3rd parties for bike sales

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James

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Mar 8, 2024, 7:26:52 PM3/8/24

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Has anyone here experimented with 3rd party websites for "large" purchases from strangers? I'm looking to buy a bike from someone on FB marketplace and it's not a local sale. So in essence I'm sending over $1,000 to a stranger on their word. What have ya'll done, if anything, to make sure you aren't getting scammed (asides from getting a sense of their character over the phone)?

chintan jadwani

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Mar 8, 2024, 9:03:50 PM3/8/24

to RBW Owners Bunch

Haven't gone that large but collectively i must have made over $1000 of stranger buys from facebook - thankfully all has been positive.

Nothing foolproof but i check their profiles (fb shows old their profile is, how many friend's they have), how many poducts they have for sale or sold + what kind, some bike sellers would have other bike related products also for sale, asking relevant questions regarding the bike (also questions only a biker would feel relevant to answer) and the product description they write helps, ask for more specifics of pictures (close-up of drivetrain etc) . Some people also have marketplace reviews if you're lucky. Also if youre lucky and they have the original invoice :)

Good luck!

Minh

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Mar 8, 2024, 9:10:04 PM3/8/24

to RBW Owners Bunch

you could find someone from the group to be a proxy for you but there's only so much you can do. i've spent that much before thru an online purchase, to me its a lot of common sense stuff.

Armand Kizirian

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Mar 8, 2024, 11:51:04 PM3/8/24

to RBW Owners Bunch

Just send the money via Paypal as goods and services. You have pretty comprehensive protection there, although I'm sure it would still be somewhat of a hassle if they tried to dupe you.

Noah Hirschl

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Mar 9, 2024, 12:34:26 PM3/9/24

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The advice I want to give is “pay for PayPal purchase protection”, because I typically do in these cases. But I have also never had an issue, and so therefore haven’t found out how difficult it is to recoup losses in event of a scam. So I’m not sure if it is sound advice or not!

Cyclofiend Jim

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Mar 9, 2024, 12:39:42 PM3/9/24

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With any platform, it's beneficial to understand what protections are offered. There are resources through the FB help site -
https://www.facebook.com/help/228307904608701

I wouldn't buy anything significant from anyone without a clear return policy agreement.
Other than that, all caveats apply.