Scam Alert

[ES335]

Do NOT even attempt to do business with "Bright78" or "hector_harris."

 

[Fiver64]

Can you be a bit more specific as to why?

 

[ES335]

I can, Fiver. Ripped off on a deal here. Lesson learned, and let the buyer beware.

 

[Fiver64]

Sorry to hear that. FL is usually a great place to wheel-and-deal with good folks. May help some of us better avoid the same experience you had if you would share some of the actual details of how the scam went down.

 

[JM7]

I had that asswipe contact me when I posted a WTB post for an Eastman Jacket. He insisted on me paying PPFF so I passed, I'm sorry to hear about that man. He will get his one day

 

[ES335]

I had that asswipe contact me when I posted a WTB post for an Eastman Jacket. He insisted on me paying PPFF so I passed, I'm sorry to hear about that man. He will get his one day

Thanks, JM7. That's exactly what went down, much to my chagrin and frankly embarrassment. I assumed -foolishly- this person was an upright seller. Wrong. Then to compound my foolishness, I paid with PPFF. Please don't repeat my mistakes.

 

[TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead]

For the sake of others, if you post a WTB, I wouldn't do business with anyone unless they have long history here. Or of course, if it's not PPFF. Sad it's come to that, but they've gotten a few people here and it just sucks.

 

[TREEMAN]

What are some options besides ppff ?

 

[hd3kmize]

What guidance would you provide to newbies like me whose first ever post on this forum is to sell a jacket? I don’t have a history here, but I do have some nice items I’d like to offer on the forum before I resort to my typical eBay routine.

Consistent with the topic of being scammed, I too get anxious about purchasing items from folks with no history; hence why I list / buy stuff on eBay.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

 

[Gr8Lakes]

As a NEWB here myself, I’ve wondered the same about selling and buying from the classifieds. I’ve had decent luck with Poshmark, EBay, Mercari, etc., but the protection of those sites comes at a pretty significant commission cost. I’ve been reading this forum for a bit and can already see there’s a very trusting community with established respect. There’s certain members that I wouldn’t bat an eye at sending $$, because I can see how well they’re liked and trusted.

But parting with hard earned cash on blind trust CAN go against every instinct we’ve been taught. I’d probably seek references from the community first, then go with my gut. But any advice from the members that have been selling and buying for a while would be great.

 

[TooManyHatsOnlyOneHead]

As a seller, there's a catch 22. If you do the PP invoice which offers the buyer protection, a "scammer" buyer could buy your jacket, claim he never got it, get a refund and you're out the jacket.

So there's some chicken and egg here. As a buyer, I'd never buy anything from any new poster unless they did the PP invoice or sent me the jacket on trust and then I would pay them.

As a seller, I would not do the PP invoice to any one new. So it's complicated. If at least one person in the transaction has some standing, there can be a bigger leap of faith, but IMO, the burden has to go on the newer person (i.e. they take the risk of the PP invoice or sending out item without payment until verified).

If it's 2 new people going back and forth, good luck. I probably wouldn't do it unless there was overall proteciton like Ebay, etc.

 

[Drzdave58]

I’m new here and have listed items for sale recently. I have made one purchase of a jacket from a well known member on here so far. i Want to assure anyone dealing with me that I’m not here to rip anyone off, just here to make friends, talk about boots and jackets, and make a few deals that benefit all concerned. So far, I am enjoying this forum a lot.

 

[hd3kmize]

This forum has been a great source of knowledge for me before I took the plunge and signed up. This journey of learning about and accumulating boots, jackets, denim etc. has been quite fun. Like most good things in life, trust has to be earned. Thanks for all the meaningful perspective provided on this topic. Time to earn my stripes.

 

[Greg in Oregon]

I agree with the above, I'm new here too although I've been reading articles from this forum for a long time. I have a jacket for sale currently as a new member and I understand why it creates concern. But at some point in any transaction there is a bit of faith involved and hopefully a feeling of trust develops during the discussion leading up to the transaction. Thanks to TFL for allowing me an opportunity to join the community.

 

[Fiver64]

Once you've been on on FL for a while, you'll see many familiar names. Look at how many posts people have. While there is always a chance to get burned, generally speaking, the longer someone has been contributing to the lounge is a reasonable indicator that they are not likely a scammer, or they would have been outed long ago. Bad news travels fast! You will find many truly upstanding folks on FL, and after you get to know them, it's almost like working on handshake deals.

As for PPFF, I have used it on FL many times because the buyer should be absorbing the fees, not the seller, but there are the previously stated risks. If you want the PP protection, you may have to pony up the 3% extra (or whatever it is) and have the peace of mind. There's always meeting face to face, if able, and pay cash on the barrelhead. Met a couple great new friends that way. In any case, I use the number of posts as a fair indicator, much like EBay's feedback numbers. Nothing is foolproof though!

 

[KITMAN22]

If selling anything I would ensure the goods are sent via a signed / tracked service. Therefore the goods can only be handed over if the postman obtains a signature. If the buyer then trys to scam the seller by telling PayPal the goods were not received then at least you can prove the goods were accepted by someone at the address. I would assume that most items sold here would be of enough value to make sending via tracked worth while.

 

[Canuck Panda]

Even when then seller ask for PPFF, you can always ask them to send you an invoice. This is exactly what happened to my last transaction here. I asked for PPFF, and my buyer didn't say no. When payment time came, he asked me to send him a Paypal invoice. It cost me an extra 20 dollars or something, but it wasn't a deal breaker. No different than Craiglist meetups and the buyer ask for an additional 20 off. And as for sellers, remember to always follow up from the Paypal email/txt. It doesn't guarantee anything, but shows you've done all you can. I always send the tracking numbers and get reminder on my phone when it delivers and send a confirm txt through Paypal. Most of the time the buyer doesn't even bother to respond. But I still send the txt.
Remember that either party can always walk away. That's the point. Take your time. If you don't feel comfortable, don't do it. Scammers will always try to rush you. This is the biggest red flag.
Sorry for your lost. It happens to us all at one time or another.

 

[Sharp]

Some of the older members may correct me, but wasnt there before a rating system when using the classifieds? One would make transactions and then rate their satisfaction with the deal, thus providing a visible record for both the seller and buyer to display, althougn no guarantee it did provide a certain "trust".

 

[Carlos840]

Some of the older members may correct me, but wasnt there before a rating system when using the classifieds? One would make transactions and then rate their satisfaction with the deal, thus providing a visible record for both the seller and buyer to display, althougn no guarantee it did provide a certain "trust".

Nope, never been a real thing.
Some people add a comment at the end of the add after buying but it was never an official rating system.

Personally i only PPFF people i have "known" a long time and people who actively post pictures of jackets and themselves.
My thinking is that if someone is ready to post pics of themselves and their face on here they are not here to scam anyone.
I would never buy from someone with no pics and less than a few hundred posts.

 

[Drzdave58]

If selling anything I would ensure the goods are sent via a signed / tracked service. Therefore the goods can only be handed over if the postman obtains a signature. If the buyer then trys to scam the seller by telling PayPal the goods were not received then at least you can prove the goods were accepted by someone at the address. I would assume that most items sold here would be of enough value to make sending via tracked worth while.

Correct me if I’m wrong but signing for a package doesn’t protect you much from being scammed. A person signs for the package before opening it correct? Therefore you don’t know for sure what’s in the box until you get it in the house, open it, then it’s too late. Like someone else on here said, I check the sellers content as best I can and can usually get a sense thru communication if they are on the level. Usually my bullshit alarms go off if not. Personally I have bought and sold dozens of items from all over the world thru eBay etc and have never been ripped off, but certainly understand why people are hesitant to make purchases from strangers. I had a woman in Montreal who wanted to purchase a vintage bicycle from me last year, actually she wanted to buy 2 of them, at $750 each she was terrified of sending me that much money cause she didn’t know me. Anyway she decided to just buy one to start, after she got it delivered she immediately purchases the second one and was over the moon happy. She thanked me and it was a great experience for both of us.