... an online buyer and seller checklist
Discover ways to try and prevent yourself being scammed in online sales
Published specifically for the “Australian Poultry by Backyard Poultry” Facebook group, and made a little more generic for general purposes.
In the last 6 months or so, the number of scam “Pages” on Facebook has gone through the roof. It seems to be related to changes Facebook has made to its business and groups interfaces/rules/systems. Their original purpose was, I think, to make it easier for business Pages to interact like private Profiles in groups, but a major side-effect seems to be scammers posing as “real” businesses.
Here's a few hints on how to identify them, and how to avoid giving a scammer money you'll never get back.
Also, have a look at my “profile of an online scam page!” post.
The admin/moderators of many of the poultry/animal pages have been developing a bit of a knack for identifying likely scammer sites. I’ve compiled this expertise into these lists, to try and help others.
This listing is aimed equally at buyers and sellers.
Buyers, to avoid being scammed.
Sellers, to avoid looking like a scammer.
Contents
The really short version
(I’m really bad at brief, I’ll admit)
This is aimed squarely at anyone planning to BUY something.
Don't agree to any payment method that doesn't allow you to get your money back if something goes wrong.
If it feels pushy, pull out of the sale.
The less-short version
This is aimed at both buyers and sellers.
Remember that nothing requires you to move those birds here and now. Esp. if either person starts getting really pushy about money (either the payment or reduction of).
Don't promise what you can't pay/supply
Don't muck people around
Don't pay up-front what you can't afford to lose in case it IS a scam.
And if anything about the seller or buyer feels off - stop the discussion.
And finally:
Don't use payment methods that don’t allow the buyer to get their money back if something goes wrong.
What does this last point mean?
Most payment methods come with a way of tracking and reversing a transaction. This has been particularly refined in the online sales age.
There’s a few that don’t - and these are the methods scammers use to get money and disappear into the void, with no way of getting your money back.
The two I’ve heard about first-hand are:
The Paypal “Family and friends” option. It avoids Paypal’s 2.6% fee - and also avoids the ability of Paypal to reverse the transaction in case of a mistake or scam.
Sending an email with a link that you have to click to “verify a PayID”. This feeds right into the “Never ever ever open a link from a stranger by clicking on an email or text. Never. I mean it”. Note that PayID is a perfectly legitimate form of payment done via your bank account to a traceable email address. It requires no further verification.
What are safe, legal, legitimate payment options?
Offer to pay a deposit (say 30%) using these options:
Paypal business transaction, with an extra 2.6% on top to cover the admin fee.
Direct deposit between Australian bank accounts.
PayID using your Australian bank account.
Cash on delivery/pickup
Credit card payments at point of sale/pickup using a Square box
If the seller refuses to use these simple, legal methods, back out of the sale. You may be on the brink of being scammed.
The detailed checklist
This contains general recommendations of good buying/selling practice, not just avoidance of scammers.
Buyers
Don't offer to buy if you can't actually pay what you've agreed-on for the birds you want and the location to be exchanged.
A typed conversation constitutes a binding contract under Australian consumer law (even as a private sale).
That means that whatever price you and your seller agree-on is binding on both of you.
Don't accept any additions afterwards. You will be within your rights to pull out of the sale entirely, as the seller has breached the terms of the original contract.
By the same token, you can't turn up to a seller and suddenly ask for more than what was agreed-on without offering to pay more. The seller will be within their rights to stop the sale entirely should that occur.
Paying a deposit is fine, but don't accept anything more than about 30% - 50%.
Don't pay full payment up-front. Too many people have been scammed this way, and you may (or should) refuse.Don't pay using the "Sending to a friend" Paypal option. Too many scammers use this option to prevent people getting their money back when it turns out the buyer isn't going to get what they paid for.
If using commercial Paypal, the seller may add a fee to cover their costs. It must not be higher than 2.6% of the full price discussed (price accurate as at January 2023).
If the seller won't discuss any method that allows you get money back should they turn into a scammer, reject the sale. It's too risky.
If you're meeting in a place that's not your house - and this is sensible - organise a meeting time and arrive on time.
If anything happens, keep in contact with your seller. If you're going to be late for any reason, tell them well before they would have left their place. Some people drive hours to supply birds.
Sellers
Don't offer to sell if you can't actually deliver what you've stated when you said you're going to at the price and location agreed-on.
A typed conversation constitutes a binding contract under Australian consumer law (even as a private sale).
That means that whatever price you and your buyer agree-on is binding on both of you.
Don't try to slap any additions on afterwards. You buyer will be within their rights to pull out of the sale entirely, as you have breached the terms of the original contract.
By the same token, don't feel obliged to offer more to the buyer if they turn up and start asking for more stuff. You are within your rights to stop the sale if that happens.
Asking for a deposit is fine, but don't make it insane. 30% - 50%, no more.
Don't ask for full payment up-front. Too many people have been scammed this way, and they may (or should) refuse.Don't ask to use the "Sending to a friend" Paypal option, or any payment option that prevents the buyer getting their money back if something goes wrong.
Wear that 2.6% fee, charge it to the customer (you're allowed to do that), or use another method such as direct deposit.
Too many scammers use this option to prevent people getting their money back when it turns out the buyer isn't going to get what they paid for.
If you try to use a system that doesn't allow the buyer to get their money back should something happen, be aware that they may reject your sale. Don't make it difficult.
If you sell birds regularly, consider buying a little Square credit card reader for $60 from Officeworks. The fee is nominal - 0.8% - and it means no-one's carting cash around. Square are VERY prompt in paying, and extremely reliable.
If you're meeting in a place that's not your house - and this is sensible - organise a meeting time and arrive on time.
If anything happens, keep in contact with your buyer. If you're going to be late for any reason, tell them well before they would have left their place. Some people drive hours to pick up birds.
If you're not sure about a buyer or seller you see in an online groups or forum, feel free to ask a mod to have a look. Many of them starting to develop a bit of a feel for scammers, and and have a tendency to be cynical little buggers who have the necessary objectivity to say "that person is grumpy but ok" or "run a mile from this one as we're about to boot and block them from the group”.
Got your own experiences? Share them below, and I’ll update this post with more information.