Safe Buying and Selling Guide.

[JC316]

I want to say this guide has been approved by a moderator for this section. Suggestions are welcome and will be implemented.

Safe Buying guide.


The number one thing that you want to look for is feedback. Feedback can be found in the form of heatware, Ebay, paypal or word of mouth. If a seller has at least 10 good transactions, then you are safer buying from them. If he has over 20, then you can really bet that he is a legit trader. Word of mouth is good too, if you get 10 people that say he is an excellent trader, then he probably is.

The second thing that you want to look for is post count and time registered. If someone has over 500 posts and has been registered for at least 3 months, then they have been here for a good while and it reduces the chances that they will scam you.

The third thing to look for is suspicious behavior. Very low prices, no feedback and lack of pictures would be the best examples of something to be wary of. More strange behavior can be being registered for a long time, yet having very few posts. Demanding paypal via non CC is also suspicious since you can't do a charge back.

You can also get the name, address and phone number of the seller. This will allow you to talk with the seller and make sure that you are getting the right person. You can also reverse lookup their phone number and make sure that the city and address matches up. Also, make sure to contact the e-mail of the heatware/ebay account to make sure that you are getting the right guy and not someone that's just using that feedback profile.

If the buyer doesn't have anything above, I suggest that you require that he ship first, before payment. If he refuses, then it would be best to just walk away as it is probably an attempt to steal from you.

If you follow these basic guidelines, then the odds are greatly reduced that you won't be scammed. This is not foolproof, so my final suggestion is that if you can't afford to lose the money, then don't try deal online. The temptation is high to just take the money and run since you feel like you are hidden on the internet and have no moral obligation to the buyer.



Safe Selling Guide:

As the seller, it's just as easy to get scammed out of your items and money. This can happen via fake checks, counterfeit money, and paypal charge backs.

Again, the number one thing to look for is feedback. If the member has good feedback, then you have more safety when dealing with them.

If they want to pay via paypal CC, make sure that they have a confirmed address. This is extremely important because if they do not, and they perform a charge back, you are NOT protected by paypal. You loose your item and your money. Also for paypal, I recommend transferring the money from your paypal to a bank account ASAP, because if they do charge back, then your money is automatically removed, if it's already been transferred, then your paypal account goes into the negative balance. This will give you time to sort the problem out with your buyer. If you ship to a confirmed address, you are protected from a charge back and do not need to do this

If they are paying with a money order or check, make sure that the money clears the bank before shipping the item out.

If they pay with cash, use a counterfeit checking pen to insure that the bill is real.

These steps will insure that you are safe from someone that's attempting to steal your items.

[erocker]

I would like to mention that if a newer user, or someone with little to no heatware feedback wants to sell you something here, it would be in your best interest to get some personal information from them before giving them your money. Protect yourself.

[TheMailMan78]

I would also like to add its smart to write down the serial numbers of anything you sell. An old scam is to buy the exact same product you have broken. When the working part comes in you switch it out with the broken one and tell the seller his goods are broken. They get stuck with your broken part and you get a new working one for free.

If you write down the serial number this can avoid such scams.

[gillbot]

Sellers, Be careful out there. Possible new "scam" tactic.

I wanted to post this up as a warning to many sellers out there.

I have noticed a frightening trend where buyers will swoop in and pay full price for your item(s) listed for sale. However, after they get it, they'll nit pick over every detail and threaten you with negative evaluations or paypal claims unless you give them a partial refund.

My suggestion is, rather than cave to these extortion type tactics, simply tell them to return the items and offer them a full refund, no more no less.

I just wanted to give everyone a heads up so people are aware this is out there.

[bmaverick]

Originally Posted by TheMailMan78

I would also like to add its smart to write down the serial numbers of anything you sell. An old scam is to buy the exact same product you have broken. When the working part comes in you switch it out with the broken one and tell the seller his goods are broken. They get stuck with your broken part and you get a new working one for free.

If you write down the serial number this can avoid such scams.

This approach has been tried a few times on me already. And with some wisdom, I've kept a small log of serial numbers to counter that. However, people being desparate with limited funds will actually swap out the broke part and send your item back asking for a refund.

So, I started using a simple techequie. Use a marker that only shows up under black light. Just place a few dots on parts that could be swapped out by the buyer. This way, you have the evidence the part was tampered with prior to the return.

These marker pens (invisible markers) run about $5~$8 at Walmart or a craft store. They last for years. So, if you are selling a graphics card with heat-sink and fan. Just a dot on each component verifies the items you had sent.

As the economy gets worse, people are getting more crafty more often returning goods with swapped out parts. Seller be aware.

[gillbot]

Unfortunately if you accept payment by paypal, you can collect all the evidence you want and ultimately paypal will still side with the buyer. I had serial numbers, photos and all the documentation needed to prove they tampered with items and paypal still sided with them and I had to refund.