Craiglist Deposit

[bizinc]

My roommates and I are looking to purchase a couch off of Craiglist. The seller says they will arrage for the delivery, if we go to see the couch, like it, and leave a 25% deposit. This seems reasonable enough to me, to put money down in order for the delivery to be scheduled, but obviously I am wary of anything on Craiglist. We were upfront about our concern of not getting our deposit back if the couch isn't delivered as promised and the seller agreed we could find a payment method that would make us all feel comfortable. They suggested PayPal.

My question is, is there a way for us to send them the money but ensure we will be able to able to reclaim the funds if it turns out to be a scam? I have read that a PayPal transaction can be canceled if it's still in 'Pending' stage but I haven't been able to find any details on how long that period lasts, as I'm not yet sure what type of PayPal account the seller has, and am afraid that it will be past that stage and it'll be too late to cancel in a worst case scenario. Our time frame is making the deposit on a Thursday night and the delivery being scheduled for that Saturday. 

Is there a way to schedule the payment so it can't be fully processed until that Saturday? I appreciate any help or suggestions anyone has.

[DPCreations]

Seems to be a very high risk purchase.  Payment by check is probably the best option so you can do a stop payment if it fails.

My suggestion is NO PAYMENT until you are ready to pickup.

As for PayPay and partial payments, you are likely to have no protection, especially for a local pickup.  You should review all of PayPal buyer protection policies and make sure you comply.

This is a local pickup and more likely covered by local contract rules.  This means making sure you have a binding written contract before deposiing any money.  Be prepared to take legal action if the contract fails.

You are buying from a totally unknown party.  You have no reliable reputation informatin about this party.

Another option, make arrangements to view the item; if it fits your needs offer a price and be ready to leave it not accepted.  If accepted, pay and take the item.  There is no option for buyer remorse so do your investigation carefully before any payments.

[bizinc]

That would obviously be an ideal situation, but as we are 3 car-less girls that need this couch moved across boros, showing up and walking off with a 3 piece sectional couch just isn't a realistic possibility. The delivery option is kind of imperative to why we're looking to buy this couch.

[DPCreations]

I think that delivery option makes it even a higher risk and the seller will likely use it to the advantage.