newbie with a lot to sell, how to not get stabbed/scammed?

[DF-1]

I'm planning a big move soon.

I've never really sold/bought used things, but I have a lot of stuff that is worth a decent amount and if I don't sell will just be trashed.

It's mainly electronics and furniture (OLED tvs, PC screen, sound system, kitchen stuff, couch, tables, chairs, vacuum, exercise bike, playstation 2/3/4 + games, workout equipment)
I'm wary of shipping anything, and a lot of it is way too heavy anyway.

Any advice on how to sell this and hopefully not get stabbed or scammed? Also what services should I use? Craigslist? Facebook? Offerup? Something else? All of them? What kind of payments should I accept? (Do people try to use fake bills when paying cash?)

I'm in the US.

Thanks in advance!

 

[xDiVolatilX]

Offerup inside a crowded starbucks for example. Anything huge outside somewhere crowded with lots of people. Cash or venmo is good enough for me. You're not selling high dollar items a couple hundred bucks at most no biggie. Make sure the buyer is "YOUTRU" verified and the account is old like years old with good feedback. If it's brand new and no feedback or out far away avoid definitely. I've sold a 1080Ti, a 2080Ti, and a 3080Ti all had waterblocks on them lol.

 

[cdabc123]

Craigslist is has always been surprisingly pleasant for me. 95% of the time you end up meeting a friendly individual just trying to participate in a honest sale. Cash is best from a tax obligation perspective. Look at the bills and it should be obvious enough they are real. Facebook will introduce you to a few more idiots, still possible to have decent transactions. I would always just meet in some public parking lot, 5 minutes max and the deal is made and both parties go their separate way.

Hardfourm is a great place to sell computer parts, probably one of the best although you should list slightly lower then say ebay as there are no fees here (people only want to buy stuff that is priced decently). Every single transaction ive had on here has been wonderful, normally with paypal or crypto.

If everything is listed for top dollar you will get far more bs. List for a fair or cheap price, people will still try and make offers..

 

[DF-1]

I did find some smaller things I could ship instead of selling locally.

Also, don't people want to see that a thing is working before buying it? Now that i'm thinking of parking lots you cant really do that with TVs, playstations, PC-wired VR.

Offerup inside a crowded starbucks for example. Anything huge outside somewhere crowded with lots of people. Cash or venmo is good enough for me. You're not selling high dollar items a couple hundred bucks at most no biggie. Make sure the buyer is "YOUTRU" verified and the account is old like years old with good feedback. If it's brand new and no feedback or out far away avoid definitely. I've sold a 1080Ti, a 2080Ti, and a 3080Ti all had waterblocks on them lol.

not sure what "YOUTRU verified" is, googling has this as the #1

Hardfourm is a great place to sell computer parts, probably one of the best although you should list slightly lower then say ebay as there are no fees here (people only want to buy stuff that is priced decently). Every single transaction ive had on here has been wonderful, normally with paypal or crypto.

I think my Heatware is at like 3 and last used 10 years ago for digital stuff, so I don't know that anyone would buy from me here.

 

[cdabc123]

I did find some smaller things I could ship instead of selling locally.

Also, don't people want to see that a thing is working before buying it? Now that i'm thinking of parking lots you cant really do that with TVs, playstations, PC-wired VR.



not sure what "YOUTRU verified" is, googling has this as the #1


I think my Heatware is at like 3 and last used 10 years ago for digital stuff, so I don't know that anyone would buy from me here.

PayPal offers more protection to buyers then sellers, as long as you don't seem like your actually trying to scam people I'm sure many things could still sell here.

I've bought lots locally that I didn't verify if it worked, monitors, cpus, motherboard, ect. Always worked out alright, I've ended up buying more broken stuff on ebay.

 

[dogDAbone]

For the computer/electronics stuff, selling it here (or similar places like TPU, MacRumors etc) is your best bet....not saying you absolutely can't get scammed, but the chances are way, way less than those other places you mentioned.....I've been buying & selling stuff here for well over 10 years with absolutely ZERO issues whatsoever.... there was that account hacking scare a while back, but the owners fixed that by quickly implementing 2FA and all has been well since then...

Craigslist & OfferUp are ok too, but as already mentioned, ONLY do the transactions in a public place and take another person with you, and check the currency before handing over your items...and please, please, please, just stay the f*ck away from Fakebook, Redderit, twiX or any other social media-related sites, as they are MAJOR havens for scammers big & small...

Of course there's always fleecebay, which will get you a much larger audience, but I would advise against it, since it is also a major hub for scammers, scalpers and other assorted shitheads, and they almost ALWAYS side with the buyer in most dispute cases...

Although Paypal will charge a small fee, it is probably the most widely used payment method here, but there is also Zelle or other similar apps, but beware that they offer ZERO scam/fraud/theft protections for either the seller or the buyer, so there's that...

And yes, keep your prices reasonable & your stuff will sell way faster, but be willing to negotiate whenever possible.... your stuff IS used after all, so price it based on condition & age.

The possible exception would be rare, limited edition, antique, or other special things that should be worth a good bit more than other average stuff

And as we say around here "GLWS" (good luck with the sale) !

 

[windianrecords]

this may seem crazy but I’ve bought and sold audio engineering equipment where you want to show it works and I’ve brought something like the link below to power it - this 100% can support most stuff outside a 700W PC w/ GPU, just a suggestion that’s helped me before, re: people wanting to make sure stuff works and they aren’t gettin ripped off

Jackery Portable PSU

 

[dcun201]

I only buy used computer parts here on the forum. Likewise when I am selling old PC parts as well. I try to steer away from Ebay due to high fees etc.

 

[SPARTAN VI]

Any advice on how to sell this and hopefully not get stabbed or scammed?

If you have the option to meet at a local PD or Sheriff's station, then that will most likely weed out all but the most insanely dangerous people and scammers. For that reason and the fact that my local PD is barely 1/4 mile from me, I only meet there.

Save yourself the headache of meeting buyers half-way or doing deliveries. You'll probably have a couple good experiences doing this until you encounter that one no-show dipshit that wastes your afternoon and fuel. Meet local and only leave to the meet-up spot once the buyer has confirmed they're in the area or have already arrived. Whether or not you want your "meet up spot" to be your house/complex is up to you. Personally done dozens of purchases this way, but I would never recommend that as a seller.

Also what services should I use? Craigslist? Facebook? Offerup? Something else? All of them?

I recommend OfferUp, but I list on both OfferUp and Facebook Marketplace. About 95% of my in-person sales are on OfferUp, with an occasional sale on Facebook Marketplace. If the item still has not moved, I'll reduce the price and/or list it on Ebay as well.

What kind of payments should I accept? (Do people try to use fake bills when paying cash?)

Cash first. If you're worried about counterfeit cash, don't bother with the counterfeit pen. I have the pen, and just testing it on card stock I have lying around revealed that it is easily defeated. Instead I use this UV flashlight to detect the UV reactive security strip on the bills. It's really easy to just fan out the bills, and quickly shine the UV light from underneath even in broad daylight:

In lieu of the UV light, a collar test (scratch the collar of the president, it should have a texture), color changing embossing check (the embossed $20 on the bottom right should reflect gold/green when tilting the bill), and other security measures such as the holographic strip in the newer $100 bills are all things you should quickly become familiar with.

Zelle second, in my experience. Zelle, Venmo, CashApp, etc. all usually function using "same day ACH" and are exceedingly difficult to reverse. Generally they should be a safe way to accept electronic payments if concerned that the buyer will try to reverse the payment. That's not to say it's impossible for them to scam you via these methods, and it can be a bit more nuanced when you factor in the type of account (business or personal) and whether the payment was sent as a gift, or for goods & services. Personally and in my professional career (15+ years in banking) I've never seen funds refunded/recovered from a Zelle payment, except in cases of impostor fraud where the bank eats the loss.