I notice many classified sales would involve fairly large transactions of money, either by transfer or meet up with cash. Is this safe, who has done it and can comment. I would be interested in buying FF points so how can you trust the person to transfer the points in this type of deal, and not just take the cash and run?
OzBargain Classifieds - is it safe?
Lbogstation on 06/09/2016 - 11:30
Comments
Scumtree attracts all kinds for sure. Just got sworn at by some bogan for not buying his damaged and misrepresented camera lens today.
I have some spare FF points, where do you want to meet? lol
Still in the planning stages, not committing yet. But thanks anyway!
No safer than Gumtree, I think.
You couldn't expect Scotty to get involved in any dispute, for example.Was nothing to do with OzBargain, obviously, but shows there can be risks in personal dealings.
What a tragic loss of a life …
It didn't, but OP mentioned
"I notice many classified sales would involve fairly large transactions of money, either by transfer or meet up with cash"
the similarities being namely the 'large transactions of money' and 'meet up with cash'
of course not safe! i mean no guarantee to be safe, no guarantee from website owner etc etc.
but someone with lots feedback and joined ozb for long time probably will have less chance to mug you.
still, people can just create new account. or accounts.but someone with lots feedback and joined ozb for long time probably will have less chance to mug you
I play a long con.
i can see that from your avatar…
Maybe a little safer than gumtree, provided you only deal with active long term members. But even then, they can do a runner.
I've bought a small number of QFF of ozbargain before, just met at a public place and handed over cash. I was a bit concerned with the order you do things. Like do you give cash first and then they complete the transfer on their phone or do you get them to transfer first and then you give cash. Obviously both parties want to get their end first, the transfer isn't instant so you are trusting that they when they hit submit it will go through properly.
As for safety I'd say a little bit more than gumtree but I rate gumtree as a full on scammers free for all and only ever deal in cash in person in public places so thats hardly an assurance. Never do PayPal/transfer. Only cash.
I bought Jetstar voucher from other member here and it went well without any issue.
I've used it a few times to sell things and it went very smoothly, but the buyer was taking the risk.
I've been thinking that it would be good to have some kind of reputation system.
The Silver Stackers website has a simple system whereby other members can leave comments for transactions they've done. Here's an example.@Scotty, is this something you would consider?
Developing it into a full on classified is something I am trying to avoid… Well we'll see whether I can find time for that next year.
Developing it into a full on classified is something I am trying to avoid
Champagne corks pop at eBay HQ.
its very hard i heard ebay hire ex FBI as head security.
No wonder eBay is so safe pause not. borat voice
I purchased 2 Amex flights off a member. He booked the flight, and showed me a screen shot of the booking. I sent him a bank deposit and sent him a screen shot showing it has been sent.
He then forwarded the email to me and everyone was happy.
I would buy more flights through him in the future.for me:
needed 2 concert tickets, and the guy send tickets first before i paid as he checked i was long time member.. tickets worth $200ish
twice, joined with another guy to buy something locally (buy 1 get 1)
received something free that worth $100 on ebay if i resell
received free cinema tickets
buy stuffs, sell stuffs - meet face to face.
etc etc
I've done a several transactions
With no problems but I wish I could leave and get feedback for those because the other parties and myself have been excellent to deal with.I met up with someone to buy a phone from ozbargain, and it went smoothly and a couple of years later met him again when he upgraded. Not a lot different than gumtree.
But we do have a history here, so u can see a lot of what someone is like from past comments and posts. Although it is easy to start a new account, for small transactions I'd be more trusting of ozbargainer with long history.
I have done quite a few transactions (purchasing and selling) and it has all been good. Although I do look at the user's history before contacting them to check how long they have been a OzBargainer.
ive sold two things, i didnt get stabbed or mugged.
But do you still have your kidneys?
No, he sold them in the classifieds…
Thanks all for your posts.
I think it's much safer than gumtree but you still have to exercise caution.
Ive done a few large, successful transactions as a buyer on here. I check the b sellers post history, how long they've been around, how often they post etc. This at least gives me comfort they're a real member.
But my personal practice as a buyer is to insist on meeting in person. Id rather miss out on a sale than get screwed. But i also feel im pretty switched on about this kind of stuff and have tried to organise real time conversions of payment/product. If you aren't confident in your ability to assess a person's legitimacy,insist on in person only.
That being said, the sellers ive dealt with here have ended up being awesome and very trustworthy.
(I've also bought some big stuff off gumtree successfully. Each time in person only. Each person ended up being great. However, there's a lot of scum on gumtree and I'm sure lots of ppl losing out)
For people that do transfer FF points, how does it work?
I've attempted 3 Amex flight purchases. 2 went really well. The other I got screwed when the seller pulled out at the last second. I had already paid and forwarded the passenger details. After not booking for a couple of days, due to excuses relating to work and travel, he gave another excuse and refunded me. Didn't get scammed at least, but it really screwed me over as I ended up having to pay a lot more due to him mucking me around for a few days.
Definitely exercise caution when trading with those you don't know. I've sold twice non face to face, and I'm surprised how trusting those two people were off the bat. I'm very cautious of anyone who wants to pay via 'paypal' as I'm skeptical about chargebacks.
I believe it'll be a great feature (I know it'll be more work, hence not really expecting it) to provide maybe a feedback system for trades, where both parties acknowledge that a sale went through and that records a counter. Those with more trades and no complaints are likely to be more reliable than those without.
I've sold a few times, points and flights, no issues encountered, just standard haggling that you would expect from ozbargainers.
All the transactions the buyer has taken the risk though or we've met in person.
I guess the lack of reports about anyone getting scammed indicates it's pretty safe? Just use your common sense and gut feeling from interacting with the person.I have done it but as others mentioned, buyer/seller beware.
I prefer to meet in person, do cash in hand type deals. Risk is very much on the buyer's end, so on the seller it's pretty good at least when talking about FF points. That's because you receive the cash, and then if you sell all your points it's all good if your account is locked. But if buyer's account is locked.. their money is gone and their points are gone…. so just be aware that some people do get accounts locked.
But yeah, generally find the community to be pretty good. Just take due caution. Look up the person's account, check if they have a history on here with posts, meet in a busy/local place, be aware of your risks you're undertaking and as always, don't risk what you can't lose. I can afford to be out a few hundred dollars worst case scenario in a scam so it's ok for me, but if you're scrounging around trying to make every dollar count don't risk it.
Oh and just reading from the above -> Avoid as a seller someone using Paypal like the plague unless you are very comfortable with them/they have a reputation. I have been scammed before by someone paying via Paypal before and there's very little you can do even if you provide clear evidence and you're selling something that has legitimate value (i.e., a PS3 in this case, not like frequent flyer points). Too easy to do chargebacks/use stolen cards on Paypal.
I spent .50c to get a game last year or so
Nothing is safe.
Safer than Craigslist, which is surprising, considering the amount of cops among the buyers & sellers there. LOL
How do you transfer the points to non family members? My friend who is a member of velocity can't see how one would do it?
Used it for several transactions without meeting the buyer/seller and didn't have any issues. It's probably far less risky than buying something interstate on Gumtree.