Is it safe to EFT a Marketplace seller before I collect the item?
No. Once an EFT has gone, it is very hard to get back, and a seller who disappears after payment is the most common Marketplace scam. Pay when you collect, in person, after you have seen the item working.
Legitimate sellers understand that strangers do not pay up front. The ones who insist on an EFT "to secure it because there are other buyers" and refuse collection are usually not sellers at all; often the photos are copied from another advert.
Before you pay anything
- Insist on seeing the item in person, in a public place, before any money changes hands.
- Ask for a video of the item with today's date and your name on a piece of paper.
- Reverse image search the advert photos: copied photos mean a fake advert.
- Search the seller's name, number and profile with the word "scam".
- If you must pay before delivery, use the platform's own payment or a service that holds the money until you confirm receipt.
Frequently asked questions
- The seller has a verified badge and many sales. Is that enough?
- It helps, but accounts get hijacked and badges get faked. A low price plus pressure plus EFT-only is still a scam pattern.
Want to know if there are warning signs about the person you're chatting to? Veritaza checks the photos, the messages, the number, the email address, the name and the ID document, for R99.
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