Not a scam
 

A while back, I posted a rather unique trunk-mount ski-rack on NYC Craigslist. (I needed it when my daily driver was a Miata; the 240D takes a roof rack.)

Guy e-mails me, asks if I could ship to Michigan if he sent a check. I was skeptical at first, but I looked his name up and he appeared to exist. I got a banker's check in the mail for price + shipping, waited a week, and sent the rack.

Always keep an open mind, even if an offer seems sketchy or scammy at first.

I buy and sell certain items on internet forums. I always make sure that the details are negotiated via E-Mail. If the guy tells me he is in Alaska, and his IP address says he is in Ireland, (which happens occasionally), I know I am dealing with a scammer. Usually I just stop corresponding, but, sometimes it is fun to string them along for a while, just to waste their time.

Not necessarily - he could be on a work system or on a VPN that routes all traffic via a certain server. Bank's check, wait 7 days or PayPal. If the buyer doesn't want to play ball, THEN you should smell a rat.

Of course they can play VPN / proxy games, but in the products that I deal with, 99% of the scammers are in Ireland or the UK, so those IP addresses are immediate red flags. Usually there are other scammer clues, for example, someone claiming to be in Alaska posting an ad at 3am in his time zone, with a UK IP address is a clue. Describing a feature set that ain't right for a North American version is a clue. "You pay by Western Union" is a dead giveaway.

Do not trust PayPal with this type of transaction.

Thinking of selling on eBay with Paypal? Think again! - CodeNerdz

A simple internet search will yield a hundred more similar recent examples.

On Craigslist sales, I ask for the payment to be marked as "personal debt" - no fees - and pull the cash out to my bank immediately. If the buyer wants their money back, let them sue.

That doesn't work where an EBay auction is linked to PayPal, but on sales outside of EBay, it pretty much guarantees payment.

If they still managed to get a chargeback from their CC, PayPal would put the charge out to collections against you, if they were unable to ding your bank account directly.

You should have a look at Stripe or Dwolla,

Let them go to collections - any unauthorized charges to the bank account would likely be reversed as unauthorized. (Small town bank in NJ.)

Gotta love small town banks.

Small credit unions are nice too.