Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Born2Run

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 27, 2010
261
612
Hove
I’ve had my iPad Pro (2tb M1, Magic Keyboard, Apple Pencil) advertised for sale for a while now as I want to get an M1 Pro MacBook Pro… Yesterday someone messaged me and arranged to come get it, they checked it out then did a bank transfer in front of me as I was watching, I then got a notification from my bank about money being received, at this point I was getting close to heading to work so was in a rush, the guy left and then I checked my bank (I know how dumb that is) turned out the notification was for some money I’d transferred earlier on in the day and was just delayed a little… The payment from the guy never turned up so I just lost my iPad and the £1400 I was selling it for!!!! 🤬😭
 

antiprotest

macrumors 601
Apr 19, 2010
4,352
16,030
But the guy who faked the transfer got lucky then didn't he? If another notification had not shown up at the same time you would have questioned it. So was he planning on faking the transfer and the seller not checking for the funds before handing over the item?

In any case, you would have felt better if you had just sent it to me. At least being an Apple connoisseur I would appreciate it much more and you would have handed it over willingly as a gift instead of being scammed out of it. Lesson learned.
 

Rafterman

Contributor
Apr 23, 2010
7,267
8,809
If you got emails or othe electronic trail...cops. But I would make sure it wasn't just a delay or other bank issue first.
 
  • Like
Reactions: boss.king

Greenmeenie

macrumors 68020
Jan 14, 2013
2,122
3,305
Sorry bro. That suuuucks. But are you sure that the money transfer isn’t just late? Maybe double check. I always prefer cash when selling an item in person. And always do it in a public place. I use paypal when selling on eBay.
 
  • Like
Reactions: kitKAC

Richard8655

macrumors 68000
Mar 11, 2009
1,925
1,373
Chicago suburbs
Sorry to hear this. Chalk it up as a life lesson learned, and not your fault at all. I'd also say these days with so much electronic fraud, cash is king applies more than ever.
 
Last edited:

Kierkegaarden

Cancelled
Dec 13, 2018
2,424
4,137
If it turns out that the funds were indeed not transferred, I’m sorry to hear this. And you’re not a moron — the fact that there are people in this world that lie and cheat reflects badly on them, not you — remember that.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: NARadyk and LibbyLA

Technerd108

macrumors 68040
Oct 24, 2021
3,062
4,311
Usually bank transfers take a few days. So you might still get paid.

If you met him, how did he contact you? If you have a phone number then maybe call him.

I am sorry if it turns out bad. That is a tough experience to go through. Generally a site like Swappa or eBay while not perfect help mitigate situations like this. Any private party sale is filled with risks. We have all been burned at one point or another.

I hope the money is just delayed!
 

JPack

macrumors G5
Mar 27, 2017
13,544
26,168
I don't understand. What kind of notification did you receive? Wouldn't it have at least the amount and the name of the sender?
 
  • Like
Reactions: BigMcGuire

Technerd108

macrumors 68040
Oct 24, 2021
3,062
4,311
In the UK (which my assumption since they were being paid in £) most bank transfers are effectively instant.


I obviously can only speak of my experience with banks here in the USA.

Personally in a meet up situation I would only accept cash.

For the OP just some general guidelines for selling private party from my flawed personal perspective,

All sales are final and I never, ever accept returns.

Use a 3rd party to sell with, i.e. Swappa, Ebay or another type of site that is large and verified.

Avoid Craigslist, and other meet up websites.

Never, ever use Zelle or other bank transfer systems as once the money is in another account it is essentially gone.

Use Venmo or PayPal if you can. Even though a lot of people have said they have had issues with buyers submitting complaints if you are very specific in the sales listing that you do not accept returns and the buyer is buying a used item "as is" then as long as you send it insured with tracking and take pictures of the item before you send it and boxed up then it is harder for such claims to be made.

Take lots of pictures of everything and list very detailed the condition of your device even if it may affect how much you can get.

Cash is always king if you meet in person. Let the person try out the device. Explain once the transaction is complete they will have to contact the manufacturer for aby support issues. All sales are final and No sale until you have the total amount in your hands or in a PayPal, Venmo account that you can verify with your own device. Never send anything without full payment and until the payment clears and is completely deposited into your account.

If you stick to the above guidelines you will reduce your risk as much as possible.

Again we have all been burned at some point either buying or selling second hand. It sucks. But you learn from your mistakes. My recommendations are from the various mistakes I made and then modified my behavior. Of course things are Always changing and I am always learning.

Good luck to you and let us know if there is any change or updates to your situation!
 

addamas

macrumors 65816
Apr 20, 2016
1,314
1,341
Are you selling something else?

Just kidding, thanks for sharing as someone might be aware now.
And sorry for the loss.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: bruinsrme

sunking101

macrumors 604
Sep 19, 2013
7,423
2,659
In the UK (which my assumption since they were being paid in £) most bank transfers are effectively instant.
Depends. Most 'faster payments' go through instantaneously but can take up to 3 hours. Building Society transfers can take 24hrs.
 

Alpha Centauri

macrumors 65816
Oct 13, 2020
1,445
1,141
I'm in DE and the notification of a transaction having taken place is immediately. The funds however can take a few days to actually be transferred. Really hoping that's the case here also, especially since the OP mentioned having had a delay to a previous transaction and the weekend being in between also.

OP: No response trying to contact the {buyer} ?
 

Andeddu

macrumors 68000
Dec 21, 2016
1,794
2,335
Never do a transaction in person via bank transfer. I only deal in cash so that I cannot be scammed.
 

Alpha Centauri

macrumors 65816
Oct 13, 2020
1,445
1,141
Never do a transaction in person via bank transfer. I only deal in cash so that I cannot be scammed.
To add to this. Good idea to deposit immediately (with buyer present) into your ATM to remove any doubt of counterfeit notes being present.
 

jaytv111

macrumors 65816
Oct 25, 2007
1,028
874
But the guy who faked the transfer got lucky then didn't he? If another notification had not shown up at the same time you would have questioned it. So was he planning on faking the transfer and the seller not checking for the funds before handing over the item?

In any case, you would have felt better if you had just sent it to me. At least being an Apple connoisseur I would appreciate it much more and you would have handed it over willingly as a gift instead of being scammed out of it. Lesson learned.
It’s a scam where they say they sent the money (on their fake app), so the transfer is pending that’s why it’s not in your account, so give me the item so I don’t have to call the police on you because you’ll get the money soon.

It was a coincidence for OP to have a notification come through that wasn’t related but made OP think he got the money.
 

*~Kim~*

macrumors 65816
May 6, 2013
1,178
470
UK
It’s a scam where they say they sent the money (on their fake app), so the transfer is pending that’s why it’s not in your account, so give me the item so I don’t have to call the police on you because you’ll get the money soon.

It was a coincidence for OP to have a notification come through that wasn’t related but made OP think he got the money.
They would be calling the police then. Even if it were a genuine app, the ‘buyer’ could have the bank on the phone after leaving with the item because it is pending (security checks), only to tell them not to release the funds. Or the account might have been blocked for an investigation during which the bank determine that there is evidence of wrongdoing and the seller won’t see their money.

The OP would likely have noticed that it was a different notification if he hadn’t been in a rush for work; these people probably look for times that they think people will be in a rush and say it is the only time they can do.

I hope you eventually get your money. It feels like there are so many more scammers nowadays.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.