Buyer says a courier will collect and pay cash. What now?

What does this message usually ask you to do?

The wording varies. A buyer cannot meet. A driver will collect. The cash is “already sorted”, or a payment email will arrive before the van does. Sometimes you are asked to pay a fee before the driver will come, or before a payment will show.

Treat the whole chain as one request: hand over the item, or pay money, before you have seen the funds in an account you opened yourself. Read the fake payment email checks if a PayPal or Wise logo is part of the message.

Facebook’s Marketplace safety help says local pickup items paid person to person are not covered by Purchase Protection, and that Facebook does not offer refunds for person-to-person transactions. It says to avoid payment links and to log in through the payment service’s own website. It also says not to share financial information, such as a PayPal login or bank details, and to reject an overpayment that the buyer then asks you to send back. Source

Has the money actually arrived?

Close the email and any link in the chat. Open your bank or PayPal yourself, from the app or by typing the address. Look for the payment, including a pending one. If it is not there, you have not been paid.

A screenshot, a reference number or a message that says the money is “on the way” is not that check. Facebook’s help says to avoid payment links and to log in on the payment service’s own site. It also says to reject an overpayment that you are then asked to send back.

Pay.UK says that where both banks are direct participants, Faster Payments are usually available almost immediately, although they can sometimes take up to two hours, and that some payments take longer, especially outside normal working hours. It also says that, once sent, Faster Payments cannot be cancelled. Banks follow a separate Credit Payment Recovery process when a payment was sent by mistake. Source

What if they want a bank transfer instead of cash?

Gumtree’s own checkout page says bank transfers are not supported on its online payment. A transfer arranged in chat is outside that checkout. Pay.UK says that once a Faster Payment has been sent, it cannot be cancelled.

Do not send a fee so that a payment can be “released”. Do not give the item to a driver because an email says the cash is in the van. If you think you have already sent money because of a message like this, call your bank on a number you look up yourself.

Gumtree’s online payments page, dated 16 September 2026, says buyers can pay at checkout by UK Visa or Mastercard, Apple Pay or PayPal, and that bank transfers are not supported. For delivery-enabled items it says secure payment is available on eligible items up to £250, and that the Buy now button shows when payment on Gumtree is available. For postage it says the seller is paid when the buyer confirms the item or 48 hours after the carrier confirms delivery with no dispute. For collection with online payment it says the seller enters the buyer’s 6-digit Collection Code, the sale is then complete, funds are released immediately, and that action cannot be reversed. Source

The Payment Systems Regulator’s consumer page says APP fraud reimbursement protections started on 7 October 2024 for UK bank transfers over Faster Payments or CHAPS. It says you can expect reimbursement within 5 business days of a claim, that a firm can pause the clock while it gathers information, and that it must reach an outcome within 35 business days. There is an optional excess of up to £100, which cannot be applied to a vulnerable consumer. The maximum claim on that page is £85,000, though a firm may pay more. Report the payment to your bank as soon as possible and within 13 months, and report it to the police or agree that the bank may do so. Source

How does a SilentSale® order work?

SilentSale® is a UK marketplace for private buyers and sellers of personal goods. The buyer pays in the app. Stripe processes the payment and holds the funds until the order is completed. Buyer and seller each contribute £0.30 + 3% of the item price to SilentCover® (£0.60 each on a £10 item), a discretionary protection service.

For a posted item, tracked Shipping has a 72-hour window to report an issue after delivery. For an in-person sale, use PIN Pickup: the buyer inspects the item, then shares a six-digit PIN, and the seller enters it to finish. There is no cash in that handover, and there is no dispute step after the PIN. That describes this order. It does not cancel a bank transfer you have already sent, and it does not make another website’s email real.

Where should I read next?

Read fake PayPal and payment emails, a deposit before you see the item, cancelling a Faster Payment, marketplace scam checks and SilentSale® vs Facebook Marketplace.