Safety Guide
Marketplace scams to avoid
These are the schemes that actually take money from buyers and sellers of watches, sneakers and other high-value used goods — and the simple habit that defeats each one.
Six rules that prevent most of it
- Never move the conversation or the money off-platform
- Never use irreversible payment methods with a stranger
- Always film the unboxing before you cut the tape
- Always require signature on high-value shipments
- Ask for a dated photo of the actual item, not stock shots
- Walk away from urgency and pressure
1. The off-platform nudge
"Text me and I'll do it cheaper." Once you leave the marketplace there is no payment hold, no inspection window and no case process. Every other scam on this list depends on getting you off-platform first.
How to shut it down: Keep messages and payment on the site, even if the discount looks good.
2. Irreversible payment apps
Cash app, wire, crypto and 'friends and family' transfers are designed to be final. Scammers insist on them precisely because you can't claw the money back.
How to shut it down: Only pay through a method that holds funds until you've received and checked the item.
3. The empty or substituted box
Tracking shows delivered, but the box holds a brick, a cheaper model, or nothing. Without packing evidence it's one person's word against another's.
How to shut it down: Buyers: film the unboxing in one unbroken take. Sellers: photograph the packed and sealed box and ship with signature.
4. The return swap
A buyer receives a genuine item, returns a fake or a broken one, and claims it was never as described.
How to shut it down: Sellers: record serials and style codes, photograph everything before shipping, and only accept returns through the platform's return flow so the item is inspected.
5. Overpayment and refund the difference
A 'buyer' sends more than the price and asks you to refund the balance. The original payment later reverses and you're out the refund.
How to shut it down: Never refund an overpayment outside the order. Cancel and let the platform handle it.
6. Fake tracking numbers
A seller uploads a real tracking number for a different, lightweight parcel sent to your zip code, so the carrier shows 'delivered' while nothing arrives.
How to shut it down: Check that the tracked weight and service match the item, and require signature on valuable orders.
7. The too-good price on a hyped item
A grail watch or a limited sneaker far below market with a pushy timeline. Urgency is the tell — it stops you from checking.
How to shut it down: Compare against recent sold prices, ask for fresh time-stamped photos, and walk away from pressure.
8. Stolen photos and borrowed listings
The item exists, just not in the seller's hands. Photos are lifted from a previous sale or a forum post.
How to shut it down: Ask for a photo of the item beside a handwritten note with today's date and your username. Reverse image search the photos.
9. The friendly chargeback
A buyer receives the item, then disputes the card charge claiming they never authorised it.
How to shut it down: Sellers: signature delivery and complete documentation are what a chargeback representment case is won on.
Why the structure matters
On , payment is held until delivery, you get an inspection window to check the item, and either side can open a case with evidence. That structure is what removes the leverage these scams rely on.
How the Protection Program works