Also you need to be safe at all times bro, here is the how to be safe thread.
Guide for safe dealing on Carbonite!
I felt the need to update this guide (thanks [MENTION=418]rubber_otter[/MENTION] ) for how to ensure safe dealings on Carbonite. There seem to be phases we go through with higher than usual scam activity and I think everyone should just brush up and remind themselves we live in a world that is full of people trying to hurt you. Carbonite is much safer than most but as a result sometimes we forget to use common sense to sniff out a potential problem. So please link new users to this thread whenever you see they might be dealing with a potential problem, the usual being : low / no itrader person dealing with another low / no itrader person. It's usually the inexperienced traders that get the brunt of the low lives that troll the interwebs. So here we go...
For Sellers:
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Do not part with your goods until you have been paid in full
Do not accept any excuse. "I just want to go show my mom around the corner". "NO FUCK YOU HIPPIE! Where's the money?!"
Goods are released upon payment and clearance of the funds in my bank account.
This fucker wants you to send the goods before paying? What? Who? Fuck that! Fuck him! You want my goods, you adhere to my terms.
There is a caveat to the above and you need to judge it according to the situation. If you are a seller with a no / low itrader score then you might be asked by a member with a higher itrader score to send the items first. This is a normal occurrence on the forum and not something to take personally. People try and build up a reputation so that there is a reason for other members to trust them, and this is one of those ways. If you still don't feel comfortable doing this then read at the end of the post for a possible solution.
For Buyers:
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If it seems too good to be true, it is
"Dude, bargain of the century. This guy says he will give me R20million. No catch. All I need to do is to pay R50'000 into his account for admin purposes. What could possibly go wrong?"
Really? What? I don't even... Please show yourself out.
Use some common sense
People. People. People. This is a human feature that has been in the decline for some time. There is no rush to buy most items. Take your time. Take a step back and look at WTF is actually happening. Assess the situation. Use your noggin. If you are struggling, ask someone that you deem smarter than yourself to look at the situation and have them advise you.
Be weary when asked for a deposit
It's a common tactic for a scammer to ask for a deposit and to be in a hurry to secure the sale. If a seller has a popular item then he's going to get the whole amount from the buyers willing to buy, so why would he want to sit with only a portion of the money from you? If it's not a popular item then the rushing to get some money is a sure fire sign that something is up. Either way, deposits don't mean much on carb when we rather value the word of the people buying. If someone says they want something then the general idea is that it is sold, the payment and stuff is just a formality and it is sure to happen.
For both Seller and Buyer
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Do your research
It costs nothing to google someone. To google his email address. Download Truecaller and search for his number.
Cash is King
If at all you can avoid couriering/posting, by all means do it. If you are a smallish dude that falls over in a light breeze, take your cousin from Brakpan along as backup. Meet in a public place. In a mall. In a McDonalds Parking lot.
Check the iTrader rating
People, this is there for a reason. IIRC, this is a feature that was PAID for to implement on Carb. The owners of the forum paid real monies to help you not to get scammed. Don't be a wad of stale vagina cheese. Use the goddamn feature.
Trust nobody
Yes, I have dealt with this person before. Does not mean I am not going to refer to Step 1 before I do another deal with him. Some people change. Do your goddamn research. People want to take advantage of your pussyassness
TRUST NOBODY
I was not kidding about the previous step.
If there is that gut feel that you need more protection then let the seller send the item to someone that you both can trust on the forum. That person might be near the buyer where the buyer could just pick it up or the trusted person could just send it on again to the buyer after checking the contents and buyer paying the money to the seller. It's not that hard, makes life easy for everyone and give you a good reason to build up ties to the community. Can anyone find a way to scam out of this solution? You don't need to do contracts, do ID's, jump through 20 hoops... Just keep it simple and more people will want to do it. Personally I prefer to do as little as possible to get the result I want. There are plenty of people on the forum willing to help, so just ask.
By following these easy steps you may just avoid being parted with your money by a Groenewald k(l)ont, or whoever else.
