Listia, like most vibrant online sites, are full of good people, but occasionally you may run across someone who’s trying to take advantage of you.
You can avoid potential scammers by following these rules:
- BUY FROM SELLERS WITH GREAT FEEDBACK AND/OR ACCOUNT VERIFICATION
This is the easiest way to avoid most scammers.
- IF THE SELLER DOES NOT HAVE A REPUTATION YET, LOOK FOR LISTINGS WITH FREE SHIPPING
Most scams involve shipping money, so listings with free shipping are your best bet if you are not sure you can trust the seller yet.
- USE PAYPAL TO PAY FOR SHIPPING, BUT DO NOT USE THE “GIFT” OPTION
You can contact Paypal to recover shipping money in case there is a problem, but not if you chose the "gift" or "personal payment" option. Always use Paypal’s “goods and services” payment option.
- IF YOU ARE PAYING FOR SHIPPING, AVOID SENDING CASH, CHECKS, MONEY ORDERS AND NEVER SEND WIRE TRANSFERS
These types of payments are extremely hard to recover in case the seller does not ship your item or there is some other dispute, and Listia is unable to help recover your shipping payment.
- IF YOU DO SEND PAYMENT BY MAIL, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE EVIDENCE OF PAYMENT
These types of payments are extremely hard to track in case the seller claims they never received payment, and Listia is unable to refund credits unless you have definitive proof of payment. EG: Bank statement showing personal check was cleared and a copy of the check.
NEVER CLICK THE "MARK RECEIVED!" BUTTON…
...until you actually receive your item(s)!
- LISTIA IS NOT INVOLVED IN THE ACTUAL EXCHANGE OF GOODS
We provide an open marketplace for buying and selling items between users, but do not handle any payments, guarantee transactions, provide escrow services, or offer protection against loss.
- NEVER GIVE OUT FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Bank account numbers, credits cards numbers, social security numbers, etc.
- BID ON 'MYSTERY' LISTINGS AT YOUR OWN RISK
Some users like to post 'mystery listings' where you don't know for certain what you’ll receive if you are the winner. If you bid on these, we can't issue refunds if you do not like the outcome and the seller has technically given you what the listing describes.
- IF A LISTING SEEMS FISHY OR 'TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE'…
...it probably is! Avoid these completely and stick with the listings from the thousands of great trusted Listia users out there.
We are dedicated to helping you resolve any issues you may encounter. If you suspect a listing or a seller may be part of a scam, you can report it by opening a support ticket here: https://help.listia.com/hc/en-us/requests/new
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