How do I spot scams as a new seller on online marketplaces?
Scammers deliberately target first-time sellers because their excitement and unfamiliarity with the platform make them vulnerable to manipulation. This destroys new sellers' trust and makes them feel foolish, which ultimately stops them from continuing to share and sell their work online.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1refusing to take payments off-platform and only selling through official checkout systems
- 2disposing of fraudulent checks instead of depositing them
- 3blocking suspicious buyers and ignoring their messages
- 4Meeting inside the buyer's bank to watch the cashier's check get printed by a teller
- 5Requesting cash or wire transfers instead of checks
- 6Opening a temporary account at the buyer's bank to deposit the check immediately on the spot
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“This is the first time I've ever sold anything on Etsy and I was super excited to get my art sent out, only for it to be a possible scam. I'm very disheartened now lol”source ↗
“That is the worst thing about the scammers to me. You think OMG someone likes what I'm doing enough to want to give me money and you get excited :( that is why they target new sellers.”source ↗
“This was my first time ever using Etsy to sell anything and I was eager to get my painting sent out, I feel like an idiot”source ↗
“Looking for advice to ensure I dont get scammed.”source ↗
“I'm just worried about the AFTER, can he cancel it or report it stolen or it in some way revoke the funds from my account once I deposit his legit cashiers check.”source ↗
“All I know is that a friend took a cashiers check, deposited it, got the funds in his account. Then later the bank came back, said it was bad and clawed the money back.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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- 4How to stop sellers from harassing you to change reviews
- 6Should I use WordPress or Wix for a new business website?
- 2Why do online sellers send useless automated replies?