Safest way to buy and sell ?

[sky]

Hi all, I'm currently planing to buy a emo amp off someone on the forum.Thing is  I've never done forum buy before so of course I'm a little wary.My question is,what is the safest way you  guys usually buy and sell here?

[pallpoul]

check the feed back on the traders list

[hemster]

First and foremost, the thing about buying on the internet from a private seller is that you're buying from someone you don't know and meet in person. You also can't see the product before buying. So inherently this is a risky proposition.

That said, you can use measures to protect yourself to the extent you can. Check out the seller's previous trades and other buyers' experience in the trader's list thread here. Use paypal as a method of payment to obtain paypal protection.

Disclaimer:
All that said, people trade here all the time and they do so at their own risk. Emotiva, their employees and moderators are not liable in any way and cannot be held responsible for anything. Caveat emptor.

[sky]

thank you both,just sucks that my seller isn't on the list.

[pallpoul]

Like hemster said, PayPal has buyers protection.

[dcg44s]

Dec 12, 2013 19:42:08 GMT -5 sky said:

thank you both,just sucks that my seller isn't on the list.

That makes it a little harder to judge but it isn't automatically bad as everyone has to start at zero.My bottom line is always to go with my gut feeling about a deal,if it just doesn't feel right somehow they I usually take a pass.Barring that uneasy feeling, just ask the questions that you need to,to satisfy yourself about both the product and the seller,gather as many bits of information as you can such as is the seller a regular poster here that everyone knows or a newbie with a sale post as their very first,do they have feedback from eBay to help you go by,etc.,then decide if you want to go for it or not.

I personally have had excellent luck with all of my purchases made through the Emotive Lounge Emporium and that includes a  purchase from a member who had few posts and no trader feedback.Using Paypal will give you a measure of protection as long as you do a regular Paypal purchase,never do a gift payment to a stranger.If it cost you a bit more to do a regular payment just pony up and consider it worth that little extra for the peace of mind of having Paypal protection.

Ultimately it is still a bit of a risk however so judge for yourself.Good luck.

[stiehl11]

Buying and selling here is just the same as buying and selling in the classifieds in papers/magazines or off of Craigslist. Generally, the people that you meet are upstanding citizens who are willing to transact a deal to the mutual benefit of both seller and buyer. Of course there's always that one person that wants to meet at hotel room or rides up in a van with "Free Candy" spray painted on the side that ruins it for everyone. As others have mentioned, protect yourself the best you can by using an agreed upon 3rd party to transact payment. Being that you're looking at buying something from someone on the forum ask for references. There's a good bet that someone on the forum knows him (a lot of us see each other at least once a year). While its not guaranteed that you won't get the shaft, it might quell your nerves a bit.

Personally, I've bought several (most) of my gear second hand; some even off the Lounge. I've never had a bad experience.

[emovac]

I do a good amount of business online. Make connection with the seller and ask they invoice you via paypal, and to articulate what type of goods are being traded on the invoice. Paypal has always been hassle free for me, and it provides ample protection. Asking the seller to require you to sign for the package is better yet for both parties.

[knucklehead]

I've made 30+ deals through the Emporium so I feel kind of qualified to make a few observations for dealing with someone that has no feedback. I would encourage you to look over the entire list of traders that have a +n next to their name. Only the red ones are bad - and there isn't many of them. Thats fortunate. And says something about the members here.

First off pay with Paypal - and not with the 'gift' option. You have some recourse if you do - write a check or send a money order and try to fetch that back. You can't. With PP you can at least make a claim against the seller. I had a guy a few years ago that wished to buy something from me - can't remember what it was. But he wanted to pay with a check and expected me to ship as soon as I got it. Since a deposited check takes as much as a week to clear a checking account I refused. IIRC I've never seen him back here - his post count was in the single digits.

If you feel you need more protection ask if the seller has an ebay account. Get his ebay ID and check his feedback for problems. If he's legit there he's probably ok. You might ask him to place the items on a 'buy it now' auction - expect to pay for the seller's costs - including listing and final value fees. ebay and PP fees aren't cheap and can add $50 or more to a $500 sale. Its robbery but it is what it is.

[garbulky]

On top of everything that's been said also a good thing to look for (but definitely not THE ONLY thing) is how many psots the user has and what they are about. That way you'll know that he is an active participant and not somebody just here for one thing.