How can I verify legimate sellers on want to buy forum?

Don't do phone transfers. That's the number 1 indicator of a scam.

Try and verify who the member is ,and check the email to the email listed in their profile.

Are they a forum newbie or a long standing member.

Check their posting history to see if and when they've ever posted.

For all of the grief that PayPal poses to some folks. It's use is also a good way to avoid scams as it lists buyers and sellers name and address which further indicates legitimacy.

Put your email in your profile, not in the post.  That way you have to log in to see it, something that most scammers aren’t going to bother to do. 

Also, just ask what their forum handle is and verify it. 

I have bought and sold on this forum, but not a lot. I think you need to forget Paypal as a guide to 'honest" people. I, for one, do not like, nor will I use Paypal. I think the Walmart thing, or any Western Union things are most like scams. However, if a person is willing to pay by a personal check and await delivery until it clears, I think you would be ok. Also, if a person wants to use USPS money orders, that is ok too. I think you need to look at the person's activity on this forum also. If they have a history of posting on various sections, not just on wanted/for sale areas, I think they are probably fair people to deal with. I am probably too naive and will get taken to the cleaners some day. However, I have found that more or less regular posters on this forum are pretty honest guys. Watch out for the one who has few posts,or only answers ads in the "Wanted" section. My theory on them, is that they are "more likely" to be dishonest in their dealings. Not always, but often enough to be wary of.

Jeff

As soon as someone insists on any "cash" payment option and I don't know them, that's the end of the deal, it's really as simple as that!  I actually will NOT send a check to someone that's unknown as that's difficult to fetch back as well.  If they don't do PayPal or credit cards, they don't need my money.

Until recently I didn't even know there was such a thing as Walmart pay.  That to me would have been a non starter.  All the advice has been solid,, Pay pal, a check or money order, forum activity all factor into a decision.  If I am buying something my preferred method of communicating with the seller is I use the items for sale with additional words in the subject line so the seller knows this isn't a typical copy and past reply.  I indicate my willingness to purchase or offer a price I am willing to pay, I will not quibble on the method of payment if it is pay pal or a check and I always sign my name and forum handle so the individual can check as needed.  Since I do not belong to any national clubs this information seems to have been sufficient for the seller to vet me.  Go with your gut, when it doubt, back out.

Walmart pay only? You’ve got to be kidding IMO. Whatever deal you pursue none of them can be as important as immediately backing out at the first red flag. Sounds like you had quite a few of them. I usually remind myself not to “want” the item so much that I conveniently rationalize the red flags.

I've been a member since 2001, and I only will purchase from people who are known to me here. I don't sell here. I use only money orders or PayPal.  Luckily, I live in an area with a lot of train shows, so I don't have to rely solely on internet sites for purchases.

While PayPal can be troublesome to use as a seller for various reasons, it is a fantastic tool for a buyer and its entire purpose is to protect folks from fraudulent transactions.  This, of course, only works if both sides of the deal follow the proper usage and don't trey to cheat the fees with 'friends and family' scams.   PayPal is the most effective insurance from a scam for a buyer when meeting in person is not an option.  

If distances are not too great, meeting in person is likely the best option. You can see what you're buying and such.  There are plenty of resources available for such meetings, often associated with Craigslist transactions, including monitored 'online sales' areas at many police stations where people can meet in a safe, neutral, environment for cash transactions.  

I'm sort of indifferent to credit card sales as a means of buyer protection.  Most credit cards have buyer protection built in, but the process to use this can be complicated.  Most small business credit card solutions also offer seller protection where the seller may still be paid if they can demonstrate they did nothing wrong.  I use Square for credit/debit transactions and have only had one time in the last 4 years where a transaction was disputed.  They found in my favor, though it was only a $10 transaction, so not a big deal.  Square and similar services, however are not a great solution if you are dealing with someone you do not trust, over the phone, as you would have to give the potential scammer your full credit card information.  

One possible way to get around this is to use a service like Privacy (don't want to get in trouble for posting a link, but search privacy credit card and you'll find it).  This service or others like it allow you to create virtual credit cards on which you can set restrictions, for example you could create a credit card that only has the amount of money you need for a transaction, create one that can only be used by one specific retailer, or one that can only be used for a single transaction.  There is no cost to the user for this service.  I've not used this particular service, but it loos like a very good way to use credit cards for uncertain transactions.  

gunrunnerjohn posted:

As soon as someone insists on any "cash" payment option and I don't know them, that's the end of the deal, it's really as simple as that!  I actually will NOT send a check to someone that's unknown as that's difficult to fetch back as well.  If they don't do PayPal or credit cards, they don't need my money.

I must remark that I do only cash/check/money order when buying/selling with individuals. As at a train show. I haven't sold much, but I just got a loco box from the attic today for a 3rd Rail engine I will be offering on the Buy/Sell. If that's a problem, they don't need my engine.

========

The original poster was right to be scared off; most people in this hobby (and many others) are just trying to buy/sell what they want. As on eBay, if there is any shade of any kind, stay away - but if a guy has been "here" for years and posted and interacted with fellow members I have no problem buying/selling with them. Phone calls are nice, too as a get-to-know (literally) method.

mowingman posted:

I have bought and sold on this forum, but not a lot. I think you need to forget Paypal as a guide to 'honest" people. I, for one, do not like, nor will I use Paypal. I think the Walmart thing, or any Western Union things are most like scams. However, if a person is willing to pay by a personal check and await delivery until it clears, I think you would be ok. Also, if a person wants to use USPS money orders, that is ok too. I think you need to look at the person's activity on this forum also. If they have a history of posting on various sections, not just on wanted/for sale areas, I think they are probably fair people to deal with. I am probably too naive and will get taken to the cleaners some day. However, I have found that more or less regular posters on this forum are pretty honest guys. Watch out for the one who has few posts,or only answers ads in the "Wanted" section. My theory on them, is that they are "more likely" to be dishonest in their dealings. Not always, but often enough to be wary of.

Jeff

Be careful, USPS money orders are not immune from counterfeiting either.  Several months ago, a postmaster showed me a counterfeit USPS money order that someone had tried to cash.  It seems a lady had sold something via the internet (non-train related), and mailed it off to the buyer the minute the money order arrived.  A few days later, when she went to the post office to cash it, they caught it as being fake, and she was out several hundred dollars.  The scary part is, I got to see the this phony money order, and it sure looked pretty official to me.  I never would have guessed it wasn't legitimate.

Bottom line is, if a buyer doesn't pass the muster on a lot of the other indicators, then be extra wary of mailing off the goods before you've successfully cashed any money order they may have sent you. 

 "walmart pay" should have been enough to tip you off...just sayin...

Jim Berger posted:

 "walmart pay" should have been enough to tip you off...just sayin...

I agree with this.  I have bought and sold on this forum for many years with no problems.  I always up the seller’s profile to see how long they have been on the forum and read some of their posts. I have always felt it is safer to buy here that that large sale site.

Most credit cards now support the "Privacy" features listed above, such as one time card numbers and limits.

I cash the USPS money orders at the Post Office before Shipping and Paying for postage- cash in hand.

Any bad USPS money orders will be caught by their internal systems.

Paypal has also worked for me with few problems.

I'm curious about money orders seeming to be a preferred method for some folks.  To me anyone saying "send a money order" sounds like a scam as there is little practical difference between a money order and just sending cash aside from only the intended receiver having access to that money.  It's quick and easy for the seller to get their money, but it doesn't really offer any protection to the buyer or seller.  

Also, after looking up 'walmart pay' I'm confused about how you could use it to pay for something.  I must be misunderstanding but the only thing I found is an app that lets you use your phone like apple/google pay when buying things at a walmart store.  

I have over 400 transactions on ebay and they were all paid with a money order. Never had a problem.

yamaha226 posted:

I have over 400 transactions on ebay and they were all paid with a money order. Never had a problem.

 

Well, in that case, I'd say you'd be perfectly fine to continue shipping your goods off before you cash your money orders.

Right?

RIGHT?   

For me, Ebay & paypal is the way to go. I have had over 4000 transactions over 19 years, & not one problem.

JohnGaltLine posted:

I'm curious about money orders seeming to be a preferred method for some folks.  To me anyone saying "send a money order" sounds like a scam as there is little practical difference between a money order and just sending cash aside from only the intended receiver having access to that money. ...................

At some point I think I had heard people (not necessarily here) discuss that POSTAL money orders added an aspect that would be considered mail fraud if something fishy was attempted.  (I did not try to look this up or corroborate, just suggesting the possibility).  That possibly could be considered true for other methods involving sending a physical payment implement through the mail, but this is just something I seem to recall having suggested to me, might be true, might be BS.

So it may have just been another "if you risk trying to defraud someone, there is one more big headache that could result for you if the person you scam tries to y pursue it" type of situation.

-Dave