Staying safe on PoundPost
Most trades go fine. The ones that go wrong usually follow the same three patterns, so here they are.
Meet in public, in daylight
A café, a supermarket car park, a police station front desk, many have designated exchange bays. Take somebody with you for anything valuable.
See it before you pay
Turn it on. Sit on it. Drive it. Check the IMEI. If a seller will not let you look at the thing, there is nothing to look at.
Never send money in advance
No deposits, no holding fees, no courier fees, no gift cards, no bank transfers to someone you have not met. PoundPost never handles payment between buyers and sellers and never asks for your bank details.
The scams we see most
The overpaying courier
"I am offshore, my courier will collect and pay you, send your bank details and refund the difference." There is no courier and no money.
The upfront deposit
"Somebody else is interested, send £50 to hold it." Nobody else is interested.
The switched item
A real meeting, a real box, the wrong thing inside. Open it before you hand over money.