user bad neither. Some are on HF and many other forums to observe while others are more active. It does not make either one more or less trustful.

When I sell (what I rarely do nowadays) than I try to see based on the PM communication how the buyer responds. I normally do slow them down for payment until I am ready to ship since I never want money on my end for to long without being able to fulfill my part of it.

However as the OP mentioned -> he has a bad feeling so in such case I would not sell. I would not make that stuff up based on how many posts and zero feedback. I admit - I had some negative experience selling. So its a risk. Same on the buying side.

[Dennis Everett]

most scammers sign up the day before not 5 yrs ago , i would sell to him , just take pics of everything and keep records of all pms ...

[HELI_FUN]

I just signed up may 2016 and have sold one thing and bought 3. one of them a $500 heli. I had no feedback to start. people had some trust and now it's even more due to more feedback. there are some great people here on this site. not saying there is rip off people, just saying mostly great guys