First, and most importantly, it is critical to always hold personal safety in the highest regard when dealing with strangers online. This includes meeting people in person and in public locations to minimize any risk of dealing with people you do not know personally. Second, it is necessary to think and act safely with respect to payment methods for any commerce transacted between parties that you do not know.
Most individuals who use A Classified Marketplace experience success with buying, selling, browsing and promoting on our online marketplace. However, as a part of our commitment to provide our users with the most personalized service available for online commerce, we have created this document to outline some of the guidelines that the general public should follow when dealing with strangers in online commerce situations in order to ensure personal and financial safety.
Ensuring your Personal Safety
The most important component when dealing with online commerce is to ensure personal safety when dealing with face-to-face transactions. For local commerce, most times it is imperative to meet with people to either inspect or pick-up the item for sale. In almost all cases, the person on the other end of the transaction is likely to be someone who you have not met previously. Due to this, it is imperative to protect yourself in all aspects of the local meeting.
- Meet Publicly - When setting up meeting locations be sure to choose areas that are public in nature. Schedule meetings with people on the other side of the transaction in locales where there are numerous individuals around in order to ensure your safety.
- Go with a Friend - Whether or not the transaction requires that you meet in a location that is public or private, it is always a good rule of thumb to bring a friend along for any initial meet and greet for any online commerce. Bringing another person to the meeting insures that your personal safety is protected beyond going alone.
- Protect your Personal Information - Be vigilant in protecting your personal information. This includes restricting communication between you and interested parties to platforms that do not provide any personal information to be disclosed about you. Specifically, be wary of any party that inquires about your personal location or address and if possible communicate with interested parties through an email system that is not your personal account.
- Use Common Sense - Most importantly, use common sense when dealing with local classified advertisements. If something seems off or questionable about a transaction conducted via online commerce the best course of action is usually to stop communication with the other party and look for another listing to fulfill your needs.
Ensuring your Financial and Identity Safety
Ranking a close second on our list of considerations for ensuring your safety with online commerce is the issue of protecting personal financial and identity information when dealing with unknown parties in the course of online commerce. Commerce resulting from online classified listings will inevitably involve the exchange or transfer of funds to complete transactions initiated by the online listing. As a result, it is critical that any payment information or personal financial information is carefully guarded in order to avoid any type of financial or identity theft.
- Use Cash to Complete Transactions - If possible, use cash to complete any transactions in dealing with strangers involved with the classified posting. Paying with cash is the best way to work with local classifieds in order to keep transactions safe and simple.
- Never Send or Wire Money - Under no circumstances should you send or wire monies to parties involved with the listing. A Classified Marketplace is all about local transactions. If a party forces you to "hurry-up" because of a limited time offer and demands payment ahead of receiving any promised products this is usually a scam. Be aware of listings of this nature.
- Never give out Personal or Banking Information - Under no circumstances should you be required to give out your personal information, including your social security number, bank account, routing number or other similar information in order to complete online transactions. Be wary of any individual who asks for this information in the course of online classified commerce.
- Inspect the Items you are Interested in - If you are purchasing an item, whether used or new, be sure to inspect the item closely before you complete the transaction. Buying anything over the internet site unseen is a recipe for a financial rip-off. Be aware and look closely at the condition of the item to make sure you are getting what you expect out of the transaction.
- Ask In-depth Questions - Asking the right questions about the items you are interested in is critical to ensuring that you receive the type of product that you are interested in purchasing online. Make sure that you receive the type of answers you are looking for when dealing with anyone new in online commerce.
- Be Descriptive - As a seller, be descriptive as possible with your listings in order to give possible buyers an accurate description of what they are purchasing. This not only brings additional interest to your listings but can also help you close a deal on an item offered as the interested parties can be encouraged by the descriptiveness of the listing.
- Don't fall for Fake Programs - Be wary of any services that offer to "Hold Payments" or provide escrow services for online transactions. A Classified Marketplace, like most major online classifieds, does not offer any type of protection program or payment plans for transactions conducted online. A Classified Marketplace does not facilitate payment options of any kind for transactions between two parties interested in listings on our website. Please be aware when dealing with online parties that offer or promote these types of services for your payment.
- For High Dollar Purchases Use Cashier’s Checks - If you are purchasing an item that carries a high dollar value, you may be more comfortable using cashier's checks in order to limit the risk of carrying larger amounts of cash to local meetings. Be sure to ask for a signed receipt on the cashier's check in order to protect yourself fully.
At A Classified Marketplace we value the safety of our online user's above all else. Please be aware when dealing with any type of online commerce whatsoever.
If you have questions about our guidelines for staying safe on A Classified Marketplace, please feel free to contact us today and a representative would be happy to help you understand how to better insure your online safety with local classified transactions. Above all else, be sure to use common sense in dealing with classified listings. If something seems off, be sure to proceed with extreme caution.
Have you created your local listings recently at A Classified Marketplace? Stop by our site today and create your free online classified ads for the promotion of your product, used item, business or service today!
