Avoid Scams: Always Be Aware

When advertising goods for sale or looking to find a bargain on itsmymarket.com, especially goods with a significant value, be aware of fraudsters operating in the market. These scammers are often professional conmen who work to leave both buyers and sellers out of pocket.

On itsmymarket.com, we encourage our buyers and sellers to communicate. While the majority of our users do not encounter any problems, a small minority have been contacted by Scammers abusing the contact features of itsmymarket.com. The scams are often very similar, but you must always be cautious whether you are buying or selling.

We advise you to read these common scamming tactics. Remember, these apply outside of itsmymarket.com too.

Advice to Sellers: Be vigilant

Sellers tend to be targeted, as they can be contacted by scammers pretending to be interested buyers. Here are a few tips to make sure you don't get caught out:

Never disclose your personal information to strangers such as your bank details.
Be suspicious if someone expresses an interest in an item they have never seen or if they have no intention of visiting to see the item.
Never accept an offer to ship an item to a third party abroad.
If someone offers to pay for an item, plus shipping costs, and requests that you pay the shipping agent yourself - don't do it.
If you will accept a cheque, only deliver/release the item you're selling once you're absolutely certain the cheque has cleared. If you are unsure, contact your bank directly.
Be suspicious if the enquiry has many grammar and spelling mistakes as if English isn't the writer's first language.
The enquirer may wish to know what the "last price you will sell at" is.
An enquiry may have a forceful tone to it.
The enquirer may claim to live many miles from your area

Buyers: Beware

This is rare but its worth mentioning! Someone will entice buyers to make contact with them. Maybe they are advertising something for sale at a price too-good-to-be-true, or perhaps they want you to call them for details about an item.

To make sure they are genuine sellers follow these basic steps:

Never transfer money before you have seen the item and have met the seller. Sellers may entice you with a low price, and ask you for a holding deposit. You may never see your money again - be careful.
Ensure the telephone number you are going to call is only one of itsmymarket.com's Privacy Telephone Numbers found on the right of the advert under the orange bar labelled "Contact Details" or in bold below the advert.
Ask for a receipt as a proof of purchase in every case.
Try to meet the seller face to face act with caution if they refuse to meet you.
Try to get more than one contact detail - Email can be an unreliable form of contact, especially with overseas sellers.
For travel tickets, make sure the tickets exist and you can change the names. Take responsibility for this yourself.

More advice on common scamming tactics.

Don't get stung

Find out more about the common scams, and how to read the signs. Unfortunately, we can't get involved on your behalf as the transaction is between the buyer (scammer) and the seller (you).

But, if this does happen to you, please contact your local police and Trading Standards Officer as soon as possible, as they may be able to assist. We would also advise you to review your rights by visiting the Consumer Direct Website.

Police: www.police.uk/forces

Trading Standards: www.tradingstandards.gov.uk

For your safety

Buyers: For an easy transaction we recommend you view the item before purchasing it. For your own safety we advise that you do not go alone, take someone with you, if you must go alone let someone know of the meeting time and location.

Sellers: For an easy transaction we recommend that you let the potential buyer view your item before they purchase it. For your own safety we advise that you do not meet the potential buyer alone, if you must we advise you let someone know of the meeting time and location.