Most secure way to sell a bike?

[Franco Rinaldi]

Hello Riv Squad,

Tmrw I’m meeting a buyer to transact on a sale (not a Riv) in person. What’s the most secure way to accept funds (cash not an option) from the buyer? Zelle, PayPal, or Venmo? Friends and family or Sale of goods? Curious for all feedback.

Thank you!

Franco Rinaldi
c: 646.403.0661

-Pardon any typos, Siri typed this message-

[Julian Westerhout]

Why is cash not an option? If this is local to you I'd meet the seller sat my bank, cash only, and deposit the funds immediately while the seller is still there. 

Otherwise I've used Zelle, Paypal, and Venmo -- all are generally fine for remote sales where you're fairly comfortable with the buyer, but for in person cash is king, IMHO. 

Julian Westerhout

Bloomington, IL 

[Eric Daume]

FB always sends me an automated notification that Zelle isn't secure, when it detects someone who mentions that. I don't have Zelle, so no first hand knowledge.

With paypal, you want to use goods and services, not friends and family. F&F doesn't have fees, but the buyer can later retract their payment. There's no protection, so use G&S.

Eric

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[Ted Durant]

On Tuesday, July 8, 2025 at 5:16:10 PM UTC-5 Eric Daume wrote:

FB always sends me an automated notification that Zelle isn't secure, when it detects someone who mentions that. I don't have Zelle, so no first hand knowledge.

Zelle is a bank-to-bank transfer system that was developed by a consortium of the big US banks. There is no intermediary. If you and the buyer's bank both support Zelle, it's free and easy, and I can't imagine why anyone thinks it's less secure than a system run by an intermediary.

Ted Durant

Milwaukee WI USA 

[Shawn Granton]

On Tuesday, July 8, 2025 at 3:16:10 PM UTC-7 Eric Daume wrote:

With paypal, you want to use goods and services, not friends and family. F&F doesn't have fees, but the buyer can later retract their payment. There's no protection, so use G&S.

?

When I accidentally sent money via F&F and contacted PayPal about cancelling the payment, they said the only way for me to get the $$$ back was to contact the person I accidentally sent the funds to and ask for it back. Thankfully they did, and did it promptly.

Still, while you do get dinged a fee for using G&S, there are protections. There are no protections with F&F, as PayPal washes their hands of involvement since you ain't paying them anything for the service.

Shawn in PDX 

[Franco Rinaldi]

Buyer is out of state and sending his sister in law who doesn’t feel safe rolling with cash (she’s meeting me at a police precinct).

Franco Rinaldi 

c:  646.403.0661 

-Pardon any typos, Siri typed this message-

On Jul 8, 2025, at 8:26 PM, Ted Durant <tedd...@gmail.com> wrote:

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[Ted Durant]

On Tuesday, July 8, 2025 at 7:29:20 PM UTC-5 fmri...@gmail.com wrote:

Buyer is out of state and sending his sister in law who doesn’t feel safe rolling with cash (she’s meeting me at a police precinct).

I should also add that, with Zelle,  the buyer should set up the seller as a payee right away, and be aware that the first transaction likely will be limited to a relatively small amount. The buyer may have to make multiple payments, depending on the limits imposed by their bank, and may have to make the payments over successive days.

Ted Durant

Milwaukee, WI USA

[Roberta]

When I put a new receiver or I am the new receiver of payment, first transaction is $1 to check the proper phone number/email was input once confirmed, deliver the balance. 

When I purchased my Betty Foy, I brought half in cash and the other half in Zelle. 

Roberta

[Doug Van Cleve]

AFAIK, Venmo is sort of PayPal light or like friends and family.  Friends and family is intended to function like giving someone you know some money, which is essentially what you’re doing with any in person transaction. I am not certain that goods and services protects you in any way if you’re handing someone the item and they’re paying you?  The main issue with Zelle, is that you are not getting that money back if you send it the wrong place. As a recipient of money, I don’t know that Zelle can be tricked.  I believe the Zelle limit is like three grand, I received partial payment for a car that way one time. Whatever it is, it’s pretty high…

Doug

[Danny]

Hi Franco,

For in-person transactions, and since cash isn't an option, I strongly advise against accepting any payment via Goods & Services. Stick with Zelle, or a Friends & Family payment via PayPal or Venmo.

A buyer can dispute a transaction if they've paid via Goods & Services, and PayPal/Venmo will only protect a seller in such a situation if there is proof of shipment and delivery. (I recommend reading this page for a better idea of the protections you're offered by selling via Goods & Services https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/security/seller-protection)

If you are going to use Zelle, check with your bank about daily transaction limits for the platform. And as Ted mentioned, the first transaction with a new payee will likely be limited to a small amount (or even denied outright). Roberta's idea of a $1 test transaction a few days beforehand is a good one.

Like Shawn said, I've never heard of being able to retract a F&F payment. G&S is the payment method a buyer would choose if they seek buyer protections when purchasing. I'm not sure why a buyer would need those protections for an in-person transaction, and if they insist on paying via G&S, that would be a red flag for me.

Personally, in your situation, I'd opt for Zelle as my first choice, with PayPal or Venmo F&F being there as a backup.

Danny
Madison, WI