Help for those guys who are new, and looking to start buying and selling
There will be no Buying or selling in advice, if you have some thing to sell, start a thread in classifieds
MOST IMPORTANTLY:USE COMMON SENSE.
This forum is used at your own risk, be smart!
1) Always get Name (first and last), Address (house number, street, city, zip code), at least 1 working phone number(always get the phone number first and call it before sending anything) All screen names you've talked to them on
2) If the person is under the age of 18 TALK TO THEIR PARENTS and make sure they understand what is going on... This will save you grief so they can't come back and say they didn't know what was going on... If dealing with parents get a home phone number
3) If you are trading for merchandise over borders like from US to UK or vice versa make sure you INSURE THE PACKAGE FOR WHAT IT WOULD COST TO BUY EVERYTHING NEW and that it will be signed for when it gets there
4) If you have no feedback and are selling a gun don't expect people to send first or at the same time. If you feel like you can't trust someone ask a mod or admin about 3rd party services. It's worth the extra £20 in postage so make sure you don't get scammed.
5) Only trust feedback from the actual seller in their for sale thread. Verify the name is exactly the same and feel free to PM the user from their feedback thread to make sure it is the same person you are dealing with.
6) If someone has what you think is sketchy feedback, check with a few random people on the list. You could also ask an Admin to do an IP check to make sure there are different people by asking in the Talk to Mods/Admins forum.
7) Always do checks with as many forums members as you can. Just do some simple searches in bad feedback or theft forums to make sure this person isn't trying to scam you.
8) When shipping something you value, I would suggest fully insuring it... Also request a sig. confirmation(this way they can't deny they received it)
9) If you've been scammed, don't hesitate to let the rest of us know!
10) Whenever possible, Pay with PayPal, Check. This will insure you that you can see who cashed the money.
I also want to make every one aware that if you make a payment as personal owed gift etc. Then if any thing goes wrong you can NOT make a paypal claim. so i would suggest if you are buying items you either include fees in your listing or make it clear buyer absorbs fees.
if you are happy to do this on your payments there is NOTHING you or us can do if it goes wrong
11) If the person you are dealing with does not answer all of your questions in a reasonable amount of time and in a polite manner, move on and don’t deal with them. If they are treating you poorly now, imagine what it will be like to deal with them if something goes wrong.
Since a user is capable of editing the thread after they have sold the item, we suggest quoting the original for sale post with the item you are buying and re-hosting the images so that even if they change the initial post, you always have a copy in their thread of what was for sale. This helps settle any argument later about what was and was not part of the deal.
Just because you have received a payment through PayPal doesn’t mean they can’t claim the funds back. Make sure to save proof you sent the package and they signed for it for at least three months.
Always pay with PayPal, Check. This will ensure you that you can see who cashed the money. Never send cash through the mail.
Photoshop is a wonderful tool, and often a devious one. Here's some prevention info for avoiding getting scammed, I'd pay close attention to these.
•• Prevention Tips:
• First off, be smart. Most of the time, if the deal seems to awesome for you, it just may be. Common sense prevails.
• Don't rush into things. A lot of times scammers will want you to rush into a deal or ship next-day air. Take time to get all their info and finalize a deal you are both happy with.
• Ask for lots of pics. This may seem obvious, but many times people see one pic and that is enough for them. Not only does this help prevent someone from taking the picture from another source, but it also helps to make sure everything is in a condition described.
• The person with the least amount of feedback should ship first. Check feedback and make sure it's legit. If all their feedback comes from people with one post and they all registered the same month, it's probably fake. Also, having friends leave them feedback is fraud also. If they are all from the same town, it could possibly be fake.
• If your gun has a serial number, write it down. Take pictures of it. Also make note of every distinguishing mark you gun has. This only aids in the return of you gun if it is stolen.
• When at a field, make sure you keep an eye on your stuff. It's way too easy for someone to grab and run. I've worked as security in retail, and it only takes a fraction of a second for someone to shove something in a coat.
• When shipping, always use Delivery Confirmation from Royal Mail or Tracking from UPS, FedEx, or DHL. Pack everything nicely to prevent damage, and make sure you tape the openings to prevent tampering.
• Third Party Trades! Your best bet in the prevention of scamming. Contact your local friendly moderator here. Try to avoid people doing third party trades through their local store. They may be legit, but it's best to be safe.
• Keep all your contact logs with the person. PMs, AIM logs, and emails will help with any deals being disputed. Be careful though, as they can easily be faked.
• Do NOT send cash. EVER. Most of the time, it will never make it to it's destination if you send cash in an envelope. And to my knowledge, it's illegal.
This is a compilation of "How to not get scammed" post. Thanks to all that helped make this, Please PM me with any thoughts or additions
once your ready to buy or sell make sure you read the classified rules
http://www.p8ntballer-forums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=38327
