“No couriers” … Scam?

[MacManiac]

I am intrigued by the number of adverts on Facebook (items for sale) which state “No Couriers”. It suggests that there is some sort of scam going on.

I have an item for sale for €20 and a potential buyer wants me to send it to Nicosia by courier. Am I right to be suspicious?

[Les Bean]

Ive sold a few items and most of them sent by courier cod, no problems at all

[sued51]

I've sold lots of things on Facebook here and I don't think it's a scam, just very inconvenient.

Usually the buyer calls to collect their item and pays cash - all done and dusted, but if they don't live in Paphos and want it sent by courier, you have to package the item, deliver to the courier office and then wait until the buyer has collected and paid, the courier has processed the transaction and return to the office to collect payment, usually around a week later.

Not usually worth the hassle and luckily I've never had a buyer not turn up to collect from the courier, I assume if this happens the package would be returned to the original courier office and the seller liable for their costs still not having sold the item.

[Jamboal]

Yes there is a courier scam, when a seller advertises on say Marketplace the scammer will say they want the item but are either too busy or too far away to collect so will send a courier. If the seller agrees they will then be asked what time will they be at home for the courier to collect, leaving them open for a burglary. I sell quite a bit on Marketplace etc. and get these messages all the time hence “no couriers”