Classifieds: Buying Tips
 

1) Protect Yourself! When buying something, always pay via Paypal or a credit card. Ensure that your Paypal account is tied to a credit card and not a debit card. If you use a debit card to purchase something, it will be very hard to recover your money should you wish to dispute a sale once the seller withdraws the funds. If you use a credit card and are not satisfied with the product, don't receive the product, or the seller isn't cooperative you can more easily dispute the charge with Paypal and your credit card company.

2) Always ask for time/date stamped pictures of what you're buying before you send money. Never buy anything sight unseen.

3) Never (ever) deal in cash or money orders under any circumstances unless you know the seller personally. Anyone who insists on dealing in cash/money orders is likely trying to scam you.

4) Always communicate with the other party ahead of time and continue to do so during the sale. Work out every detail including shipping cost, condition, and damage clauses (liability) before you agree to anything. Phone calls often do a pretty good job of taking the place of a handshake when it comes to buying and selling online.

5) Check seller's post history for prior successful trades. Not necessarily a red flag if they haven't before, but if it's their first post on the forums, you might want to reconsider or at least take extra precautions against being scammed.

6) Try to be patient before you jump to conclusions! Give the other party a chance to respond if you are unhappy with a sale before you go on the offensive.