Buying used stuff on Gumtree from someone's refusing to give you any details!!!

Lmoe000 on 23/05/2019 - 01:33
Last edited 23/05/2019 - 01:34

Hello everyone, This is the first time I am writing at any forum. The subject for today is bothering me for quite some time. Why are some people acting weird when selling their used stuff on the Gumtree or Facebook?.

Nowadays Many people are refusing to give you any details such as their address or the phone number which I find to be the norm if I am going to give a stranger my hard earned money. I know that in the last past days we're hearing about some absurd frauds and assaults all over the news in regards to selling used stuff.

So my questions are why are people selling on the Gumtree or Facebook if they aren't willing to give you any information and why aren't they using other sites like eBay instead? , The Second question is would you be fine of buying anything from someone without getting any details and telling you to meet him at a park or a shopping center carpark.

Thanks for you all and I would appreciate any advice or tips.
Regards,
Moe.

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Comments

  • sushimaster on 23/05/2019 - 01:48
    -2

    because they are trying to scam people? duh

    • moe000 on 23/05/2019 - 18:02
      +1

      That at least is ringing some bells right?

  • garetz on 23/05/2019 - 02:08
    +4

    I would never meet someone at a park or shopping center carpark, maybe goto a police station or a library instead, somewhere where there is alot of people so you wont get robbed.

    • BugsBunnyAUS on 23/05/2019 - 04:50
      +4

      Public place will do. Busy train station, inside the shopping centre itself, etc

    • dust on 23/05/2019 - 09:14
      +2

      Somewhere with cameras is a good idea too. I like meeting outside a bank.

    • moe000 on 23/05/2019 - 17:50

      That's exactly what I am doing :))

    • moe000 on 23/05/2019 - 17:58

      So what if the guy offered to deliver to your house without giving you his number?

  • John Kimble on 23/05/2019 - 04:57
    +1

    I know that in the last past days we're hearing about some absurd frauds and assaults all over the news in regards to selling used stuff.

    Links please

  • Any thing on 23/05/2019 - 05:07
    +21

    I occasionally sell unwanted items on Gumtree and like you've described I don't give out any of my details. I usually meet at a coffee shop or fast food restaurant. Why would anyone need my phone number or address. I'm selling something as is with no warranty. People can do whatever necessary checks on what I'm selling before they hand over any cash.
    I do this because I don't trust strangers.

    • AustriaBargain on 23/05/2019 - 05:45
      +10

      I have them come to my house because I'm lazy and people are flakey, if someone is going to be 30 minutes late I'd rather be playing Mario Kart at home for that 30 minutes than stuck at some shopping centre carpark tapping my foot impatiently.

      • apsilon on 23/05/2019 - 06:26
        +2

        Must admit I do this as well even though I know it's not the best idea. Half the time they don't turn up anyway which would be even more frustrating if I've gone out of my way to be at a shopping centre or similar. But really, what are they going to do? Come back and take stuff I don't have? Someone is home 99.5% of the time as well. Besides, I've seen heaps of stories of people meeting in public places to sell a phone and then get beat up and the phone taken anyway or go for a test drive and get forced out of the car etc. I'd rather have them at home where they're on camera.

        On top of that I'm only selling little stuff, I think the most expensive thing I sold was $250, most has been under $100. Half the time if it doesn't sell within a week I either give it to friends, charity or bin it so I'm not going to any more trouble than I absolutely have to.

        • Ughhh on 23/05/2019 - 10:42
          +1

          But really, what are they going to do? Come back and take stuff I don't have?

          They could force a refund. Who wants to live in fear and have a loony at your front door.

          • apsilon on 23/05/2019 - 10:56

            @Ughhh: They could try I suppose but they'd be a real loon to do anything like that with the dog standing behind me. People tend to lose interest in all sorts of things, especially sales and preachers when a dog is the door bell. They're also on camera each time they turn up.

            Not to mention you can generally pick those sort of people as soon as they enquire about the item so they're never the buyers anyway.

            • Ughhh on 23/05/2019 - 13:16

              @apsilon: Just hope theres no bricks and stones on your front lawn. Maybe park your car inside too. A dog and camera won't help if the dog is inside and they're wearing goodies.

              • apsilon on 23/05/2019 - 18:11

                @Ughhh: That's when you call the bikies.

    • 6000SUX on 23/05/2019 - 08:14

      Ah - read your comment after i posted mine. Pretty much echoed what you said :)

    • moe000 on 23/05/2019 - 18:31

      I totally understand but what if you're selling something you can't check at a coffee shop such as electrical stuff, Cars or Pc parts.

    • o53djz7qTPY4der on 23/05/2019 - 06:03
      +6

      I would never accept PayPal in gumtree.

      Plenty of buyers complain when I say no. They end up walking away.

      I give my phone number to buyers. Usually meet at home or inside shopping centre.

      • moe000 on 23/05/2019 - 18:34

        Sometimes I accept Paypal payments depending on the situation.

    • sheamas88 on 23/05/2019 - 08:35
      +3

      Changing your mind on a Gumtree sale is NOT a valid reason for getting a refund.

      This is EXACTLY why people don't want to accept Paypal, give out their home addess, etc. Because they don't want someone showing up at their door 2 days after the sale asking for their money back for some stupid reason.

  • twww on 23/05/2019 - 06:34

    I've sold stuff on GT.

    I would make it a rule never to give out my address on the first cple of messages when asked straight off the bat.

    • moe000 on 23/05/2019 - 18:37

      I try to stay safe as much as possible my self. So I would check the GT user's profile and see if it's recent or not and I don't give my information except on the phone.

  • try2bhelpful on 23/05/2019 - 07:49
    +7

    I would never give out my address and I would be tempted to get a cheap prepai burner SIM for my phone. Call me paranoid but stalker nutjobs can be hard to get rid of, particularly if they are aggrieved by the thing they bought from you. Personally, I just give stuff to charity, not worth the effort of trying to sell stuff.

    • moe000 on 23/05/2019 - 18:43

      My question sir is why wouldn't you use another platform such as eBay? And would you accept if a buyer asked you to post it on eBay and he'll pay for the extra fees?.
      Cheers.

  • 6000SUX on 23/05/2019 - 08:14

    I sell regularly on GT and always meet in a public place. I dont really want people showing up at my house whenever they feel like it, not to mention for security reasons. Plus Gumtree messaging works fine - why the need for a phone number?
    Hopefully this gives some clarity for legit sellers like myself. Good luck with the sale

    • z z on 23/05/2019 - 08:48

      I find the need for the phone number sorts out the people that will turn-up, from the ones that won't turn up. While not a precise science, this is how it works for me…

      After someone has messaged me through GT, I ask them to contact me via a mobile number (my burner, not my mainstream number), so that if something goes awry, or if they are late, I have a way of reaching them quickly. I won't give them my address until I have a mobile number.

      Yes, they could just give me a random number, or a burner too, but at least I have a mobile number in return.

      If you just use GT's message system, people don't take your time seriously… If you ask them for a mobile number, then they tend to be more punctual / actually turn up!

      • 6000SUX on 23/05/2019 - 09:06

        I beg to differ - using GT messaging system works for me, both as a buyer and a seller.
        But each to their own.

        • salbee28 on 23/05/2019 - 09:45

          I was also fine with GT messaging system until I was the victim of a grab & run theft organised through Gumtree, where I did not have the persons contact details besides the GT discussions, so didn't have much extra information to give to the police after the incident. Gumtree are also not at all helpful, as they won't provide any extra details they have on a transaction/conversation, even directly to the police.

          Now I only use facebook marketplace for selling items as I can identify people through their profiles, it's very easy to weed out fake profiles that way.

    • moe000 on 23/05/2019 - 18:50

      Thanks mate, I respect that but honestly, I would be afraid to afraid doing it myself.

  • altomic on 23/05/2019 - 09:28
    +2

    if you give your address then random buyer who says he will rock up "in 30 minutes mate I promise" never arrives.

    I give my address when the buyer texts me and says "I'm on my way".

    I've only ever had 1 person not arrive doing it this way.

    previously, when I would give my address, it would be 50-70% no shows.

    because buyers on gumtree can be (profanity) useless.

    • 6000SUX on 23/05/2019 - 11:50

      I had one bloke say 'im on my way', who then didnt show after 2 hours he told me he was nearby with 'car problems'. He'll be along later he assured me, but never came. No messages.
      I asked him whats going a week later on he said 'drop it off and i'll buy it from you'. No apology. No mention of the 'car problem'.
      F that. Delete. Timewaster.

    • moe000 on 23/05/2019 - 18:51

      Hahahahaha, It happened to me many times too.

  • MeesusEff on 23/05/2019 - 10:54
    +1

    I dont mind giving out my phone number as I can always block it and its not linked to my social media, but very hesitant about giving out my address to random strangers on Gumtree. Eliminates the probability of the nutjobs that break the item and demand a refund at 12am in the morning.

    • moe000 on 23/05/2019 - 18:59

      What worked for me is to give a detailed description of the item including any minor flaws even if I am going to lose a couple of dollars more. I tried it many times with a 100% success rate.

  • Illian on 23/05/2019 - 14:53

    Phone number no, the gumtree/facebook messaging is more than adequate, if you can't read/write I don't want to sell to or buy from you in the first place. Anxiety is also very common and it's completely reasonable that someone may not want to call, it's actually more stressful and anxiety inducing than talking to someone in person.

    I do get them to pick up from my address though, and the couple things I've bought which weren't posted I also went to their address. I've never had a no show or been a no show so far thankfully, although that could be because I'm pretty quick to turn anyone away who sounds sketchy at all, I don't like their vibe, or they're rude. We're poor/young so we currently live in a share house, someone is always here so that makes it feel safer for me. But when we have our own house? I'm not so sure, I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it but it sure sounds like a hassle to meet somewhere public.

    • moe000 on 24/05/2019 - 21:29

      After all these comments, it seems that selling from home is over. WELCOME eBAY :)))).

  • Ughhh on 23/05/2019 - 18:29

    I only give out my secondary throwaway number. Never met at my house, only nearby shopping centres (only inside).
    Most people can appear sensible at first, especially if the buyer believes they got a bargain. But then buyer calls back demanding a refund for being sold a fake, when fact is they just assumed a particular item only had 1 model (the high end model), despite ad states correct model with photo and listed features. Buyer then demands home address, threatens to send husband and brother over and threatens to involve Police, all while screaming at the phone.

    At this point, because I didnt meet at my house, I can just throw the number away and never have to worry about them appearing at my door or seeing them ever again. If I did meet at my house, no doubt they would come uninvited. I would be wasting my time, my voice and Police resources. To ensure my safety from these crazy idiots, I would probably had to bend over and refund.

    • moe000 on 24/05/2019 - 21:30

      That would be the most sensible solution, Thanks.

  • Gracey on 23/05/2019 - 22:12
    +3

    Ill give you the exact reason why sellers wont meet at houses. I sold an old ipad 3 weeks ago for $200 and (stupidly) allowed them to collect at my home. 3 weeks later he messages me ranting about how it wont charge and demands a refund. I told him it was working perfectly when I sold it, and its probably just the cable. He says "see you in an hour", and I reply telling him i'm not at home which was the truth.

    He turns up at my house bashing at the door at 10pm, only my housemate is home and I told him not to answer the door. The tried to kick the door down, screams threats through the doors, then breaks into the backyard and steals my lawnmower and whipper snipper.

    Do not sell things from your house.

    • [Deactivated] on 23/05/2019 - 23:21

      This whipper snipper won't charge and i am going to go fully postal unless you deal with it now!

      The Phantom
      That Whipper Snipper Guy

    • moe000 on 24/05/2019 - 21:34

      I am really sorry to hear that, I hope you contacted the cops and those guys will get what they deserve. Thanks for the advice.

  • [Deactivated] on 23/05/2019 - 23:16

    I know that in the last past days we're hearing about some absurd frauds and assaults all over the news in regards to selling used stuff.

    Yes, it is important that you are afraid of everything, especially random violence conducted by vicious rampant ethnic gangs as they roam the streets and interfere with honest white (non-ethnic) folks restaurant meals.

    Many people are refusing to give you any details such as their address or the phone number…

    This is to prevent random violence conducted by vicious rampant ethnic gangs that are everywhere including the linen closet, if you have one.

    King Regards,

    Peter Dutton
    Queensland Tosser

    • moe000 on 24/05/2019 - 21:38

      Thanks for your reply Mr.Speaker despite being busy with your new family.

  • Sawtell on 27/05/2019 - 21:12

    Gumtree people are the window lickers of the internet - i should know i am one.

    Examples from me are:

    • Watch for sale at a decent price, very prominently described as being cash only/pick up. 5 or 10 messages a day asking for postage cost.
    • Motorcycle for sale and rambling response from some old guy asking for a discount because he has to drive 'a long way' to pick it up
    • Another motorcycle where we agree on price, shake on it then he tells me he cant pay for 6 weeks.

    And from the buyers perspective:

    I was looking at a spare bed for the occasional overnight guest. See a nice king single advertised from a local seller on gumtree $200 negotiable. Called the number and copped a spray by offering $150. "All you gumtree people are time wasters dont call me if you aren't going to be serious…."

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