Is giving out bank details for a bank transfer safe?

We want to sell an item, probably over ebay. For the purchaser to pay us, we would like it to be done via bank transfer - as it is free.





Is it safe to give our bank details to an unknown purchaser?|||The skeptic in me, trusts no one. I know there are good hearted, well meaning people out there, but there are also the others. Anyway, I have been doing a little online selling myself and I would suggest the following:





Call you bank and ask them to open a free checking account for you. This checking account should be linked to your existing account. Here's the cool thing, you can make it a one way link, so you can transfer money out of that account, but not from your other account via the second. Make any sense? Example:





You have $50,000 in your primary checking account linked to your savings and all that jazz. This is the nest egg, the safe one. You open another account that you use for online transactions that has an average of $25. When someone needs to make a payment to you, you give them this account. Upon receiving the money, you transfer it to your primary checking and your done.





What's different? If some unfavorable person gets your info, they could see the account information from the secondary account (all $25) When they look for linked accounts, it will look like it's your only account. You can only see this account from your primary log-in. Sneaky huh?





So this works if your doing lots of online stuff or even if you do it only occasionally.





Hope this helps!


-D|||Ask yourself this question...





Would I be happy to send this guy one of my cheques??





If you would, then there is no problem giving him the info he needs to make a BACS (Bank Transfer) payment into your account.





You give people your bank account number and sort code EVERY TIME you give them a cheque... the numbers are on the cheque!





It is perfectly safe. No one can 'empty' your account just by knowing this info. At worst, they could set up a Direct Debit like someone did as a stunt to Jeremy Clarkson, but Direct Debits are guaranteed and protected and totally refundable.





Just make sure you know the guys details, which you will do if you are selling him something on Ebay, but just beware if he is called Doctor Imbogo from Nigeria... if you know what I mean!|||Never give them out if you give out your account number and sort code that's all they need to clear out your bank account


all your other details name and address are already on eBay


use pay pal postal order or cheque they are the only thing iv used and iv sold on there for years|||that's why you should use paypal...