Have the other party wire the funds directly to your account through his bank.

E-transfer is the preferred way in Canada. Very low cost to transfer money, & very secure. Might have to be done over a few days if its a large amount. Usually the fee is $1 - $3, for up to $2k - $3k.

The first game I bought and had shipped I worked with the buyer to pay by check. I sent it, she waited til it cleared, and then sent the game.

Is western union still in business?

Yes, they're still in business. But the buyer may be leery to use them, because of all the scams that involve Western Union.

You should all read vid's guide: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/how-to-not-get-ripped-off-in-pinball-vids-guide

Wiring money isn't scam-proof.

A check works, so long as you wait 3-4 weeks for it to clear. Funds Available ≠ Funds Cleared, as vid says in the guide, so if you wait less than 3-4 weeks, then the funds haven't actually been cleared by the bank--the bank just makes funds available for your convenience until they "catch up" with verifying it.

Vid's latest addition included information on internet escro services: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/how-to-not-get-ripped-off-in-pinball-vids-guide#post-1813455

Cash. Cash is safe.

If you MUST accept another form of payment (for international deals or something) wait until payment is clear beyond any shadow of a doubt. If someone wants you to ship a game abroad, they can wait until you can make damn sure you have your money.

I sold a pin to a collector in Australia. I spoke with my bank and they assured me that once the funds are in my account that there is no way the buyer could pull them back out. Have a chat with your bank.

What is wrong with Paypal? If the transaction is for a product, seller takes good photos of everything sent, buyer does the same when received, this protects both for any scam and damage/responsibility. then you have Paypal to dispute to if there is an issue.

Sending money to someone any other way is just gambling on their honesty. I you know the person somehow or they are well known on a forum, that might be ok, but other than that, it's like saying I'll leave the cash in the mailbox, please drop the machine off when you take it.

And how do you rely on buyer to take pictures immediately upon receiving product? Before a scammer messes with it?

Seems awful weak to me.

I'd buy thru paypal, never sell, unless I knew the guy.

But that would be only for the buyers benefit. I have never sold and shipped a game, but if I did, I would take a video of it working and playing just prior, then photos being packaged including of the game on the date when it left, and anything else in case there was a dispute.

I would also state that any issues as a result of shipping are the buyers responsibility, but I would send a video of it working correctly prior to leaving, and make sure this was understood prior to the deal.

I would not warranty a machine that is not in my hands for handling, and if someone is buying a machine, and there are non-aesthetic issues when it arrives, that's the buyers risk, person to person, business shipping is another case though. i always state "as is" now anyway.

Ebay has a "item not as described", "counterfeit item" and "undelivered" loophole. Basically, any time a buyer puts in a claim for those, eBay pretty much always sides with the buyer, regardless if it's true or not. So, eBay refunds the money, the buyer keeps the item and you are out both.

I'm not sure you're 'getting' this; those rules are only for the buyer's benefit. That's precisely the problem.

Ebay/Paypal always side with the buyer, even if the seller is able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that they delivered the product as described.

idk, I've purchased a few TOY pinball machines successfully through CraigsList using nationwide search engines to find them, contacting the seller with CL note, then regular e-mail and phone.
sent postal money order to them (oh hell no to PO box!, must be real name, real street address etc.) for them to cash before they send. cant forge em, gotta pay cash to buy em (post office money order), so I'd think for the seller its a pretty safe-sure method even though it takes a couple days for the money order to arrive. I'd imagine penalties would be harsh if a seller were to not ship the item, especially from one state to another where it'd become a federal interstate fraud issue if persued.

I dont feel near as safe about PayPal, or especially "PayPal Gift" that could release any obligation. money order being trackable and verifiable, not cashable without verified ID, nor easily refundable.

I hardly believe that to be true, what's to stop virtually anyone doing that all the time and never having to pay for anything. There is no such thing as the Chewbacca Defence

Nothing, really. That's why ebay/paypal is not very hospitable for sellers.

For buyers, it's great. For sellers...there's a lot of risk involved because of how easy it is to scam a seller out of money, the item, or both. Paypal/ebay's policies are what enable these scams to happen, and they pretty much always rubber stamp a claim in the favor of the buyer no matter what.

If you accept a PayPal gift payment you have no obligation to even ship anything. The payment you receive is a **GIFT** and there is no expectation that you are selling anything. In fact, if you accept a gift payment in exchange for something you sell, you are violating PayPal's user agreement. Everyone should read PayPal's user agreement. It is very interesting. As a buyer, you are an absolute FOOL if you ever buy anything and pay as a PayPal gift. YOU HAVE ZERO RECOURSE because you gave the money as a gift......

Not true. Read this: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/how-to-not-get-ripped-off-in-pinball-vids-guide#post-1813448

You can dispute the charge with your credit card company.

Back in the day with eBay I paid and received money order on auctions. Isn't money order or cashier's check still safe?

The pitfalls of these are in Vid's guide.