Cookies help us customize the PayPal Community for you, and some are necessary to make our site work. clear our homes of unwanted goods and recouping some cash, Rule 1: Dont give out too much personal information, Rule 2: Buy or sell face-to-face in a public place. You may need to add numbers to the end of the username if it has already been taken by another user on Gumtree. 6. Scammed the 2nd time. Step 3: Check your email. Safest is direct bank transfer, you have the money no matter what. Gumtree.com Limited is an Appointed Representative of Compare The Market Limited who is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Even though Gumtree partners with Parcel2Go, there have been a lot of Gumtree Whatsapp message scams. Choose the most appropriate category for your item so that buyers can find it easily, then think carefully about your title. Gumtree is an alternative to The Trading Post. #1. If youre selling, buying or just have a Gumtree account you dont do anything with, then like any online channel, you need to be wary and protect yourself from scams. How do I report a suspicious ad on Gumtree? Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Join 150,000 Australians every month. IfGumtree needed to get hold of you theyd do so via the message centre in your account. All rights reserved. Oh well have to sell a body part to get that back I guess. There is no PayPal buyer protection for items listed on gumtree. I wouldnt expect anything less from a savvy buyer! Im totally in the minority here most Gumtree sellers seem perfectly comfortable with giving their address on Gumtree. I only ever sell on eBay as you are protected as a seller. Gumtree say keeping it in-house means you are protected by their filter system which blocks any spam or suspicious emails. Yes, it may take longer to find a local buyer, but I am patient. he is in Sydney surrey hills as far as i know, it was a small amount. Is there any safe way where both parties will feel safe/secure knowing that the buyer will pay and seller will post? These rules apply to whether youre selling or buying. Any message stating that you need to make a payment NOW otherwise your ad is going to be deleted or your account is to be closed, needs to cause concern. can you please link me to a letter of demand? Ive only sold portable items that are easily transportable to a public meeting place. You can have a Gumtree account without one. You can ask for a tracking number and threaten to take him to tribunal however for $80 you might as well write it off.Otherwise pesker him up every 2nd day asking for an update.The police won't care as its a 'civil matter'. i paid via bank teansfer. Im a seller on Gumtree. For example, you may have a username like ThrifyOne555.. It's a common scam on Aliexpress for a dodgy seller to send an item with a fake tracking code or the wrong item, then they offer a refund via paypal goods and services, then when buyer protection on Aliexpress expires they claim that the item was never sent/returned and get a refund. Is there anything I can do about this? i have proof of purchase. The only way is cash on pick up - gumtree have no protections. | LawAnswers.com.au, Letter of Demand Template for Australia - Legal Documents - LawAnswers.com.au. Because they're accepting paypal payments for in-hand exchanges, or non-trackable posted, or giving bank deposits, or paying 'agent fees' for delivery of their car to an oil rig (and all variations on that ridiculous theme), or handing over cash before getting the item, or paying when getting the item but before making sure it works (phones with IMEI blocks or fake iPhones/tablets especially), or any of the other myriad ways in which naive or lazy buyers and sellers leave themselves open to easy abuse by unscrupulous individuals. Find out how Universal Credit works and how to manage your payment, Entitlements to help with the cost of pregnancy or bringing up children, Understand what support is available for coping with ill health, You may be entitled for help with other costs on top of your State Pension, Extra support if youre working, self-employed, or youve lost your job, Support to help with rent or mortgage payments if youre on a low income, What to do if something goes wrong with your benefits, How to choose, use and manage bank accounts, How to budget, find the best deals and switch to save money, How to buy and finance a car, deal with problems with car finance, and cut running costs, Credit basics, applying for credit, credit ratings and problems with credit, Insurance for cars, health, travel, and help with insurance. Take a look at Gumtrees community guidelines before you post your ads. By using our site, you agree to our. Didn't ask any questions about the watch or anything. Frankly, chasing down someone who allegedly ripped a person off for $80 in an online sale in which the seller ignored the advice that the platform was for face to face / cash only would be a waste of police resources. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/4\/46\/Report-Fraud-on-Gumtree-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Report-Fraud-on-Gumtree-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/4\/46\/Report-Fraud-on-Gumtree-Step-1.jpg\/v4-728px-Report-Fraud-on-Gumtree-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"
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\n<\/p><\/div>"}. Many mistakenly assume that PayPal is the safest way to pay on Gumtree, and that theyll be protected in the event of disputes over items that havent arrived, are defective, or if youve been scammed. Seller didn't send. You can normally suss out if somebody is legit etc, you will need to get their full address & phone number for shipping and if they seem reluctant to give this out then I would cancel the sale. This scam involves rogue car dealers posing as an individual user of Gumtree and posting ads for fully working or good condition second-hand cars, when in fact the cars are often missing parts or in bad condition. Check their updated policies/buyer protection info before using, and tell seller you'll pay by PayPal, see how they react. Last Updated: February 12, 2022 Plenty of buyers will enquire and offer to pay for postage at their own cost, but to me it opens up a myriad of possible problems. Or maybe it does need to be said. Oct-03-2017 02:00 PM. Or maybe youre flat out all day with work or a sleeping baby, and just dont have the availability to handle constant phone enquiries. Also contact Gumtree and let them know what has happened or, if you are suspicious of any ad or buyer/seller, then double check with Gumtree before committing to buying or selling an item. Gumtree is intended to be a platform to bring together local buyers, to meet face-to-face. You might be able to find a great deal on a second . Sold an Item on Gumtree - Refund Under Australian Consumer Law? It was only just over 6 years ago. Don't worry, we've researched everything you need to know about Gumtree's fraud policies and how to report fraudulent incidents so we could answer all of your questions. Note if you are firm on the price by writing "FIRM" next to the price or by writing, "No negotiating.". Just to say this scam is still current as he contacted me Easter Sunday ( 4/4/21), except name changed to advocdodave (signed Wolfe) and now he's not on an oil rig, but 'in a wheelchair' so can't view the car which 'he' wants for daughter Jennifer! Some services capture the actual signature, which can be sent to you at a cost. If the price seems far lower than the competition then question its authenticity. He is also a practicing attorney for Goyette & Associates, Inc. where he represents public employees with a myriad of labor issues throughout the state. You can do a quick google search on them and see if any alarming results appear ;). But what I want to know is if you get scammed on something like Gumtree where you did a bank cash deposit and the seller never posts the item, can the police do anything? I told him I wouldn't send until funds clear. Have you got the exact text where they say that ? I have read that page through, and it doesn't mention Gumtree and a page search shows 0 instances of the word "Gumtree". If you live in the UK, you can file an online report through Action Fraud. If you've been preyed upon by a scammer on Gumtree, you're probably feeling pretty upset about it. Gumtree say they will take down a copycat site as soon as they can, but there will always be people who end up using it before Gumtree can get to it. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Gumtree advice is to ask the seller for proof of purchase, or any certificates. This is a ploy to get you to click the fake link or to reply to a fake email known as smishing. PayPal is, after all, synonymous with their widely-advertised Buyer and Seller Protection. Enjoy! I now prefer to use ebay when I want it shipped to me and use Gumtree for local exchanges only. Not really. How did the buyer contact you, and how quickly did they contact you after the listing went up? Gumtree.com Limited, registered in England and Wales with number 03934849, 27 Old Gloucester Street, London, WC1N 3AX, UK. Gumtree will use your postal code to classify your ad based on location. Not to mention the amount of stress and anxiety that would cause. If someone is determined to steal from you, they may well find a way. As a small thank you, wed like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Pick your meeting place wisely, and take a friend if youre worried. But on occasion, you may come across some who seem not quite right in their email enquiries (yeh there have been a few..) that can be cause for concern. You can decide whether you want potential buyers to contact you by email, phone or both. I was originally supposed to pick them up in person and pay at the same time. If youre considering using PayPal as a safe option for a seller on Gumtree if unscrupulous scammers try to submitting disputes against their payments (even after they receive the goods) you can still find yourself out of pocket. Sep 20th made contact and paid for items.Sep 25th (last contact) asked if item had been shipped yet. Or go to the police if they would even do anything? What a tosser!! Put at least one to two good photos of the item on the ad. If you do take payment by paypal remember that you still have to adhere to all usual paypal requirements as buyer can still do an item not received claim and a fraudulent use of card claim. This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff. In some cases once the victim has sent over their email and name to the scammer, they then receive a fake eBay invoice. 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\n<\/p><\/div>"}. Now youve learnt how to sell on Gumtree and can breeze through the selling process, create your listing and sit back as potential buyers flock. There could be any number of ways to be scammed from the info you've given here, but probably one of the first two. But mostly, you dont want to be giving out your mobile number to some disgruntled person, or if you get a weird vibe from the person when you meet up. Collect together any extras like power cords, instruction manuals or accessories. If you accept one buyers offer over another, send a brief message to the other buyers to let them know the item has sold. Approved. This article was co-authored by Scott Nelson, JD and by wikiHow staff writer, Amber Crain. For example, you may use a title like, Dining Room Chair, Antique or Record Player in Good Condition.. Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full pricewine, food delivery, clothing and more. I sent her like $1 through friends and family and another $1 through goods and services. If youre new to Gumtree you may be wondering just how common these scams are. Paypal can vary. i dont know his address but as he is selling multiple items i could get a friend to get it easily. Include the price. Why is Gumtree seller not responding? Your suburb is fine, just so buyers know your rough location, and whether youre local to them. You could also use other money transfer services but they cost more. Use a short, descriptive title to attract buyers. Type in your postal code so potential buyers near you will see your item, then describe the item in detail, including the measurements or dimensions, the condition of the item, and the materials it is made from. You may get questions about the material of the item and the condition of the item. "I want to use Gumtree but I have never sold anything on line before. Try to give them space and allow them to inspect the item in their own time. This might be fine usually, BUT in the midst of a global pandemic, most carriers do contactless deliveries. No reply.Sat came around I filed dispute.Sunday (1st, 11 days after paid, 6 after apparent loss of contact) she posts on this board saying she doesn't have any addresses bc Paypal not working right (she stated she'd known this for 8 months, never once asked for my address in 5 days we had contact), her messenger is broke.and apparently her email too.So her and I had a 'discussion' on a transaction board as it was the only way to get hold of her.I moved my dispute to a claim right after that. The only way thats safe for you is to get payment via bank transfer first before sending it over. Gumtree may have its fair share of scammers and time-wasters (and the odd weirdo who sends you really strange enquiries) but most of the time, theyre just normal people who are looking to buy and sell their used items. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Try to have a combination of letters and numbers so the password is strong and hard to guess. % of people told us that this article helped them. This article has been viewed 122,842 times. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Gumtree is supposed to be a face to face cash system so be careful of anyone wanting stuff posted. All of his contact details and proof from Australia Post that he did not send items that i paid for. But- its your home address were talking about, where you and your family live. Sep 25th (last contact) asked if item had been shipped yet. Your email address will not be published. What I mean is, they valued the time it would have taken to learn how to deal safely on the site (e.g, read the obvious warning in several places stating that you should use it for face-to-face cash-in-hand transactions only), more than they valued their $80. There was a scam a while back about a guy who offered to pay extra and you to partial refund something or other. Just using your first name on your Gumtree profile is completely acceptable. In this case, 89% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. Im in the same boat. Scam Alert: Gumtree, whatsapp and the courier service. Something doesn't feel right but I can't figure out what the scam (if any) is. I think I have one for $70. Bargain, transfer the money I'll send it express tomorrow;-) ( wink wink). GUMTREE Item Paid for Via Paypal and NEVER recieved. https://www.paypal.com/au/webapps/mpp/ua/useragreement-full#int_Schedule_1. Scott Nelson is a Police Sergeant with the Mountain View Police Department in California. You are using an out of date browser. I haven't used it before. What's a buyer scam? I have screenshots of the discussion on the board where she said she is NOT sending the items, would that in any move it along faster?I just want my money back. So make sure you grab their attention with our top tips. He earned a Master of Business Administration from the California State University Stanislaus and a Juris Doctorate from the Laurence Drivon School of Law. Lmao hope that post won't happen How does PayPal help protect me? Start by creating an account on the site. Gumtree also says to be waryof buyers or sellers that ask you to switch payment method, normally to one that has no consumer protection. did you miss the part where they say gt is for f2f only? Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. It should be noted that it can take time should it all go to shit however, only a minor inconvenience if it is a relatively high value transaction. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/e\/e1\/Sell-on-Gumtree-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Sell-on-Gumtree-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/e\/e1\/Sell-on-Gumtree-Step-1.jpg\/aid9092628-v4-728px-Sell-on-Gumtree-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"
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