How to protect yourself on FB Marketplace?

[Vanilla]

Hi all,

So I was just browsing for new phones on FB Marketplace. I know it can be rife with scammers. I've already found cheap phone from accounts created this year but some seem to be from quite old accounts and good deals.

The question is...often they are still sealed. How do I confirm the item is actually legit and not some swap-out-and-then-sealed scam?
Are there sites to check the IMEI numbers and things like that?

Obviously i'd never meet at a cafe or anything, i'd turn up at a house at least.

 

[Semple]

I think in reality you're never going to be able to 100% protect yourself. Part of the reason for the cheaper prices id guess.

I think someone had posted on here not too long ago that a phone they had bought had been blacklisted several months after using it. Nothing stopping the original owner of the phone doing this even after being paid.

 

[Begbie]

I'd open it up and check it was working before I passed the money over. Generally though, if it's too good to be true then I'd leave it well alone. FB marketplace is really good, but it's far too easy to be scammed.

Mobile phones are something I'd probably not touch from there.

You can do a check with https://www.checkmend.com/uk/ though, that's how OcUK marketplace works with mobiles.

 

[Vanilla]

I think in reality you're never going to be able to 100% protect yourself. Part of the reason for the cheaper prices id guess.

I think someone had posted on here not too long ago that a phone they had bought had been blacklisted several months after using it. Nothing stopping the original owner of the phone doing this even after being paid.

Yeah that's the worry

I'd open it up and check it was working before I passed the money over. Generally though, if it's too good to be true then I'd leave it well alone. FB marketplace is really good, but it's far too easy to be scammed.

Mobile phones are something I'd probably not touch from there.

You can do a check with https://www.checkmend.com/uk/ though, that's how OcUK marketplace works with mobiles.

Thanks for this site. I don't get a new phone often so i'm totally unaware of that site. I'm still rocking an S10+.

I may say to the seller that i'll want to check it on that site AND i'd like to video the whole transaction just in case they try to blacklist it later. If the roles were reversed i'd be fine with that.

 

[Begbie]

Even if videod, and they blacklist it. What do you do?

 

[Vanilla]

Even if videod, and they blacklist it. What do you do?

Well it depends, if they do own it (and perhaps I can ask of proof of purchase) and they blacklist it it's Fraud. They get an insurance payout, the phone belongs to the insurance company and gets blacklisted. They then get the video showing they sold it. It wasn't lost or stolen. Then the insurance company decide if they pursue the fraud aspect.

If not I always have the small claims court route (assuming it's picked up at an address and if I cant match their FB name to an invoice then their address can be confirmed).

People are less inclined to do the dodgy if there are possible repercussion.

Any hint of 'let's meet at a coffee shop' or such and I nope out.

 

[UberTiger]

Any hint of 'let's meet at a coffee shop' or such and I nope out.

As a seller I nope out if someone isn't willing to meet me in a public place. I don't want Facebook randos knowing where I live.

 

[Vanilla]

As a seller I nope out if someone isn't willing to meet me in a public place. I don't want Facebook randos knowing where I live.

If you were selling a washing machine or couch would you take it to starbucks?

 

[UberTiger]

It's doable