Protecting yourself on Buy, Sell, Trade (BST) Sites
Remember the days when you had to rely on garage sales or resale or consignment stores to sell your gently used items? While both of these still exist as options, the biggest opportunity for reselling is online through Buy, Sell, Trade (BST) sites. Everyone has heard of Craig’s List or eBay and probably even Marketplace on Facebook. But did you know there are specific resale sites for almost every type of item you can imagine?
If you like a specific brand of boutique clothing for your child, there is a site. If you do triathlons, there is a site for that. Looking for the hottest toy craze of the year? There is a site for that! Most of the time these transactions go smoothly and safely. However, there are some people out there trying to game the system (and YOU) to get something for nothing. On Facebook, Buyer Beware groups exist solely for the purpose of reporting repeat offenders. Then they can be removed from other BST sites to protect shoppers.
So How Do they Get You?
These fraudsters have several ways of getting paid without delivering any goods. In some cases, they post items for sale they don’t even actually own. They pull the photo off another site or find it online. Then they post as if it is their own. Once you send them the money, they just never ship anything. Many sites allow several days for items to be received before a complaint can be filed. So by the time you file a claim, they have already pulled the money out of their account and are on to the next transaction.
Others will “sell” the same item to many different people. They will post the items for sale on several sites and then accept payment from everyone who expresses interest. Obviously all of those people can’t receive one item, but again they have already pocketed the money before you realize what happened.
Sometimes it is the buyer who is the one scamming. One example is a woman who bought thousands of dollars worth of items over several months and used her husband’s credit card. Months later, her husband filed a claim with their bank for unauthorized purchases. Everyone they bought from over that time had the money taken away from them because the bank approved the claim. In this case, the thief got all of the items for free and many sellers have limited recourse.
How do you Shop and Sell Safely?
The biggest rule – if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. But there are other tips for safe buying and selling online too.
- Protection – Use a payment system that offers buyer/seller protection. If someone asks you to use Friends and Family on PayPal or Venmo or Square without this protection, decline. Anyone who is engaging in an honest sale will be more than willing to protect themselves and you. Insisting on another payment method is a huge red flag.
- Keep records – Save screenshots of all of your interactions. Unfortunately, if the deal goes south, the person will likely block you and then you may not be able to see your history. Also be sure you track any packages you send so you have proof they are delivered.
- Only Ship to Official Address – If someone asks you to ship to an address other than the one in their PayPal (or other payment tool) profile, decline. If you have to file a claim later, even if you have tracking showing it was delivered, if it goes to a different address PayPal may refuse the claim.
- Check personal details – Do some research. View their social media profiles. Do they seem real? Do they have photos on there and an average number of friends/followers? Is the name on the invoice the same as the name of the profile?
- Go to Buyer Beware sites – Find Buyer Beware sites and search by the person’s name. If they have had complaints against them through other BST sites, they will be on there.
- Pictures – If you are selling something, take pictures of the item to show the condition it is in. And take pictures of the items you bought when they arrive. If there is a dispute about the quality of the item, this will help. Also, ask for a picture from the seller that has a sign with the item with your name on it and the date. This “proof of life” will confirm they actually own the item and aren’t using a fake picture.
Take Action
BST sites can be a great way to get items at a discount and make some money on your gently used items as well. The majority of people using them are upstanding and follow all the rules. However, if you are the victim of one of the thieves, be sure to report it. In the case of the woman who filed the credit card claim, most of the victims filed police reports against her. At the very least, be sure to file a claim with the payment processing company (even if the transaction is a small amount) and post the experience to Buyer Beware sites. Some of these people have been doing the same thing for months or years and use new names and profiles to get back on sites they were previously removed from. Buyers and sellers have to look out for each other to keep BST safe!
