First...Happy Holidays! Now, what is the safest route to purchase items over this forum?? I'm considering buying, but I'm intimidated by the possibility of foul play. Are there measures that will assure me of transactions?? Please, I need the help of this forum...greatly appreciated.
I want to assure the seller, and the buyer (ME!) and make a smooth transaction.

Thanks..

Erick

 

I would use Paypal and understand how they protect buyers. I would also check out the username and see if anyone else has had good or bad experiences with that person (Good Guys/Bad Guys thread in the For Sale section). Other than that, you should be pretty safe. 99% of sales go off without a hitch, in my experience.

 

Another option if you're buying a big $$ item is to use a service like escrow.com. You'll pay a fee but it might be worth it if it's the first time you've done business w/ a particular person.

 

Get some references from the Sellers Local Forum.

 

Thanks for the responses, I really appreciate them and the advice. I'm looking into a paypal account and the escrow.com site.


Erick

 

Just because the seller's title is "member" here, doesn't mean you are better off. Take a little time to search and read as many of his posts as you can. This will at least give you an idea of what type of individual you are dealing with.

 

The best way is to use PayPal but also to use common sense. Make sure you have all of the sellers contact info and check it. Get a phone number and call it. Get an address and check that too. If it smells fishy walk away. Make sure you have a solid deal. Know when the item will ship and make sure you demand it be sent with tracking. Hold the seller to the terms. If they say it's going to ship on Monday then make sure it does. Get the tracking number.

The seller can give you a tracking number on that very day even before it's picked up or dropped off. He's going to print a label for the package. Exchange phone numbers and have him call you when the tracking number is available, even if that means he calls you from the Kinkos desk. Only then send the money. Don't send the money with the assurance the product will ship a week from now. It's too late to do much by then, they can extract the money from PayPal and close the account by then. You get the shipment info and then you send the money. PayPal takes seconds to complete, you can do it instantly so there is no reason to blindly send money in advance.

If the seller can't or won't do things in a way that makes you feel comfortable then walk away from it. If the seller becomes unresponsive that's a very bad sign. There are ways to reverse a bad deal but not many and it's not guaranteed. If the seller needs to make "special" arrangements or needs to do things in a seemingly complicated way (like won't take PayPal or requires a money order or can't send you a tracking number or can't provide you with one) then back away from it.

It is normal for sellers to ask for you to cover the 3% PayPal fee. Expect to pay 3% more than the agreed price. Most people should include it in the price but some are not so smart.

 

[QUOTE=cthree]There are steps you can take to avoid the possibility of being ripped off. I'm going to list from top to bottom the things I can think of to prevent being taken, whether you are a member or not.

- Buy from someone you know personally. You knwo where they live, you have shared friends, you can kidnap their family dog and hold it for ransom.

- When it's really important use escrow.com. They are a licenced escrow service that offers small and large ticket escrow services for surprisingly little online with little fuss. This is the most secure way to handle a transaction with someone you dont know (and maybe even many you do). If it's worth more than $2000 then you should consider this seriously.

- Pay by credit card. When a vendor charges your card the proof that they delivered the product or service is entirely on them. If you call your credit card company and tell them you didn't get what you were promised then they will require the merchant to prove to them that they did and if they can't they will literally take the money out of the merchants bank account (this is called a chargeback). Some cards offer a form of buyer protection beyond this. You'll need to check your agreement with them for details. If the seller doesn't take credit cards then...

- Pay by PayPal and only pay to verified accounts. Those are accounts that PayPal has verified the bank account and address for. You can file a dispute with PayPal id you get ripped off and they will make the vendors life miserable (this is what all of the PayPal complaining is about). If the seller doesn't take PayPal or is not a verified member then...

- Take your chances.

Those are the ONLY

 

That too

 

It's normal, but against Paypal's terms of service If someone says that then I'm wary immediately.