Protecting yourself against scammers - on FB Marketplace & PayPal

B0bbyEwing

I'm selling some items at the moment, not on eBay but on FB Marketplace.

One particular item (digital camera) always keeps drawing the same sort of audience. I'm aware it's 2024 & we need to be careful what we say these days so as to not offend others so I'll let you fill in the blanks on that one.

One person who's contacted me is actually based in the UK it seems & it says their profile has been active since 2017. 

But as these people will be wanting delivery & not collection I can't help but being cautious & thinking I'll get scammed somewhere down the line - they'll claim item was never received or that they received it but it was in 1000 pieces (& will show PayPal a photo of their own item in 1000 pieces which mine has been bought to replace). 

Aside from insisting collection only & making my audience much smaller, how can I protect myself vs Marketplace scammers? I suppose I could insist on sending payment as gift only & not for goods but it'll be very few people who agree to that.

For the record we're not even talking about expensive digital cameras. This one is a few years old now & only selling for loose change but i still don't want to get scammed either. 

Also asking as I'll have a watch to sell soon enough which will be approx £200 in value so answer to the question will be handy to know for that also.

soolin

For a low cost item I always just take PayPal goods and services. I send via RM48 and I’ve never had an issue. 

RFW

B0bbyEwing said:

One particular item (digital camera) always keeps drawing the same sort of audience. I'm aware it's 2024 & we need to be careful what we say these days so as to not offend others so I'll let you fill in the blanks on that one.

The type of people who want to buy a digital camera?

soolin

RFW said:

YB0bbyEwing said:

One particular item (digital camera) always keeps drawing the same sort of audience. I'm aware it's 2024 & we need to be careful what we say these days so as to not offend others so I'll let you fill in the blanks on that one.

The type of people who want to buy a digital camera?

I wasn’t sure about that, my first thought was older people who prefer using a camera to a phone for pics, but then I’m older and only ever use my phone so that didn’t fit. 

B0bbyEwing

soolin said:

For a low cost item I always just take PayPal goods and services. I send via RM48 and I’ve never had an issue. 

But what would you do in a situation where the buyer claimed it arrived broken even if it didn't? 


And no, not older people. Looking at the profile pictures - far from it. Although the profile pictures look like they've come from a catalogue. 

B0bbyEwing

I'm seeing how far this goes but being cautious. 

2 people get in touch within a day of each other. 

Both are apparently from Leeds, although the male is from "Leeds, Kent". 

I don't keep my item reserved for anyone. Too many time wasters so I respond to both back to back and they both basically reply at the same time. 

Hmm. 

So one of them pays me in full, no haggling at all. They pay a postage fee on top (all via PayPal whereas the guy wanted my bank details). I Google map their post code & looks like a very swish area. 

A bad feeling about this but I'm trying to not be judgemental. So far nothing has actually stood out as being 100% 'wrong', just that I feel like I may get conned here. 

Spoonie_Turtle

Are you able to see the main Facebook profile of the one who's paid, whether they look like a legit person?
You could also ask them to confirm their address, which in itself might not reassure you but if they give a different one from what's on PayPal, that would tell you they were off.

Olinda99

I expect you know, but there is a Leeds (and a Leeds Castle) in Kent

Vectis

B0bbyEwing said:

I'll have a watch to sell soon enough which will be approx £200 in value

It sounds, perhaps wrongly, that you're buying and selling items, otherwise how would the watch be ready shortly and not now if you have it in your possession?

But, maybe I've just misunderstood that?

If not, I think you need to reverse your original question and ask what makes people trust you not to be a scammer when you're buying, and then apply that logic to your own sales.

Just ignore if I've read too much into that!

soolin

B0bbyEwing said:

soolin said:

For a low cost item I always just take PayPal goods and services. I send via RM48 and I’ve never had an issue. 

But what would you do in a situation where the buyer claimed it arrived broken even if it didn't? 


And no, not older people. Looking at the profile pictures - far from it. Although the profile pictures look like they've come from a catalogue. 

I have rarely  ever had an issue with a low cost item on facebook marketplace. If I did have an issue, I would ask them to return item for a refund.

I tend to restrict my FB sales to lower cost items, I am not a massive buyer of high end items anyway so wouldn't really have anything to sell on. I have sold a few £200+ items, as part of my business but virtually all went to other dealers who prefer to turn up and pay cash, or who I had met previously at auctions and events. 

I am ignoring the obvious scammers, I won't waste my breath on them, the ones who send out generic 'I really want your item but I'm currently overseas and will send a courier' type. 

GabbaGabbaHey

B0bbyEwing said:

So one of them pays me in full, no haggling at all. They pay a postage fee on top (all via PayPal whereas the guy wanted my bank details).

As you are so afraid of being scammed. I assume that you are aware that providing your bank details (account number and sort code) to purchasers is much safer than accepting PayPal payments?