Tips on avoiding scams?

[kenshinS14sks]

Could you guys chime in some good tips on safeguarding your forum sales from scams??

for example someone wants to paypal some fees, but wants me to drop off the rims to his shipping company... doesn't feel kosher to me since they can dispute it if i drop it off vs shipping it myself

any advice would be greatly appreciated guys and gals!

[enkei2k]

use common sense.

if it sounds fishy, back off.

local meet up preferred in a neutral location, well lit, with more than one person if available.

sell to someone that has a good iTrader rating (not always the case, but good to have)

do NOT sell to someOneE wh0 tyPeZ lIke dizzzz HELLA LoL and dont got no proper online gRammerz etiquete (personal pet peeve of mine but to each their own)

[blueshark123]

if u drop it off u can get a receipt for dropping it off or shipment order and im not sure what u mean by paypal you some fees? I have dropped off parts where the buyer has arranged shipping before it went smooth but use some common sense

[xpertsnowcarver]

IF ITS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE.... ITS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE.

There's you're common sense.

Just tell the guy no. Let's handle the transaction the common way. You pay me first, then I ship to you any way I want (signature required).

[wannabdr1ftr]

IF ITS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE.... ITS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE.

There's YOUR common sense.

lol sorry had to do it

No, but seriously this guy is right. Live by this...it's usually right 95% of the time.

[xpertsnowcarver]

Ah, don't be sorry. You caught me. <3 http://icandy.zilvia.net/img/smilies/kiss.gif

[kenshinS14sks]

if u drop it off u can get a receipt for dropping it off or shipment order and im not sure what u mean by paypal you some fees? I have dropped off parts where the buyer has arranged shipping before it went smooth but use some common sense

ok must have been a brain fart. . . i dont know why i put that. . . i meant to say that he's paypal-ing me the selling price of the rims.

so it's safe to drop off to his shipping company? he says he's in the military so he gets a discount if i ship through his way.

[kenshinS14sks]

and i wouldn't say the deal's too good to be true. .

[SK91]

If he's already paid you, it should be safe

Unless he's from the movie HACKERS

[koukikat180sx]

personally, i put a lot of restrictions on the items i sell. i know it makes it harder for me to sell items, but i also don't put myself in a position where i'm in dire need of selling an item asap. i hardly ever ship items. in very rare occasions i might depending on who the person is and their selling/buying history. i've read the reviews from buyers on this form and it really does kind of scare me when it comes to shipping out items. (especially used ones) i try to stay away from the whole paypal deal. COD (no checks, no cashier checks - cash only)/face to face transactions works best for me.

[whiterps13]

If he's already paid you, it should be safe

Unless he's from the movie HACKERS

NOT ALWAYS TRUE.

There are many cases where people send money orders or bad checks, and then you ship the item, and the check ends up bouncing a few days later and coming back out of your account. Thats how those people that send more money than the asking price, and ask for a small amount to be wired back before shipping, make the scams work. Or he could dispute the shipping, contact paypal, and have the amount withdrawn back from you. Theres too many "ifs".

I would NEVER ship via someone elses shipping option. I dont care, even if it has worked out in the past. If youre buying MY item, then you play by my fucking rules. Or go find the parts somewhere else.

The big giveaways nowadays are people that try to appeal to your emotional side. Either they are military out of the country on leave, or a wife selling her husbands motorcycle because he just died (for 1/4 of the KBB), or a blind/deaf/retarded parapalegic that needs your item to survive his cancer. The sob stories usually are a dead giveaway to a scam.

Any time those people inquire about doing the whole setup shipping thing because theyre out of the country with military, I just ask for double the asking price in a money order only. They never respond.

[LimeLite Racing]

I always check paypal verification, positive feedback, and sometimes that doesn't even matter. There are and always will be scammers. Fortunately paypal has buyer protection. I got scammed on here by a "legit" seller before. Just buy shit locally. :)