Safe Practices and Complete Guide to Buying/Selling in Classifieds and other Trade Forums

[NannerBeans]

****IMPORTANT CHANGE**** **Google Wallet has changed now. Paypal is now the only safe way to pay online. DO NOT use anything else.**

 

 

Hello,

 

To start off, I am a very experienced buyer/seller on forums as well as Amazon and Ebay. I've been doing this for over 4 years and recently, I've gotten a lot of questions on how it works because most people here are new to trading on forums. Buying and selling on forums can be extremely safe if done right. I have never been scammed or lost money due to a transaction with someone on a forum. 

 

FOR BUYERS

 

First thing you should do when you see an item you might be interested in buying is check their reputation and feedback for past trades. The primary way to do this is through heatware. This is a website where sellers and buyers leave feedback for each other after a transaction is completed. Mine is at: http://www.heatware.com/eval.php?id=95302

 

I currently have +30 positive and +1 neutral. Unfortunately I got the neutral because the buyer wouldn't tell me about the problem and just gave me the neutral. Communication is very important. Contact the other party if there is something wrong with the transaction. Not every transaction gets feedback so the seller likely has more trades then actual feedback. I only confirm heatware when the buyer asks for it so only about 10% of my transactions are actually confirmed on Heatware. 

 

Other forums might have their own feedback system as well. I know OCN does and they might provide that feedback.

 

EBAY FEEDBACK MEANS NOTHING

Ebay gives feedback points very easily and ebay is very strict on their sellers so any feedback they earned is pretty much forced. Not to say there aren't good sellers on ebay but it doesn't hold much value on forums. 

 

If your seller has positive reviews then you are very likely to not be scammed. However, there is still a chance they will so proceed with caution still. If the seller is new and has no reviews then it is still fine to go ahead but only use payment options that provide protection. I will usually only use Paypal for sellers without any feedback. 

 

The next step is to contact the seller for details or negotiate if you think the price is high. Not all sellers will negotiate prices. Almost all of my prices are firm. I may move $10 or $20 depending on the value of the item and how far I have to ship it but I usually put my lowest price in the ad. Do your best to not lowball. It is offensive to lowball sellers. Also ask for more pictures if the picture in the ad is bad or you want to see something specific. 

 

IF THE SELLER OR BUYER ASKS FOR ID OR PASSPORT OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, WALK AWAY. 

There is ZERO reason for anyone to ask for this. This can be a potential identity theft situation. All they should ask for is email and addresses. If they are shipping Fedex they may ask for a phone number as well because Fedex requires it. 

 

After that, you will pay for the item. There are two payment options that I trust and will use and that is Paypal and Google Wallet. I do not like Paypal as a company but they are still the best option to use. I use Google Wallet for established traders that I trust. Google Wallet protection is a bit spotty so only use it for people that have previous trades. Google Wallet is no longer a recommended payment method. Paypal should be the only method used. 

 

NEVER USE PAYMENT OPTIONS THAT DO NOT GIVE PROTECTION SUCH AS PAYPAL FRIENDS AND FAMILY (OTHERWISE KNOWN AS PAYPAL GIFT), BITCOIN OR OTHER CRYTOCURRENTCY, OR BANK TRANSFERS/CHECKS. 

No matter what their reputation is, there is still a chance they will scam you. The only exception to this rule is that I will use cash for local transactions that you meet in person. Have that person test the item if possible though. Sometimes it is not possible but they can still be legit and typically, they are. 

 

The seller should provide tracking soon after payment or shipment depending on if you buy a label online or buy it at the post office. If you ask the seller for tracking information and he does not provide tracking, then something may be wrong with the transaction. Sometimes they just forget to forward the number to you but if they say there is no tracking for the package, then they are lying. Pretty much all relevant mailing methods have tracking numbers these days. The only exceptions are unregistered international mail and domestic first class letters (plain white envelope with a postage stamp). It is very rare for someone to be using those methods for something bought online on a forum though. 

 

99% of the time, this will end as a positive transaction with the seller getting their money and the buyer getting the item they want. In the case that they don't however, report it to Paypal or Google Wallet and they will investigate and return your money if it is indeed a scam.

 

IF THEY SHIPPED SOMETHING TO YOU THAT WAS NOT WHAT YOU ORDERED ON PURPOSE TO SCAM YOU, THAT IS MAIL FRAUD WHICH IS A FELONY. 

Report them to the US Postal Inspection Service by filling out the form here: http://ehome.uspis.gov/fcsexternal/default.aspx

There are likely similar services with postal services from other countries but I am not familiar with them specifically. 

 

 

For Sellers

 

The first thing to do when selling is to take pictures of your item and figure out pricing. Most places require the piece of paper with your username and the date on it in the picture. This is called the "proof of ownership" on here and "timestamps" over at hardwareswap.

 

The best way to know pricing is to look at other used listing on forums and take the average price. Sometimes that is not possible though which then I will look at ebay and Amazon used prices and take off anywhere from 5-20% depending on the type of item and it's price. Typically it's closer to 10% though. And obviously the lower the price, the faster it will sell. If you are in desperate need for cash, you may need to sell for lower than market price. Shipping will typically be included in the price as well and you will be expected to pay for shipping. You may charge for shipping separately but be sure to state this clearly. If not, people will assume your shipping is included in the price. For example, you can say this item you are selling for has a price of $80 + shipping costs. This will tell the buyer that the $80 price does not include shipping costs. On the other hand, if you say the price is $80 shipped, that means shipping costs is included in the $80. Also, you may not ask for any fees associated with payment services like Paypal. That is against most forum's rules since it is against Paypal's ToS. You should instead raise the price of the item to account for this. So if you want to net $50 for an item, you can add $10 to account for shipping and another $2 for fees. So you will sell this item for $62 shipped. How much you add for shipping and fees of course depends on what item you are selling and how much it is worth. You may not be able to get as much as you want though since there is a limit to how much people want to pay. However, if they are asking like 60% off new prices for current hardware, then they are probably lowballing you. I usually walk away from those deals because I can get more than that pretty much anywhere else. That is your choice though. 

 

Once you have your photos and know your pricing, create a new ad and wait for buyers to contact you. Once you have a buyer and have agreed upon a price, get their email and send either a payment request through Google Wallet or an invoice through Paypal. Be specific on what they are paying for and the condition of the items. I usually also put my return policy on the invoice. 

 

Once payment has cleared, the next thing to do would be to ship the item. I have a stock of boxes and packaging supplies from things I've bought so I get those for free. If you do need to buy some, you can get a huge roll of bubble wrap for pretty cheap off of Amazon. I buy my tape from Sam's Club for $15 for a 6pack of Scotch/3M packaging tape. USPS will provide free boxes that you can order off of their website as well. They typically take a week or two from the order date to get to you. Please only use these boxes for the service they are mean't for. Abuse will lead them to take the service away and is also illegal. 

 

Regional rate boxes are the best value and I use them for most of my packages. The Regional rate A will charge 2 lbs as long as it fits so anything over 2 lbs can be shipped cheaper using this. The side loading version can fit most gpus without it's box and some motherboards as well as other items. For things that go a long distance, I usually use flat rate boxes but that is rare since flat rate is typically a rip off. Shipping by the pound in a plain box is usually the cheapest if regional rate does not work. For large packages, Fedex might be cheaper. Create an account on their since their price without an account is actually about 25% more expensive. It doesn't cost anything to create an account. You won't get a quote with the discount price without an account. I usually use my Google Wallet card for that though because Fedex has a habit of charging you a higher price weeks after you shipped the thing. Don't know why they do that but to counter it, I use a card that will be declined if there is no money on it. They will ship you an invoice and all you need to do is call Fedex and tell them you got an invoice for something you have already paid for and they will cancel it. 

 

Packing is also very easy. Shipping items in the original item box is the safest. Put the item in the box and put that into a shipping box and fill the rest of the space in the box with packaging material like more bubble wrap, packing peanuts, air packets, or paper. If you do not have the original box, ship the item in an antistatic bag (or a brown paper bag if you do not have an antistatic bag) and wrap it in bubble wrap. Then put it in a shipping box like you would if you had the original box. Fill up the rest of the shipping box and tape it shut. 

 

 

BUY SHIPPING LABELS ONLINE

Buying postage at the post office or shipping center is more expensive and offers ZERO advantages. Labels can be purchased directly from the shipper's website like USPS.com or Fedex.com or through other services like Paypal or Stamps.com.

 

**January 17th update**

USPS prices went up as of January 17th, 2016. It is still the cheapest way to ship most of the time, however, buying labels at USPS.com is no longer cheaper than at the post office. The only way now to get cheap labels without paying for a subscription like stamps.com is through paypal. You can use www.paypal.com/shipnow or their multi-order shipping tool to buy shipping labels without a transaction through Paypal. 

 

You may choose to buy insurance and signature confirmation but if you do not, YOU are taking the risk and not the buyer. You need to decide if you are willing to spend the extra money for these services and if you are willing to take the risk of losing the item due to the package being lost or destroyed in transit. 

 

Tape the label onto the package and drop it off or arrange for pick-up. Follow up with the buyer after they have received the package. You can then exchange feedback if you would like to. Hopefully, your buyer will be happy with the item and the transaction will be positive. 

 

If there is an issue, such as the buyer claiming the card doesn't work or something like that, give them a label to ship it back and test the item once you get it. If it is truly dead, give the buyer a full refund including shipping fees. If it is not, refund them their payment except the shipping fees so that you break even and then try to find another buyer. This whole process should be recorded on video as evidence in case a paypal dispute is opened. 

 

I may have missed something but I believe that I was pretty thorough. Feel free to ask questions here and I will edit the original post if I remember something I missed. 

 

Edit: Fixed some bad wording. 

[NannerBeans]

Warranties

Most manufactures have serial based warranty which stays on the card and is transferable. Others only honor the warranty for the original owner of the part. The parts that have transferable warranties are usually worth slightly more than the same part that does not have transferable warranty. Obviously transferable is highly preferred when buying used parts. Below is a list of brands that have transferable warranty and those that do not. If a brand is not on the list, it means that I do not know if the warranty is transferable or not. If you know a brand that belongs on either of these lists, let me know and I will add it in. 

 

Transferable

Asus (Last 2 years of their 5 year warranties are only valid to the first owner and will require a receipt)

EVGA

Gigabyte

Intel (CPUs that have been out for longer than 3 years will need a receipt. All others won't)

MSI

Samsung

 

Non-Transferable

Adata

Crucial

Corsair

Diamond

EVGA B-stock

G.Skill

Nvidia (direct from Nvidia cards, typically Best-Buy exclusives.)

PNY

Powercolor

Sapphire

XFX

Zotac

 

 

No Customer Service

Bitfenix (I had an LED strip break on me and it was under warranty. Emailed them 5 times and got no response. NCIX reached out to them for me and got no response again. NCIX replaced it for me even though it was out of the return window)

 

Edit: Added warranties section. 

[Paralectic]

tl;dr use common sense.

[NannerBeans]

tl;dr use common sense.

Not cool. Common sense is important but not everything you should do is common sense. What you just said was extremely rude.

[Lays]

tl;dr use common sense.

 

He took a long time to write this guide, no reason to shit on his effort with a shitty post.

 

 

A lot of people are scared of buying used parts @NannerBeans , hopefully this will open some peoples eyes and make them a bit more confident

[Timmy-P]

tl;dr use common sense.

If you're new to swapping hardware, nothing is common sense to you.  Listing out some actions that are common sense to those experienced in the trade will prevent new people from getting scammed.

 

Granted, some things are obvious, but others not as much and are far more important, such as the difference between the two payments in PayPal.

 

 

A lot of people are scared of buying used parts @NannerBeans , hopefully this will open some peoples eyes and make them a bit more confident

 

Some people will still do so because usually there is no warranty by the manufacturer, and also because some could have been mined on/folded on, shortening it's lifespan greatly (I still defer from buying used GPUs because of that.)

[NannerBeans]

Some people will still do so because usually there is no warranty by the manufacturer, and also because some could have been mined on/folded on, shortening it's lifespan greatly (I still defer from buying used GPUs because of that.)

I'm going to add a section on warranties for used hardware when I get a chance. Thanks for reminding me.

[Lays]

q

 

The % of GPU's on the market is pretty low compared to people just selling for $ or to upgrade though.  The only cards I'd be worried about being mined on would be reference r9 2xx series cards for the most part.  Any cards with aftermarket coolers shouldn't of been effected to much since they would of ran much cooler.

 

Some manufacturers have really good warranty support, even for the "second party" I think Gigabyte does it by serial number and not by registration, and EVGA has guest RMA stuff for second owners I think.

IMO people vastly over-react to "lifespan decreases" of buying used cards, I've owned boatloads of used cards and so has @NannerBeans , I know I've personally never had any issues but I am not sure about him.

 

Owned a 780 Lightning, 780 Ti classified, my 980 Classified, a 290x Lightning and 290x ref, all were used and all had zero issues.  Asking the right questions and getting decent pictures is really all ya need to make sure you don't get screwed over for the most part.

As long as you pay with Paypal and take precautions there really shouldn't be any issues.

[NannerBeans]

I've never had a used part die on me. In fact, everything I had die on me I bought new.

[arnavvr]

I've never had a used part die on me. In fact, everything I had die on me I bought new.

 

Exactly the same. Although beware of ASUS's warranty, they will blame you for trace damage sometimes.

[ConnorDahne]

I browse through the classifieds here all the time, but had an awful experience recently that's steered me away.
I hope more people read this lol

[NannerBeans]

I browse through the classifieds here all the time, but had an awful experience recently that's steered me away.

I hope more people read this lol

Sorry about that. Unfortunately there are always going to be scammers. Hopefully this might prevent some people from getting scammed though.

[ConnorDahne]

Sorry about that. Unfortunately there are always going to be scammers. Hopefully this might prevent some people from getting scammed though.

Eh, I'm an adult I knew better than to trust someone online. But thank you lol

It seems pretty thorough, so hopefully it will.

What would you recommend  for people using the trade option on there?

[NannerBeans]

Eh, I'm an adult I knew better than to trust someone online. But thank you lol

It seems pretty thorough, so hopefully it will.

What would you recommend for people using the trade option on there?

If you're buying the biggest thing is to never use a payment option that is not protected.

Edit: Oh wait I misunderstood what you were asking. One safe option for trading items is to actually buy each other's items through something that has protection like paypal. I usually don't want to deal with that so I ask others to ship first if they want to trade with me since I deal almost always with cash and not trading.

[ConnorDahne]

If you're buying the biggest thing is to never use a payment option that is not protected.

Edit: Oh wait I misunderstood what you were asking. One safe option for trading items is to actually buy each other's items through something that has protection like paypal. I usually don't want to deal with that so I ask others to ship first if they want to trade with me since I deal almost always with cash and not trading.

That's actually really good advice, I'll make sure to do that next time.

Would definitely prevent someone from just not shipping 

[Whaler_99]

Awesome post! Lot of great info which pretty much summed up everything you need to know.

[NannerBeans]

Awesome post! Lot of great info which pretty much summed up everything you need to know.

Thanks! I also just won a Paypal dispute against a buyer that tried to scam me so I have still never been scammed!

[Whaler_99]

Thanks! I also just won a Paypal dispute against a buyer that tried to scam me so I have still never been scammed!

 

Nice job! In all my ebay sales, I have been screwed twice by paypal finding in favor of the buyer when they were clearly ripping me off. I wish we could use google wallet here in Canada.

[NannerBeans]

Nice job! In all my ebay sales, I have been screwed twice by paypal finding in favor of the buyer when they were clearly ripping me off. I wish we could use google wallet here in Canada.

Just goes to show that the only real risk in classifieds is on the seller. 

[arnavvr]

Just goes to show that the only real risk in classifieds is on the seller. 

 

Also USPS. Who are super rough in handling packages....

[Whaler_99]

Also USPS. Who are super rough in handling packages....

 

Overall I have had great success with USPS. And, being in Canada, I like to get most of my shipments from the US via USPS. UPS and Fedex all add these ridiculous "customs clearance" fees which are some arbitrary number when in fact is a cash grab as they don't do anything. And here is the REALLY under handed thing, the drivers don't have to collect these fees when they deliver it. Some weeks to months later, you will get a bill in mail from them for like $30 or $40 bucks and have 30 days to pay and then they instantly send it to a collections agency. I pretty much refuse to buy anything from a US seller who won't do USPS, just not worth it for me.

[Dive5885]

Lets say you buy a used card from a 3rd party site.

 

Would Asus Warranty a gpu even if you don't have the original invoice?

[NannerBeans]

Lets say you buy a used card from a 3rd party site.

 

Would Asus Warranty a gpu even if you don't have the original invoice?

Yes. Asus goes by serial number for their warranty. The exception is their ROG and TUF mobos. Those the first 3 years are transferable but the last 2 are not. 

[Dive5885]

Yes. Asus goes by serial number for their warranty. The exception is their ROG and TUF mobos. Those the first 3 years are transferable but the last 2 are not. 

Okay cool!

 

So if I picked up another 280X it would go by serial number and I should have no issue doing a rma if something goes wrong?

[NannerBeans]

Okay cool!

 

So if I picked up another 280X it would go by serial number and I should have no issue doing a rma if something goes wrong?

Yeah it should be fine as long as it's still in warranty. It'll go by the date it left the factory.