just like that PayPal , make sure the member is not new , and has rating or feedback and history on this forum .

 

easy peezy with PayPal then :-)

 

...Jhust keep in mind that you have protection if using regular PayPal. If you use "Friends & Family" where the seller doesn't get charged a fee, there is no protection afforded to the buyer.

 

Try to buy parts from a forum such as NAM where the seller has been a member for a while. Don't buy anything from a new member without a lot of verification. Search their user name and real name to see if anyone has posted complaints about them.

Ask a lot of questions and get many pictures to confirm condition and manage your expectations.

Talk to the person on the phone if you have any concerns.

I'll walk away from any deal if the person isn't prompt in responding or doesn't answer all of my questions.

I agree with using Paypal. I would only use friends and family payment designation if you know the person or if they have a really long history on the site.

To save on shipping I've used discount shippers like Pirate Ship. They offer discounts on USPS and UPS shipping rates.

 

Both PayPal and Venmo (same company) offer purchase protection, but read the fine print. Do not post any personal info (phone#/email etc.) in your ad. The latest scam here is getting your contact info, and whether through messaging here, or your email, scammers pose as a legit forum member, but they alter the member’s user name, Most times in a very insignificant way so you don’t realize. Make sure when you are contacted, that the person has the same EXACT user name. It can be as little as a dot, or an extra letter, they are very clever and know what to add to the name to make it virtually unnoticeable. Initial contact should always be made here first.

 

This is all great stuff thanks to the mods for keeping it open to benefit the community

 

I’ve done a lot of this. I did get burned recently. eBay has been good - a bit pricey at times. I’ve bought on here / and sold here. All good.

PM someone, get the reply on that thread, trade cell #’s if you are comfortable with that. Keeping the convo in one thread lets you keep track of it, and ensure that the original poster is doing the talking.

There is a trick that a person sends you a pm - check that the id matches, and the post count is not 0 or low. They put a period ‘.’ At the front or back of the id like who you expect to communicate with. All this happened to me on a different car forum. If it seems odd, walk away. I did. Use PayPal with fees, and pay the fee on top of the agreed to amount- that takes the $ off the conversion, and you get protection. Honest players should not have an issue. Be willing to walk away from a transaction if it seems bad.

 

Here's another tip: I sold some rather expensive and heavy auto manuals on a forum and they were to be shipped in large USPS Priority Fla Rate boxes. I asked the buyer if he wanted insurance over the $100 per box that USPS offers and he declined. USPS lost both of them and the buyer wanted me to re-imburse him. I politely declined and reminded him that I offered to purchase additional insurance but he declined same. Never heard another word from him.