The scams that actually happen.

Against buyers

The stock photo listing. Photographs lifted from a review site or another listing. The giveaway is imagery that is too good, inconsistent backgrounds, or a refusal to send a new photograph on request. Our proof of ownership requirement exists specifically to kill this one.

The off site move. Contact starts here, then they ask to continue by text or email, then they ask for an irreversible payment. Every step away from the platform is a step away from your recourse.

The too cheap listing. An item priced far below the market band. Run a price check before you get excited. A genuine bargain exists, but a body at half the going rate is bait far more often than it is luck.

The empty box. Item arrives, box contains a brick or the wrong item. Tracking shows delivered, so a weak dispute fails. Record yourself opening the parcel, and buy with a method that covers not as described.

Against sellers

The overpayment. Buyer sends too much and asks you to refund the difference. The original payment is later reversed as fraudulent and you are out both the item and the refund.

The friendly family request. A buyer asking you to accept Friends and Family is often planning a chargeback through their card issuer anyway, leaving you with no seller protection at all.

The swap return. Buyer receives your working lens, returns a broken one of the same model, and opens a not as described case. This is why recording the serial number matters. Photograph it, and photograph the item packed before it ships.

The reshipper address. A high value order shipping to a freight forwarder, often with a mismatched billing address. Goods leave the country before the chargeback lands.

Shared warning signs

• Urgency that does not match the situation.
• A brand new account with high value items and no history.
• Any pressure to use an irreversible payment method.
• Refusal to provide a specific new photograph, such as the serial number beside today's newspaper.
• A story that explains why the normal process cannot apply this time.

If it happens to you

Open a dispute with your payment provider immediately, because time limits apply. Report it to us at [email protected] with everything you have, so we can remove listings and add identifiers to our scammer log. For stolen goods, file a police report and send us the serial number.