Unfortunately, there are some scammers out there that target pre-owned marketplaces like ours, even the big marketplaces like Gumtree and Autotrader haven’t been able to completely stop scammers from using their websites.
Although they are frustrating and an inconvenience the good news is that they are normally easy to spot. The best way to protect yourself is to educate yourself about the common signs of a fake enquiry, so that if you are approached you will be able to spot the signs.
Signs of a potential scammer:
- Scammers tend to approach people who are selling higher priced items for example bows and optics rather than lower priced items.
- Be aware of the suggested method of payment; we advise choosing a payment service like PayPal which offers protection to both parties; this is especially important if you don’t know the person you’re dealing with.
- Remember that you should always confirm that any money has cleared in your account before sending the item onto the buyer; check your account, do not rely on an email confirmation as proof of payment. If you receive a fake PayPal email please report it here spoof@paypal.com.
- We advise that where possible sellers should send items using a postal service that offers proof of postage and delivery, so should the item go missing your insurance will cover the costs.
- If you do chose to meet your buyer to complete the sale, make sure you do so in a safe setting, preferably somewhere public and remember to tell someone where you’re going first.
- Do not accept more than the listed price for your item, especially using unprotected money services and payment methods, this is invariably a sign of fraud.
We want to reassure you, that we do everything we can to make our website as secure as possible. We have a registration process in place in order to deter those who are not genuine buyers from making an enquiry and unlike other marketplaces we do not give out your email address to buyers, as the first enquiry is always through our website.
We have a spam catcher and hidden spam checker in place, but we aren’t always aware that someone is not a genuine buyer until it is brought to our attention so we would encourage you to contact us if you think that someone is not genuine.
We do assure you that the majority of our buyers are genuine archers who are looking to buy pre-owned archery equipment, so please remember:
- Our marketplace is international; English may not be someone’s first language, so please be respectful in communications with each other
- The archery community is made up of experts and novices alike, so please be patient if someone is asking you lots of questions about your item; archery knowledge takes time to acquire.
- We encourage communication between buyers and sellers; ask lots questions if you need more information before you’re ready to commit to a sale.
- Alarm bells should ring if someone offers higher than the asking price.
- Scam artists often get in touch about high value items such as bows and optics, rather than small value items, so protect yourself if you’re selling and posting something expensive.
- We always recommend using PayPal or a similar service in order to protect both parties. Always check that money has been received in your account before sending or delivering items and check that the delivery address matches the payment address.
- If you chose to post an expensive item, use a delivery service that offers adequate insurance and proof of delivery.