Ways to make sure that no one gets ripped of when buying and selling on this board?

[BenB1989]

Is trust really the only option?

[doublee]

This place has a pretty good record as for reliability, have never had a problem at all.

[rob2001]

I always give, and get all contact info when buying or selling. A phone call isn't out of order on higher dollar items, Or lower dollar items for that matter.

[macheesmo3]

I check folks post history , read some of them to see if they seem a little nuts.( hopefully nobody has done this to me !!) I have done 2 trades on here and they have both gone great. Just get their phone info , make sure you get insurance on the item and/pay with a method that you can recoup if there is any funny business. Heck , ask them for references of past deals if it's super $$$$ or they seem flakey.
It all really comes down to trust though !

[Dr. Tweedbucket]

As long as their not from New Jersey, you should be ok :knitting I got ripped off twice there. :tapedshut

Simply check their references, past posts, get their address and phone number, then google them and make sure the address exists. Call them on the phone and ask specific questions.

Actually, I did all of the above ( ebay transaction ) and still got ripped off ( the guy was from Jersey ). :messedup I had to track him down and he finally got arrested and taken to court. :nono There are no guarantees.

[PinoyBoy]

I'm sure some won't agree with my thinking but this is my view: the risk of being screwed on high $ items are much less than on low $ items. Maybe I've just been lucky, but all those I've dealt with on high $ items have been great. I think the value filters out the scums.

Also, my thinking is that if it's a low $ item I want, I'm not saving much by getting it here. I might as well get it at GC or some other online store.

[Jan Folkson]

When I worked in retail, we'd get an address and phone number and then call the phone company and ask for so and so at the given address, if the phone numbers matched we sent the stuff.

[Luke]

www.netronline.com (http://www.netronline.com)

Check their real estate tax record online to confirm the address you are sending payment is registered to their name. The odds of a home owner ripping you off are greatly reduced IMO and you always know where to send the cops if need be.

Go to the public records online tab, select their state. Since you probably do not know what county they are in, Google the town name like so "Mt. Krisco, West Virginia county of" and you will get the result easily. Go to that county's online data and look up their name or address and confirm the info seller gave you is legit.

[Jon Silberman]

It is up to YOU to make sure (to the extent anything is sure in life) when buying and selling here. That's simply the way it is and (as the Admins have made clear here many, many times) how it will stay.

[Jan Folkson]

That's good, I like that one Luke.

[ratter]

For high-dollar items, I stick to people with longer forum histories. And after being on the various forums for several years, lots of names look familiar. People who rely on the forums for buying and selling aren't likely to risk that reputation and use of that resource just to rip you off. At least, that's what I'm banking on.

[Suproman77]

As long as their not from New Jersey, you should be ok :knitting I got ripped off twice there. :tapedshut

Simply check their references, past posts, get their address and phone number, then google them and make sure the address exists. Call them on the phone and ask specific questions.

Actually, I did all of the above ( ebay transaction ) and still got ripped off ( the guy was from Jersey ). :messedup I had to track him down and he finally got arrested and taken to court. :nono There are no guarantees.

Haha, hey, I'm from Jersey, man....I haven't ripped anyone off. :D

[Suproman77]

www.netronline.com (http://www.netronline.com)

Check their real estate tax record online to confirm the address you are sending payment is registered to their name. The odds of a home owner ripping you off are greatly reduced IMO and you always know where to send the cops if need be.

Go to the public records online tab, select their state. Since you probably do not know what county they are in, Google the town name like so "Mt. Krisco, West Virginia county of" and you will get the result easily. Go to that county's online data and look up their name or address and confirm the info seller gave you is legit.

Funny you mention this, I tried to use that site to identify some people that I knew around town just to see if it worked. I couldn't find my own uncles house! His records just weren't there for some reason.

I guess it's good, but not perfect.

[akihiro]

I was thinking about this the other day. I just completed my first trade here and I realized how easy it would have been to be ripped off. It didn't even occur to me as a possibility until I received the pedal and thought of it happening.

[kurtsstuff]

I'm surprised that anybody buy's or sells from me or to me..I'm Nuckin Futz!!!!

[mge80]

www.netronline.com (http://www.netronline.com)

Check their real estate tax record online to confirm the address you are sending payment is registered to their name. The odds of a home owner ripping you off are greatly reduced IMO and you always know where to send the cops if need be.

Go to the public records online tab, select their state. Since you probably do not know what county they are in, Google the town name like so "Mt. Krisco, West Virginia county of" and you will get the result easily. Go to that county's online data and look up their name or address and confirm the info seller gave you is legit.

For reasons that are ours and ours alone, this house is in my wife's name. I guess that makes me non-"legit", so go ahead and send the cops.:rolleyes:

[Suproman77]

I'm surprised that anybody buy's or sells from me or to me..I'm Nuckin Futz!!!!

Who are we to argue with that?


:D

[Jan Folkson]

For reasons that are ours and ours alone, this house is in my wife's name. I guess that makes me non-"legit", so go ahead and send the cops.:rolleyes:

It doesn't make you non-legit, it just means that a seller can't place you at a given address...thereby making a sale potentially more risky.

[Scott Peterson]

My key to a good transaction? Ask for references and be sure to have your own ready; follow up on them. Get contact information - address and phone. Talk on the phone beforehand with the other party if the references check out. Trust your gut past that phone call. Communication is key; I've seen hundreds and bad deals 'fixed' because I've gotten the two factions to pick up a phone. It's scary that so many folks will blindly send money without due diligence first.

[Last Nerve]

+1 with Scott.
Honestly, this is a great forum and most of the people here are great.
But just because you're doing a deal from here, doesn't mean you shouldn't take the steps to protect yourself.
If the other party isn't looking to screw you on the transaction, they should have no problem giving some references and contact info.

[Luke]

For reasons that are ours and ours alone, this house is in my wife's name. I guess that makes me non-"legit", so go ahead and send the cops.:rolleyes:

Chances are I would avoid entering a transaction then.

[59Vampire]

never had a problem with anyone here. Any deal that could have gone sour was rectified so I was never ripped off

[jerseydrew]

As long as their not from New Jersey, you should be ok :knitting I got ripped off twice there. :tapedshut


Not that anyone should ever get ripped off, but the odds of getting "ripped off" by someone from NJ is good. Not because we're not honest, but because there are a ton of people from NJ here on TGP, and the odds are greater. I would venture to say that out of all the states in our GREAT nation, maybe Cali or NY would have more Gear Pagers. NJ, a tiny state, yet the most densely populated state in the country.

And Luke, I tried your "real estate" lookup, and it didn't work for me. I think you have to be a paying member. I typed in my own name and it came up with 3 different addresses. 2 of which were not accurate. Am I doing something wrong? It seems like that would be a cool link to have.


Lastly, to add to the OP's question, if it were an expensive item, I would definitely use the telephone. I can get a good gut feeling when speaking to someone on the phone. In addition, I wouldn't buy from someone who had zero posts. I'd also use Paypal and pay with my AMEX card.

[Luke]

I PM'd your house to you, took 3 secs to find.

As you'll see, it shows the day you bought, what you paid, who holds the mortgage, what you are paying in real estate taxes, your sq ft, etc...

Not that anyone should ever get ripped off, but the odds of getting "ripped off" by someone from NJ is good. Not because we're not honest, but because there are a ton of people from NJ here on TGP, and the odds are greater. I would venture to say that out of all the states in our GREAT nation, maybe Cali or NY would have more Gear Pagers. NJ, a tiny state, yet the most densely populated state in the country.

And Luke, I tried your "real estate" lookup, and it didn't work for me. I think you have to be a paying member. I typed in my own name and it came up with 3 different addresses. 2 of which were not accurate. Am I doing something wrong? It seems like that would be a cool link to have.


Lastly, to add to the OP's question, if it were an expensive item, I would definitely use the telephone. I can get a good gut feeling when speaking to someone on the phone. In addition, I wouldn't buy from someone who had zero posts. I'd also use Paypal and pay with my AMEX card.

[RichieRich]

I love this place. Participation is crucial.

If a TGP'er with a very low post count is selling an item, I more than likely won't buy from them or trust them unless they're local.

[Facemelt]

www.netronline.com (http://www.netronline.com)

Check their real estate tax record online to confirm the address you are sending payment is registered to their name. The odds of a home owner ripping you off are greatly reduced IMO and you always know where to send the cops if need be.

Go to the public records online tab, select their state. Since you probably do not know what county they are in, Google the town name like so "Mt. Krisco, West Virginia county of" and you will get the result easily. Go to that county's online data and look up their name or address and confirm the info seller gave you is legit.

Want the ability to search for Property Detail Report by Name? Do you want to see owners names and mailing addresses? If so, you need to upgrade your account to Professional Users Status (http://datastore.netronline.com/ProfessionalApplication.aspx). It's easy!

[Luke]

Want the ability to search for Property Detail Report by Name? Do you want to see owners names and mailing addresses? If so, you need to upgrade your account to Professional Users Status (http://datastore.netronline.com/ProfessionalApplication.aspx). It's easy!

I have never paid a cent.

PM me the name an address and I'll send you the link to show you.

[Facemelt]

Thanks, I was just testing it out by looking up my house and that is what I got.

[Maven]

I think it's always a good idea to find out if they use Ebay what their ID is. If they have a good amount of positive feedback with Ebay chances are you willl be okay. I've done several deals here never with any problems. That being said I have dealt with a few guys who take their time shipping and that can be nerve racking. I usually ship no more that 3 or 4 days (at the most) after receiving payment. I've received pedals that took almost a month to deliver and that is ridiculous. Unfortunately as the buyer there is not much you can do since normally they already have your money. Overall, I think most people here deal straight.