Buyer Beware – Or rather, Seller beware!

customer paying with credit card in store

Moving, often times, starts with trying to lighten your load. There’s no point in lugging around a bunch of stuff you never use. A lot of people have yard sales or donate items to charity, but many others still have a lot of items to get rid of. Many people turn to selling online to get rid of high ticket items or some of the more cumbersome pieces.

Craigslist is a great place to get rid of things you don’t want, either for free or for maybe a little bit of money. The only problem is that scams can run rampant. It’s easy to be caught in a scam, to be out your item, to be out money, or to be out of both! Keep an eye out for these common scams when trying to sell online.

Trading

While not necessarily a “scam”, many people will often try to trade you for items of lesser value or that you don’t necessarily want. Sometimes you can mitigate these questions by saying in your ad “NO TRADES”, but it’s not going to catch them all. Keep an eye out though — someone might want to actually trade you something you may want!

The Check Sending Scam

This one is the most prevalent with selling online. What happens is you list an item for a set price, an individual contacts you and wants to purchase your item. The thing is that the person is not anywhere close to you. They claim they will send you a check that will cover the cost of the item as well as the cost of shipping.

What happens is the person will send you a large check for your item. You will deposit the check, and as a courtesy, your bank will make the funds available for you to use almost immediately or in the next day. You then use the funds to send the item to the person, and the person requests any excess funds back. You send them the item and a check, and then… Well, the check turns out to be bogus after the bank finally gets to check it and try to collect funds (which can take up to a whole week). The bank bounces the check, you’re out money, and you’re also out your item!

The biggest thing to note is that if anyone wants to send you MORE money than the item is worth — it’s a scam. To mitigate this, don’t accept any checks from any banks that you can’t drive to so you can verify its validity. Or, even better, accept cash only. If the person really wants it, they’ll find a way to get you your money — and real money at that.

Tips to avoid being a victim of fraud:

  • Never wire money to anyone you don’t know
  • Deal only with local individuals
  • Be wary if anyone wants to use any sort of escrow service — this includes PayPal
  • Don’t give out any personal or financial information such as account numbers

Have anything to add? Let us know in the comments below!

Preparing your New House for Winter

So, you just moved into a new house, and now the temps are dropping fast—whether you’re new to New England...
Read More

Fun Autumn Activities in the Central Lakes Region of New Hampshire

It’s finally starting to feel like fall in New England! To celebrate PSLs, changing leaves, and a little crispness in...
Read More

Things to Do in Your First Month in a New Home

So you’ve made the move to a new home: congratulations! Whether you’re ready to settle immediately or have a long...
Read More

How to Stay Cool When Moving in the Summer

Summertime is prime time for moving, whether you’re moving into an apartment, a house, or a dorm room. Summertime can...
Read More

Fun Things Happening in New Hampshire this Summer

A lot of people, even locals, associate New Hampshire with beautiful autumn leaves or long winters, but summertime in the...
Read More

How to Prepare for an International Move

Moving is always a challenge, but moving overseas or internationally can be even more stressful! Here are some tips for...
Read More

Low-Cost & Low-Waste Tips for Moving

If you’ve ever moved before, you probably know that along with the realization that you have a lot of stuff...
Read More

What To Know Before Moving Your Piano

Several years ago, we wrote a series about how to move awkward items like pianos. But we thought it was...
Read More

Holiday Things to do in New Hampshire for the 2022 Season

We may not have gotten much snow yet this winter, but there’s a definite chill in the air and the...
Read More

Three Ways to Prepare for Moving in Winter

Moving is never easy, but adding snow and ice definitely turns your move into a real challenge. From loading and...
Read More
Want updates like this delivered straight to your inbox?
Subscribe to our blog to receive moving tips, the latest and greatest around NH, and more. We don't share your email address with anyone and you can unsubscribe at any time.

One thought on “Tips & Tricks for Selling Online”

Comments are closed.