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What's the best way to pay for a craigslist item that is to be shipped?

I am trying to buy an item off craigslist and have it shipped from Texas to California. Aside from PayPal, what's the best and most secure way to pay for both the buyer and seller?

Public Comments

1. get a recipt first and pay with a money order.
2. Didn't you read the warnings on Craigslist? Deal only with locals to avoid getting scammed. :P Other than that, I have no idea. PayPal was kind of invented for that reason.
3. well paypal maybe... But a shipped item without any big brother or website help? I feel this could be a scam, i would never do this myself. If you cannot pick an item up and pay for it in person, i would not even believe the item exists.
4. I doubt the seller will provide a receipt without payment. But money order is safe or you could use a bank transfer and provide transfer details to the seller who can then ship the items to you and provide shipping details. That way you both feel safe. Or you can use a post dated check. That's what I would do! All the best!
5. I wouldnt do it. Id buy from a local pawn shop or local craigslist ad. If you can afford to lose that money, just do a pay pal transaction and pray. If you cant afford to lose the money, then dont do it. You can call pay pal and ask how your protected, I just dug around and couldnt find a thing that promised you wouldnt lose your money. Pay pal has rules of how long you have to wait before you can complain about the transaction, by then, they can close their bank account probably.