The safer way to pay for in-person collection
Cash, bank transfer and PayPal Friends & Family all fail UK marketplace pickups. PIN Pickup holds the money until both sides confirm at handover.
Free download. iOS & Android. UK-first.
The safest way to pay for a UK marketplace pickup is PIN Pickup. The buyer pre-authorises payment in the SilentID app, the seller sees the hold, the buyer inspects the item at handover, then both sides confirm with a 6-digit PIN — money clears via Faster Payments in seconds. Bank transfer offers no recourse, cash carries fake-note risk, and PayPal Friends & Family has zero protection.
Why do bank transfer, cash and PayPal F&F fail for UK marketplace pickups?
Bank transfer offers no chargeback once the money leaves your account, cash carries fake-note and personal-safety risk, and PayPal Friends & Family has zero protection by design. All three methods predate marketplace fraud at scale — none was built for handing £200 to a stranger you met online. The data on each failure mode is now overwhelming.
Bank transfer: “like handing someone cash”
As MoneySavingExpert puts it, “transferring money is like handing someone cash”. Once a UK Faster Payment leaves your account it is gone. There is no chargeback, no recall window, and the recipient does not need to identify themselves to you. TSB reports that £160,000 is stolen on Facebook Marketplace every day in the UK (Source: TSB, 2025), and Santander has begun automatically blocking suspected Marketplace transfers — protecting over 1,800 customers in 2025 alone (Source: Santander UK).
Cash on collection: fake notes and personal-safety risk
Cash removes the online-fraud risk but introduces three new ones:
- Counterfeit £20 and £50 notes — small businesses across the UK report increasing cases.
- No record of payment if the seller later disputes the deal.
- Personal-safety risk: carrying £200–£500 to a stranger’s address, often after dark.
PayPal Friends & Family: zero protection by design
PayPal F&F was built for sending money to people you actually know. It has no buyer or seller protection. Scammers know this, which is why they routinely refuse Goods & Services and insist on F&F. If anything goes wrong, PayPal will not help.
PayPal Goods & Services: built for shipped items, not in-person handovers
PayPal G&S protection is buyer-only in practice — sellers regularly lose chargeback disputes for in-person handovers because the rule was designed for shipped items, not collections. There is no symmetrical recourse for the seller if the buyer files a chargeback after walking away with the goods.
How does PIN Pickup work step by step?
The buyer pre-authorises payment in the SilentID app, the seller sees the hold and confirms the meet, both sides inspect in person, then they confirm with a 6-digit PIN — money clears via Faster Payments in seconds. The whole flow takes about 60 seconds at the door. Built specifically for UK in-person collection where £20–£500 changes hands.
- 01
Buyer pre-authorises the payment
Buyer enters the agreed price in the SilentID app and pre-authorises the card payment. The money is held by Stripe — it has not yet been sent to the seller.
- 02
Seller sees the hold and confirms the meet
Seller gets a notification: “buyer has secured payment”. They confirm time and place inside the app. No phone numbers swapped.
- 03
Inspect in person
Buyer arrives, looks at the item, asks questions, plugs it in if needed. The PIN has not been shared — seller has no money. There is no pressure to walk away with something broken.
- 04
Both sides confirm with the PIN
Buyer is happy. They read the 6-digit PIN to the seller. Seller types it into the app. Done.
- 05
Money clears in seconds via Faster Payments
Funds settle to the seller in seconds. Both sides keep a timestamped receipt with the agreed price, the location, and the time of handover.
How does PIN Pickup compare to bank transfer, cash and PayPal F&F?
PIN Pickup is the only UK option that holds the money until both sides confirm at handover. Bank transfer goes the moment you tap send. Cash exposes both parties to fake notes and personal-safety risk. PayPal F&F has zero protection. PIN Pickup also produces a timestamped receipt accepted by Action Fraud as evidence, which none of the others do.
| Concern | Bank transfer | Cash | PayPal F&F | PIN Pickup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Money is held until both sides confirm | ✗No | ✗No | ✗No | ✓Yes |
| Buyer can inspect before paying | ✗No | !Sort of | ✗No | ✓Yes |
| Seller protected from chargeback | ✓Yes | ✓Yes | ✗No | ✓Yes |
| Buyer recourse if scammed | ✗None | ✗None | ✗None | ✓Money returned |
| Personal-safety risk reduced | ✓Yes | ✗Carrying cash | ✓Yes | ✓Yes |
| Timestamped receipt for both sides | !Bank statement only | ✗No | !PayPal log | ✓Yes |
| Accepted by Action Fraud as evidence | !With effort | ✗No | !With effort | ✓Yes (PDF pack) |
When should I use PIN Pickup instead of cash, bank transfer or PayPal?
Use PIN Pickup any time the item is being collected in person, the value is £20 or more, and you don’t personally know the other party. Use the marketplace’s built-in protection if the item is shipped through the platform. Use cash only for under £20 in busy public locations. Bank transfer and PayPal F&F should never be used with strangers.
- Use PIN Pickup if: the item is being collected in person, the value is £20 or more, you don’t personally know the other party, or one side has insisted on bank transfer or PayPal F&F.
- Use the marketplace’s built-in protection if: the item is being shipped through the platform’s integrated delivery (e.g. Vinted shipping label, eBay tracked delivery). The platform’s protection only applies if you stay inside it.
- Use cash if: the value is under £20 and you have no reason to suspect the other party — even then, walk to a busy public location and inspect notes carefully.
How big is the UK marketplace fraud problem?
UK consumers lose £160,000 every single day on Facebook Marketplace alone, and 73% of all UK purchase fraud now starts there (TSB, 2025). 37% of British adults have been scammed on a marketplace at least once (Experian) and only 18% ever recover their money (Cifas). Bank transfers are the most-exploited payment method.
Which UK marketplaces does PIN Pickup work on?
PIN Pickup is platform-independent — it works for any in-person collection on Facebook Marketplace, Vinted local pickup, Gumtree, eBay local collection, Depop meet-ups and any other marketplace. Both sides need the SilentID app. Pick the platform you buy or sell on most for a step-by-step guide written for that platform’s flow.
- Safe Payment for Facebook Marketplace Collection
- Safe Payment for Vinted Local Pickup
- Safe Payment for Gumtree Collections
- Safe Payment for eBay Local Collection
- How to Receive Payment Safely as a Marketplace Seller
- Is Bank Transfer Safe for Marketplace?
Related comparisons
Frequently asked questions
Pay safely for your next marketplace pickup
Free to download. PIN Pickup works on Facebook Marketplace, Vinted, Gumtree, eBay local and Depop meet-ups.
100% passwordless. UK-based. GDPR-native.
·
Reviewed by the SilentID editorial team. We update each guide quarterly with new UK fraud data.