The Top 10 Tips For Selling Safely Online

The Top 10 Tips For Selling Safely Online

The Little House Company has been bringing together buyers and sellers since 2000.  Whilst the vast majority of transactions are completed without a problem, issues do occur in isolated cases.

Here are our top ten tips for selling safely online.

1. Ensure payment is made before you release items.  Never hand over anything until you have received the payment.  Don’t agree to a deposit before handing over an item otherwise you may never hear from the person again and never receive the balance.

2. Make sure a cheque clears before you hand over an item.  If a buyer is paying by cheque, always make sure the cheque has cleared before you hand over the item.

3. Don’t disclose personal details until you’re sure the buyer is genuine.  You may need to provide a telephone number or address to conclude your sale.  Don’t hand out any personal details unless you are 100% sure that the buyer is genuine.

4. Try and meet the buyer face to face.  When selling an item, meet the buyer face to face and conclude the transaction there and then.  Don’t hand over any item until the buyer has paid in full.

5. Be safe.  When meeting a buyer try and do it in a public place that is well lit.  Take someone along with you or, at the very least, let someone else know where you are.

6. Beware of cheque overpayments.  If a buyer sends you a cheque worth more than the value of your item, refuse to accept it.  If you cash the cheque, the buyer may ask you to pay the surplus back to them before cancelling the cheque as well.  This is a scam, and can leave you out of pocket.

7. Don’t use money transfer sites to accept a payment.  Money transfer services such as Western Union or Moneygram are not designed for transactions between strangers.  Don’t accept payment using these methods; always take payment from a buyer face to face.

8. Don’t provide any personal details by e-mail.  If you receive an e-mail purporting to be from this site or from other organisations such as PayPal asking you to confirm personal information or card details, don’t provide them.  These are ‘phishing’ scams popular with fraudsters.

9. Don’t enter a transaction unless you’re 100% sure it’s genuine.  If you have any doubt that a buyer is not genuine, don’t complete the transaction. 

10. Report any fraud.  Always report any fraud or suspicious activity to us and to the police.