Anyone selling their stuff online should be on the lookout. After all, you never know who’s on the other end of the line. Often these are honest people who are just looking for good bargains, but there are also bad apples among them. They are only after your money. Or your stuff, which they don’t pay for. That way you don’t fall for online scams.
How do you avoid being cheated on online sales? Hundred percent security never exists, of course, but there are ways to significantly reduce the risk of scams. For example, on sites like Marktplaats you can see how long a buyer has been active. Marketplace is fairly strict: if someone is guilty of scams, his / her account will be blocked. So someone who has been active on Marktplaats for 5 years is more likely to be trusted than someone who just created an account yesterday. That’s reason to be suspicious anyway.
It’s even easier on eBay, where users leave ratings after a transaction, making it very easy to see what kind of meat you have in the tub. And on Facebook Marketplace? There, a user account hangs on each ad, which allows you to literally see who you’re selling to. Although that makes no sense if such an account is completely boarded up; someone can of course also create a fake profile. In that case, try to gather as much information as possible in the conversation and gauge the person in question.
Pay first, then send
Marketplace has a convenient way to cross right (also called Escrow), eBay recommends PayPal so you have buyer protection through that payment provider, Facebook Marketplace leaves the transaction entirely to the users themselves. Regardless of which platform you choose, make sure that you do not get talked about sending your product before you have received full payment for it. Pay first, then receive is fully accepted in the world of online sales.
Also keep an eye out for tricks at the door, such as buyers showing a banking app with payment. Send the product or give it along only when you see the money in your own account (except for “cross immediately” via Marktplaats, see image below). Only then can you significantly reduce the chance of getting scammed. In addition, make sure you have proof that you actually shipped the product.
Still cheated: now what?
But what if you’re scammed? You have sent or delivered the product without payment, or the person in question claims that he or she never received the product while you actually sent it, and opens a dispute through PayPal, to name a few. In the latter case, it is therefore important that you have proof, such as a PostNL proof of shipment, so that you can at least demonstrate that you have fulfilled your obligation.
In the worst case, there is nothing you can do to get your money. However, it is still important to report this. People often do not report such cases, precisely because the chance that they will still get their money is very small, but that only reduces the chance and internet criminals have free rein.
So as painful as it is, make a declaration and consider it an expensive lesson.
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