Ive been trying to sell a product for the last few weeks and have had a few people interested in buying it. Ive been through this before; tried to sell something and people are interested but things dont seem to add up... So I start to toy with them... I raise the price to some ridiculous $$ amount or set terms that would in no way benefit the buyer and yet they still agree. Yes, it is a complete waste of time but it gives me a good laugh when I see a lowlife running around in circles trying to get me to give up even the smallest bit of information! HERE ARE A FEW TIPS when dealing with possible buyers of ANY product that you are selling! 1. Always always always request money from the buyer, never give them your information for them to send you money. HOWEVER, when requesting money make sure the email address in registered with PayPal and the account's physical address is is verified by either the buyers credit card and/or a bank account! 2. Set up an email account that you use solely for PayPal, EBay, etc. This keeps your regular email out of the line of fire from not just scammers but spammers as well. Scammers use multiple email addresses to try and buy products. I once had three emails from three seperate people about a product. Each email gave me the usual runaround but in each email there were similarities: (mispelled words, overuse of ...) see..what..I.meen?! Also I started to see similar phrases like "due to the nature of my job," or "I am willing to pay for shipping," even if it was half way accross the world! My point, if scammers can use more than one email address why can't you?! 3. YOU set the terms of the transaction not the buyer. Theres always that person that requests that you ship the product using USPS or that you use their preferred third party "PayPal" account. Always ship your product using Fed Ex or UPS and always require a signature or delivery. This insures that when they get it, they sign that the product is acceptable and exactly what they bought. 4. Never give personal information. Stick to an email address and thats it. When selling something online you'll never need to give the buyer your information. They dont need your physical address, your full name, your account information for PayPal, or even the original reciept of the product. With the reciept, scammers can access almost any of your information including credit card info, phone numbers, addresses, etc. If they are buying something off of Craigslist they shouldnt be worried about a reciept! 5. Only deal with local buyers. Craigslist is divided between cities so why would someone from New York or Africa be looking for say a couch in California and be willing to pay the shipping fee to get it to them. As soon as you see that the buyer is not from your area stop all communication. 99% of the time it is a scam! Do you really want to take the chance that it isnt? Didnt think so. There are several other tips out there so if you have something that has helped you out in the past, by all means share. I hope these tips have helped you or help someone in the future. Good Luck sellers!
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