I’m selling a tv on Craigslist. It was very close to being tossed into the dumpster this coming weekend. Well, someone wants to buy it. He’s offering a $100 Visa Gift Card in payment. Should I take it?
Is there any way to check the balance on the card?
Thank you for any suggestions, or opinions, that you can offer.
Meet them in the parking lot of a Target or CVS or something, and purchase a gift card there with the card. It’s likely a scam, where they have $100 ready to spend online with it, and will do so immediately after walking away with your TV.
If you are not personal friends with this person, don’t do it. even if he read you the number over the phone and you verified that it was legit he could spend it out before handing it to you.
Edit: And Target and CVS (and Walgreen’s, etc.) all have gift cards for other places available. There’s likely a display with 100 or so different cards you can buy. My prediction: he balks the moment you suggest doing this.
Ok. Thank you, Dopers.
He didn’t give me the card number, yet.
I’ll get it in my hands, then call to verify the balance. If it has the $100 balance, I’ll go ahead and keep it, and let him take the tv.
I wouldn’t really be out anything, since the tv was going into the trash, anyway.
I really want to get rid of that darned tv. It’s taking up too much space, and it needs a new bulb. 
Ok. If the guy even follows through with it, I’ll have him meet me at the local Walmart, and go in with him, and watch him buy me a NEW gift card, with his Visa gift card. That should work. If he balks, the deal is off, and the tv goes into the dumpster.
Bad move. He doesn’t need the actual card to order things online-just the number…which he has probably already written down. He gives you the card in exchange, then immediately goes online(or has an accomplice go online) to spend it before you do.
Better move. Even if you were just going to toss it in the dumpster anyway, thieves shouldn’t be rewarded.
According to Visa, you can get cash from a gift card at an ATM. Ask him to do that, and just give you the cash. No reason for you to handle the gift card at all.
No, it’s a scam and if it’s not it’s just not worth it. Cash or walk.
Unless my math circuits are broken, I don’t think you can buy a $100 Visa gift card using a $100 Visa gift card, at least not without chipping in the $5 card fee or whatever.
Perhaps the Monsieur would prefer $100 worth of nachos and potato skins at Chili’s?
I think that’s talking about a prepaid personal Visa credit card rather than a Visa gift card. I assume it would be considered a cash advance and thus subject to their usurious cash advance bullshit. I don’t think it’s possible to get cash from the store-bought Visa gift cards.
Thank you!
You’re right – I didn’t realize there was a difference.
I’d be very skeptical of anyone offering $100 for a used TV.
If it was going in the dumpster, then just ask for $50 cash, or else the “meet me and buy me a new card” routine, allowing whatever discount.
For $100, is this a flat-screen TV? Have you looked at used TV prices? If it’s not flat-screen, it’s probably not worth much over $50, especially if it’s not digital-ready.
It’s a 55" Sony something-or-other. Backlit, flat-screen.
It’s around 6 years old, probably. Way outdated now.
Does the buyer know the TV doesn’t work?
Maybe you could just give him the thing for free, he’s doing you a favor getting it out of your way.
Yes. He knows it needs a new bulb. We’ll see what happens. I did consider just giving it to him. I’ll decide tomorrow.
My two cents: Since you were going to throw the TV away, let him come and haul it off for you. If the gift card has any balance at all…bonus! If there isn’t, then he hauled it away for you for free.
If you were needing to sell it, I’d have him wait while I checked the balance and then purchased an Amazon gift card online with it immediately after, then let him leave with the TV.