Hey guys,

I noticed a bunch of people getting ripped off lately and wanted to offer a few tips to save anyone else from the same.

1. Use the feedback system, it's there for a reason so if your a victim of a bad transaction please make it known to everyone else by rating the seller (or buyer). Posting a thread in the classified ad feedback board isn't enough because people will sometimes forget to check it.

2. Look at a member's post count, profile, membership join date, and the sections they post in.

For example, if "JoeBlowIroc" joined a month ago, has no feedback, no profile, and six posts in the for sale section......it might be a good idea to avoid them. Not saying that someone with a high post count is trustworthy....but that does mean they hang around the board and their reputation could mean more to them than a "fly by night" member.

3. Always get the sellers full name, location, and phone number. Also make sure your dealing with someone in their mid 20's or older.

After browsing several boards and looking at people getting ripped off I've found out the younger they are, the better chances of getting ripped off. NEVER deal with someone under 18.

4. Google is your best friend, you would be surprised how many scammers use the same username (or variations) on several boards. Doing a search on the sellers full name, username, or product being sold could turn up some valuable information.

6. Some people think that sending a check or money order can protect them from fraud. It can assist the buyer in court if something happens, but how many people actually take the time to go to court for a scam? And it IS a federal offense to knowingly take money with a money order and not send the merchandise as agreed........but it's never enough to prosecute.

Lets face it.....paypal sucks. Never Never rely on paypal as a safe form of doing business. Because what happens is you send the payment, the seller empties his paypal account and you'll never see your money. You'll "win" your paypal claim, but it's like milking a dry cow.

But here's what you can do with paypal to make it work for you. Use a credit card to make ALL your paypal payments. Keep your paypal account empty and it'll default to either a bank account and whatever card you have on file. Choose the credit card.

Then if something goes wrong with the deal and you don't get the merchandise or it's not what was stated when you get it......bypass paypal altogether and file a chargeback with your credit card company. By doing this, paypal has no choice but to refund your money and they will either eat the costs or go after the seller personally. If paypal wants to take credit cards then they have to follow the same guidelines that all institutions that accept credit cards follow. Charge backs are there to protect the buyer....after all it's you who are paying the high interest for this service...so use it!

7. And lastly if it's "Too good to be true, it usually is" But if you do decide to make your purchase and don't have enough info on the seller and taking a gamble.......document everything!

Good Luck and I hope this helps

Disclaimer: This are tips and guidelines for doing online transactions, and not a 100% guarantee that they will work...but a good start.

 

See # 1 ......I see a lot of people posting a "bad experience" thread with just one sentence and no details whatsoever.

It looks something like this:

"JoeblowIroc sold me a bad part so stay away from him"

And that's it....no more details then that. I mean come on, how hard is it to add so credibility to your thread?

Most people want details as to what happened, pictures of a defective part, even a link to the original thread etc..

I've seen people post comments like:

"I purchased a spoiler from JoeblowIroc and it took a while for me to get it so stay away from this seller"

Well how long did it actually take? What shipping method did the seller use? How did you pay for the mechandise (paypal, check, cash)? Where do you AND the buyer live?

There are a lot of factors that can delay a product

And this is my personal favorite:

"JoeblowIroc scammed me on some parts so I would avoid this seller"



Here's a tip: If you want to make your classified feedback thread more effective add links to the original thread that you started your dealings with, dates or time span the dealings went on, locations of the seller (with a town and state and maybe a first name) and how you paid them and what actually happened.

Details - Details - Details

And lastly.......Leave feedback on the sellers account! Because if you got intentionally ripped off, your experience will be associated with their user account and the chances of them doing it to someone else will be reduce because your bad experience will be readily available. They won't have to try and do a search against their user name.

There is a negative experience thread already where the seller uses a word in their name that get's bleeped out......makes it hard to search against that.

 

Yes. Yes it does.

Id also like to add this. In general, if you cant afford to lose the money, dont buy it. Ive almost exclusively started buying from businesses. Because it seems every time I buy from an individual, I get ripped. Even if its my own brother. Id just rather buy new, and pay more. That way I get a new product, without the hassles of it not being what I was told, or it not showing up on time. And even that isnt a guarantee.

 

Never deal with anyone under 18? Im 16. Iv never ripped anyone, I got 105+ 100% On ebay.

 

I appreciate this info and I'm changing my PayPal acct. to a credit card.
James

 

Because if your under 18 you not bound to a legal contract like someone that is 18+. Contracts are null and void when dealing with minors. Basics of contract law.
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No problem .....There are a couple of people in the feedback forum right now that have filed a dispute with paypal and will most likely never see their money again. If only they used a credit card to make the paypal payment to the seller, then they would have had some recourse by now.

 

One guaranteed way no to get ripped of is to buy from me to bad I don't have any parts for sale right now

 

i was thinking of making a thread about how we should have feedback and ratings much like ebay does when i came across this.

perhaps there could be a another part of each individual's profile just for that?

 

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I second point #6, and I've used this method before. The credit card rips its money back and paypal is left dealing with the issue instead of you. Its amazing the extent that these places go after money if its their own, rather than yours.

Another point, is to see how a seller resolves their conflicts. There is a high profile member on this board that only has a few negative ratings amongst dozens of good ones, but whenever a conflict is posted, he basically tells them "I'm too busy to deal with your issue, go away." So despite his mostly good rating, I refuse to deal with people who won't resolve their conflicts.

Also, if you have the option of meeting the seller in person, it helps a ton. Most of my good transactions have occurred when I meet the person face to face, the object of sale is presented, and the money exchanged at that time.

 

oh wow i cant believe i've never seen that.



thanks

 

Good points. I do have parts for sale and I dont rip people off.

 

In my experience, I only buy from people I can meet face to face at the time of the transaction. I could meet with the person somewhere far away but still meet them. I also don't buy from new members or a kid. I also stay away from paypal all I can. You'd be surprised how much craigslist can become your friend.

 

just from my point of view - i have never been riped off by anyone on this board, not once.
i send money they send the parts and some of them are even better than they say. im not saying everyone is like that - but generally people on this board with some time in grade dont rip anyone off.
sometimes i pay a little more, sometimes a little less - mostly less - than on the other markets - but its all in the family.

 

Your one of the lucky ones.

 

Good info how to not get ripped off.

and for those who get ripped off even if all this is followed.
Buy some brand of two component glue go home to the seller that ripped you off.
....
..and glue his *** together.

That might open his eyes..


Ive been ripped off sometimes to, it do suck, but sometimes you have to buy from an person and not a company, but if you do a check on the sellers name, nick etc and find only good stuff, and alot of activity, the chance of getting ripped off is small.

 

But as long as you pay with a CC through paypal you shouldn't have nothing to worry about. You get a refund one way or another, or at least it was in my case.