Payment methods

We have tried to have as many options for you as possible, but if there is another method we have not defined that you would like to use, please let us know and we will take a look and see if we can provide that as well.

Cash (UK pounds, Euros, or US dollars)- when you collect, no problem with this at all. If you want to post cash then use registered mail, and make sure the cash outline does no show through envelope. If not UK pounds we also need some proof of identity, a driving license or passport will do.

Postal orders - available from the post office, treated as cash, we will tell you who to get them made out to. 

Cheques on UK banks - please allow up to 7 days to clear by post, or bring your cheque guarantee card with you when you collect. The maximum value on a single cheque is the value of your guarantee card, when collecting using this method. We will tell you who to make cheques payable to.

Cheques on overseas banks. please ask, in the past we have had cheques that cost more to clear than its face value. We may have to make an additional charge to cover this.

UK Bank cashiers cheque - sometimes called a bank draft - no problem we treat it as cash. Again we have to tell you who to make it payable to.

Overseas bank drafts, please ask, we would need to get guidance from our bank on each case.

Escrow - see below - probably more applicable to high value items where the buyer is in another part of the world.

Girobank transfer to account 29-100-002, but make sure you email us to let us know, don't rely on including a message with the payment.

Bank transfer - we can give you the account number, sort code etc to allow you to do a direct transfer. We have on line access, so can check when expected payments arrive. If not familiar then talk to your bank. It can be both the cheapest and quickest way when dealing with large sums internationally.

Paypal - allowing you to pay via the internet, using your credit or debit card. If unfamiliar with this see www.paypal.com, If you choose this method we will give you details on how to pay, the account etc. We will accept Paypal payments from most countries, if yours is a country some people do not accept Paypal payments from then please ask. We make no additional charge for using Paypal.

Natwest Fastpay - limited to transactions up to £250, at the moment, we are looking at increasing this limit, ask if you want to spend more this way. (see www.fastpay.com )

Nochex  - transfers from one account to another.  (see www.nochex.com )

Who to pay

We have to tell you normally who to make payments to, as we are selling goods on behalf of a number of companies we are directors of as well as our own personal property, and it makes accounting simpler if we put the cash in the right account.

Escrow probably more applicable to high value items where the buyer is in another part of the world.

Escrow in theory protects you and us, that is as long as the escrow company is all that it appears to be.

With escrow a transaction is registered with an independent escrow company, and the buyer pays the escrow company, who tells us. We ship the goods by a tracked method ie Fedex, and upon receipt of goods the buyer has an agreed time, usually 2 days, to check what they have received, and either accept or reject the goods. If they accept, or the time just elapses we get paid.

If for some reason the buyer were to reject, they would send it back to us by the same traceable means. On receiving back we would check it was as dispatched and then they would get back the amount paid less shipping and escrow fees. If a dispute arose as to damage etc, then things can take a time to resolve, insurance is therefore essential on the item during carriage both ways and the same carrier used.

There are many escrow firms, some expensive, others reasonable, some will be with us for a long time while each year many fail. There are also many con operations based around made up escrow sites, a warning about some scams can be found  on http://www.strathclyde.police.uk under online frauds.

In order to protect you and us, we have followed the advice on ebay, and registered with their preferred escrow company, www.escrow.com and this for the time being is the only escrow company we are prepared to deal through. They handle transactions in both UK pounds and US dollars, and we are registered with them to handle either currency.

Using escrow does involve you in additional cost. Shipping by a traceable means for example Fedex, insurance on the item  during shipment, plus the escrow fee. In our view probably not justified if you are in the UK, as you can collect if you have concerns. If you are outside the UK and its a major item, then it may be worth considering if you have concerns that we cannot overcome. Clearly if the transaction is large, and you are outside the UK, this may be a wise move and in this case we will share the escrow fees with you as long as the transaction is in UK pounds. A table below covers the cost in more detail. You may need the weight of the item or items in some cases to calculate the costs.

Who pays what when buying using escrow.

How to go about a transaction being bought using escrow.

1. Email us to check the item(s) is available still, confirm the price, terms etc. 
2. Register with www.escrow.com, if you have not used them before, it takes only minutes and involves you in no cost.
3. We will reply to you as fast as we can, confirming the terms. 
4. You enter the agreement into www.escrow.com, and also email us to tell us it has been placed
5. We check the agreement, sort out any problems with you.
6. We take the item off sale
7. You pay the escrow company
8. They inform us they have payment
9. We ship the goods to you
10. On receipt you check you are happy and tell the escrow company you are
11. They pay us.

If you can't set up the escrow contract at once and want to have the item taken off sale immediately then contact us and agree to pay a 10% deposit via Paypal. This deposit would be non refundable and hold the item for 7 days while you were able to get organized.