For Sale Page.. scammers everywhere

[JRod4928]

What has happened to the for sale page recently. Seems like scammers have popped up out of nowhere and it's worse than it has ever been.

It's there a minimum post count or account age before being able to post ads or create threads so we can cut down on this?

It makes the forum less trustworthy, credible, and harder to sell/buy with honesty.

 

[crg123]

Yea I agree. I think there should be some proof of purchase or a min post for the classifieds just to secure it.

 

[MicroMort]

In my experience, a minimum post requirement promotes overall forum spam as scammers (and legit sellers too) try to up their post count.

Well defined rules combined with an active moderator is probably our best solution.

Not rocket science:
* must include picture of item with forum name and date.
* must clearly indicate location.
* only list items that are actually in your possession. do not list items that are for a friend or other third party unless the item is actually in your possession.
* must list acceptable forms of payment.
* only one selling thread per user at any given time.
* users with low post count may be asked to provide additional sources (and proof) of feedback from other places online.

 

[Rotti]

I just posted this response in another thread (one selling an AxeII):

*****
Given the amount of BS sale threads around here lately, I think maybe we should just make it common practice that whenever one of these pops up for sale, the first reply includes a request for some random (non-factory, preferably nonsensical) preset name displayed in a following pic.

Just to give deFLESHed a chance to prove...

Post a pic of the display with a preset name "Snickers N Coke"
*****

 

[shadoe]

This could turn into a game. We could see how much outrageous shit we could get the sellers to change their patch names to.

 

[FractalAudio]

It is getting bad and what sucks is that people are getting scammed. Then I get PM's asking me to help. Unfortunately there is nothing I can do at that point. So I'm contemplating removing the For Sale section.

 

[yek]

Maybe add a sticky to the forum section with a warning and a recommendation to provide proof?

 

[Rotti]

Well, I hate to see it go now, since I'm looking to pick up an XL and would like to sell my MkII here once its replacement is in hand, but it's not worth it if scammers are reflecting poorly on the company in the eyes of the scammed... there are always places like Reverb, TGP, etc.

 

[ianx]

It is getting bad and what sucks is that people are getting scammed. Then I get PM's asking me to help. Unfortunately there is nothing I can do at that point. So I'm contemplating removing the For Sale section.

Sad that it has come to this.

 

[JRod4928]

Well, I hate to see it go now, since I'm looking to pick up an XL and would like to sell my MkII here once its replacement is in hand, but it's not worth it if scammers are reflecting poorly on the company in the eyes of the scammed... there are always places like Reverb, TGP, etc.

Same - except the AX8 here (probably).

 

[guitarded]

I just posted this response in another thread (one selling an AxeII):

*****
Given the amount of BS sale threads around here lately, I think maybe we should just make it common practice that whenever one of these pops up for sale, the first reply includes a request for some random (non-factory, preferably nonsensical) preset name displayed in a following pic.

Just to give deFLESHed a chance to prove...

Post a pic of the display with a preset name "Snickers N Coke"
*****

I may have search a bit for the right font... but I could Photoshop the rest in about 10 minutes and make it say anything anyone asked for.

 

[Rotti]

Hmmm... good point.
I'll spread eagle with my junk hanging over the green screen for my proof pic [emoji14]

...no photoshop necessary

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[guitarded]

Oh face-palm emoticon, where are you!!!

 

[favance]

Although I enjoy looking at gear for sale, there are plenty of other sites that you can go to in order to see stuff for sale...I don't like that it may bug FAS from their main mission and am cool if it gets removed as it is not my focus for these forums.

 

[Sixstring]

Oh face-palm emoticon, where are you!!!

Not a face palm but it gets the point across...

 

[louyseiz]

Removing the 'for sale' would suck, really, it's really convenient to see what's going on and maybe grab a good deal, especially if items are currently out of stock.
Worse case, a buyer/seller can arrange a special transaction on ebay/reverb/whatever so they both get some kind of insurance. And if they are both willing to take the chance, they can just paypal or transfer money to each other, between adults

 

[kisslorand]

I bought my Matrix from here. I had confidence, the seller had confidence just because we were members of this forum. Well... both of us were in for a long time and had more than just a few posts...

 

[tgorycki]

I got scammed with a PayPal transaction a couple of years back (not here) and I learned some important tips in the process:

- Get a name, address and phone number from the seller and do your best to verify these are all legit.
- If using PayPal, do not get talked into a Personal transfer to save money. Have them send you an invoice that you pay from. It should also have pertinent seller info on it.
- Even if you are using PayPal, back up your transaction with a credit card, not a debit card. This way, if things go awry, you can initiate a chargeback and you are not out of your cash. Remember, once you initiate a cash transfer, there's little you can do to reverse the process.
- Do not tolerate delays in shipping. Some scammers will use this tactic to get outside the accepted chargeback/reversal time frame.
- Get everything in writing. If you are promised the world over the phone and it doesn't arrive, you have nothing to go on if it isn't documented.
- Demand a tracking number once everything is shipped.

I hope this helps! I REALLY HATE dirtbag scammers!!!

 

[Jerry K.]

I would hate to see it go, I have bought and sold several things here. There are always good deals and it is a place I have felt was legit!

 

[cobbler]

It would be a real shame to see the For Sale forum removed due to a few lowlifes. I have sold several items from here with nothing but positive results and made a few friends in the process as well. There are a number of steps one can take to minimize their risk as noted by the numerous posts above.

I have a fairly high post count and have been around for years so the people I sold to felt reasonably secure in dealing with me. In addition, I would answer any question they had and offered to give references as well as post any pictures they wished to ease any concerns they might have. Most anybody wanting to sell their item would do the same without question in my humble opinion.

There have been quite a few sellers here lately with less than a dozen posts on the forum. It's only natural to be skeptical when there have been instances in the past where these low post count persons indeed turned out to be bottom dwelling scum suckers. So if you have legitimately come here to sell an item without having a history on the forums then please don't be offended when someone asks for some kind of proof. On the other side of the coin, if you are concerned for yourself or even a fellow forum member with regards to a sellers integrity simply ask them to show some sort of proof without going all accusatory on them before the facts are in.

Again, I would think any legitimate seller would be willing to accommodate a potential purchasers reasonable requests for verification. If they get all huffy about it then odds are you will never see any proof and get some trash talking self righteous replies in return which only raises the red flag and tells you to move on.

These people that troll the forums scamming people out of their money are truly a sorry lot. The lowest of the low. Hopefully the vast majority don't have to lose a valuable tool for purchasing gear because of these pathetic examples of human beings.