Buying stock
Avoiding scams when you buy and sell second-hand
Almost every scam aimed at resellers asks you to leave the platform: pay another way, talk somewhere else, click a link to release money, or hurry. Never do any of these. Check payments in your account, not in an email, film yourself opening bundles, and walk away from prices that are too good.
What is the one rule that stops most scams?
Never leave the platform's messages and payment system. No reason holds up: not "my messages aren't working", not "I'll pay another way, it's quicker", not "my courier will contact you". Each of these sentences is a warning, not an explanation.
Asking to "pay directly to avoid the fees" removes exactly what protects you: a record of the sale, the platform's help in a dispute, the refund. No fee saving is worth that, whether you are buying or selling.
Which scams target sellers?
- The fake confirmation email that looks like the platform and says a payment is on hold until you do something.
- The link to "release your funds" or "confirm shipping". It leads to a page that collects your login or bank details.
- The overpayment: the buyer claims to have paid too much and asks you to send back the difference before the original payment is cancelled.
- The fake proof of payment sent as a screenshot. Never post before the money shows in your account.
- The swapped return, where the item sent back is not the one you posted. Photograph every parcel sealed, label visible.
No serious platform will ever ask for your full card details, a code sent to you by text, or a click on a link to receive money. A payment is something you see in your account, not in an email. When in doubt, close the message and open the app or site yourself.
How do you avoid buying fakes?
It is the most serious risk, because it costs more than the purchase: a fake you resell comes back as a refund, a dispute and a mark against your seller account, even if you never knew it was fake.
The warning signs, from most to least reliable:
- A price that is too good. A luxury piece at a tenth of its value is not a bargain; it is an explanation that is missing.
- Finishing. Uneven stitching, an off-centre logo, approximate lettering, a zip that catches.
- Inside labels: fabric, country of manufacture, serial number. Fakes almost always neglect them.
- The smell and feel of leather or fabric, which are hard to copy.
If the doubt persists, do not buy. On heavily copied brands the rule is simple: if you cannot authenticate it yourself, it is not your segment.
What if the bundle is not the one in the photos?
Buying a bundle online is buying from photos. The classic abuses: pieces shown that are not in the parcel, "very good condition" hiding stains, fewer items than announced.
- Check how old the account is and read its reviews, not just the score.
- Ask for one extra photo taken on request. An honest seller sends it; someone using stolen images goes quiet.
- Film yourself opening the parcel. It is the best evidence you can have in a dispute.
What about goods that may be stolen?
A batch of new, tagged items sold by a private person at a knock-down price with no believable story should make you ask where it came from. If those goods turn out to be stolen, you do not want to be the one holding them, or the one who sold them on.
Just ask where the items come from. There is almost always a natural answer: a shop clearing old stock, an unused present, a regretted purchase. No answer is an answer.
Scams at a glance
| Scam | Side | The habit that stops it |
|---|---|---|
| Fake platform email | Selling | Check payments in the app, never via a link |
| Overpayment refund | Selling | Refund nothing outside the platform |
| Fake proof of payment | Selling | Post only once the money shows |
| Counterfeit item | Buying | Walk away from prices that are too good |
| Bundle not as pictured | Buying | Extra photo on request, film the unboxing |
| Off-platform payment | Both | Stay on the platform, always |
One last habit, less obvious: write down what you buy, from whom and for how much, on the same day. In a dispute, that record is worth far more than a memory, and it keeps your accounts straight too.
A tool for this: Check what an item should cost before you buy
The tool
Try resellflip on one item
From one photo: a price range, and the net profit you would keep before you buy. Listings are written for you on a paid plan. No card needed.