Category: buyer protection

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buyer protection escrow online classifieds online scams seller protection

Escrow Services Simplified

Online marketplaces are a popular and convenient way to buy and sell goods, but they also pose some risks of fraud and scams. One way to protect yourself and your money is to use an escrow service, which acts as a trusted third party that holds and releases funds according to the terms of the transaction. But is escrow always the best option? Here are some of the advantages of using escrow services for online marketplace transactions.

How escrow works
An escrow service is a company that provides a secure platform for buyers and sellers to complete their online marketplace transactions. The buyer pays the escrow service, which verifies the payment and notifies the seller. The seller then ships the item to the buyer and provides the tracking information to the escrow service. The escrow service confirms the delivery and releases the payment to the seller, minus a fee. If there is a problem with the item or the delivery, the escrow service can help resolve the dispute or refund the buyer.

Advantages of escrow
Using an escrow service in online marketplace transactions has several advantages for both buyers and sellers. Escrow reduces the risk of fraud and scams, as it verifies the identity and legitimacy of both parties, and ensures that the payment and the item are exchanged as agreed. It also protects buyers from receiving damaged, defective, or counterfeit goods, or not receiving the item at all, as the escrow service holds the payment until the buyer is satisfied with their purchase. Sellers are also protected from chargebacks, disputes, or non-payment, as the escrow service guarantees payment once the item is delivered and accepted by the buyer. Finally, an escrow service can enhance trust and confidence between both parties as they can rely on it to handle the transaction securely and fairly.

How to choose an escrow service
When choosing an escrow service for your online auction transaction, it’s important to do some research and comparison. You should look for an escrow service that is licensed, regulated, and insured by the relevant authorities in your country or region, and that complies with the laws and regulations of online commerce and consumer protection. Additionally, you should find one with a clear fee structure, terms and conditions, dispute resolution process, customer service policy, and written contract and receipt for your transaction. Lastly, you should make sure the escrow service has a good reputation and track record with positive reviews from previous customers and independent sources.

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buyer protection escrow online classifieds online scams

Time is NOT against you

One of the tricks that scammers use to rob you of your money is to put time pressure you. For starters, they will advertise something at such a good price that it will attract a lot of potential buyers. Anyone who shows interest in the item will be told that there are many other people interested in it and that the only way to secure it is by paying a deposit or even the full amount before they’ve even seen the product or confirmed the legitimacy of the sale.

This pressure does work because everyone likes a good deal. And the scammers know that. However, if you are in a hurry to secure the item, you are more likely to make a mistake or miss a red flag – this is exactly what scammers are hoping for.

Don’t rush into a sale right away. If something feels off about a seller, you are not under any obligation to buy and you shouldn’t be pressured into buying something before all the safety boxes have been firmly ticked.

Of course, one way to protect from any scams is by using an escrow service such as Paysho whenever you want to buy or sell from Facebook, Instagram or online classifieds. Paysho gives you peace of mind with every purchase you make by ensuring that your money is protected from any scam. Whether you are buying online or offline, you can be sure with Paysho.

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buyer protection escrow online classifieds seller protection

The Safest Way To Buy and Sell Domains

You’ve come up with the perfect name for your business. You register it. And because you also want to have an online presence for your business, you decide to register a domain. But alas, the don’t domain you really want has been taken. The person who owns it is not using it. They’ve just parked it. You make contact with them and manage to convince them to sell it to you for a fair price.

Now you and the seller are faced with a challenge: how do you ensure that the transaction goes smoothly? Do you send them the money and trust that they will transfer the domain to you or does the seller transfer the domain to you before you pay?

This is where an escrow service like Paysho comes in. An escrow service is a third party that holds the money until the domain is transferred. It works as follows:

1. Once the buyer and the seller agree on the price for the domain, they can set up an escrow transaction on Paysho.

2. The buyer pays the money into Paysho.

3. Once Paysho confirms that they have the money, we instruct the seller to transfer the domain.

4. When the buyer confirms that the domain has been successfully transferred, Paysho will transfer the money to the seller.

Both the buyer and the seller can conduct the transaction with complete peace of mind knowing that they are safe from any potential scams. For more information on how Paysho works, you can click here: 

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buyer protection escrow online classifieds seller protection

How An Escrow Service Protects Buyers and Sellers

A typical real life example:

A buyer has agreed to buy a mobile phone from on an online classified marketplace. The price agreed upon is R4000. The seller claims that the phone, although not brand new, has no defects or scratches and is in top condition.

For the buyer: There may be the risk something could be wrong with the phone, or it’s not in the condition advertised.

For the seller: There may be the risk that the buyer does not truly intend to purchase the phone; maybe they don’t have the money, or worse, they are posing with the intention to steal it.

By using an escrow service like Paysho, both the buyer and the seller have a much higher level of protection. The buyer is guaranteed that they are guaranteed to either get exactly what they pay for or their money back. The seller is equally protected in that it is only after Paysho has received the money from the buyer will the seller be required to ship the phone. Until such time, they seller get to keep his or her phone.

To learn more about Paysho eliminates all risk and uncertainty associated with buying and selling from classified marketplaces, click here.

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buyer protection escrow

What Is Escrow?

Escrow is an age-old concept, and a term unfamiliar to most, but is becoming increasingly popular across a wide range of industries. According to a study conducted by Paysho, 86% of online classified shoppers have never heard of an escrow service. Simply put, escrow is an agreement between two people or organisations in which money or property is kept by a third person or organization (middle man) until a particular condition is met. Escrows are very useful in cases where a large amount of money is involved and a certain number of obligations need to be fulfilled before a payment is released. In the case of a sale of goods or services, an escrow makes the transaction more secure for both the buyer and the seller by safeguarding all funds and only releasing them when both parties have fulfilled their part of the deal.

As a provider of escrow services, Paysho removes all uncertainty from buying and selling and ensures that anyone who uses it can buy or sell anything in complete peace of mind.

Whether you are buying or selling physical goods or service online and offline, you can be sure with Paysho.

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buyer protection escrow online classifieds Uncategorized used cars

How To Safely Buy A Used Car

Every day, hundreds of people are losing their hard-earned money trying to buy used cars. The pre-owned car market is very popular because if one looks hard enough, there are some really good deals to be found in that market. However, as with most markets, the used car market is attractive to scammers who are always on the hunt for their next victim. These scammers use Facebook and other online classifieds platforms like Gumtree and OLX to advertise nonexistent cars. Sometimes it’s not easy to differentiate between what is a scam and what is a legitimate sale.

The following are common signs of a scam:

  1. The price of the car is well below the market value. If it seems too good to be true, it usually is.
  2. Scammers will refuse to provide sufficient contact details. The phone number provided is either faulty, remains unanswered or goes directly to voice mail
  3. Scammers turn off commenting on their posts so people can’t tell other people that the sale is a scam
  4. Scammers will usually make an excuse for not being available via telephone
  5. Scammers may demand the full price of the car, or a deposit, to be transferred immediately. Once they have received money they fail to release the vehicle and become difficult to contact

Scammers often claim to live overseas or have some kind of hidden agenda

Tips to avoid scams:

Never transfer or hand over cash to a seller if you have not seen and verified the vehicle

Always meet with the seller in person, preferably in a public place

Always do a history check on the vehicle to ensure that it’s not stolen and that the car’s details match those on the ownership registration and roadworthy documents

Check that the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) matches the number on the owner registration and roadworthy documents and that the VIN number on the car has not been tampered with.

Check that the seller’s address matches the address on the registration and roadworthy documents.

Research the car’s value by searching for similar models online. If the value of the car is far below what it should be, it could be a scam

Check the service history of the car

If you suspect fraud or are a victim of a scam, contact your nearest Police station immediately.

One way to ensure that you never fall victim to scams is to use an escrow service like Paysho when buying a used vehicle. With Paysho, you are guaranteed to either get what you pay for or, at the very worst, your money back. Click here to learn more about how Paysho works and how it can protect you from getting scammed.

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buyer protection online scams

A Sad Reality

Imagine this scenario:

After years of sitting at home looking for a job and not getting one, you finally decide that enough is enough and decide to start your own small business. You start looking on Facebook and other places for things to sell.

Eventually, you find something. A lady in Johannesburg is selling 10 pairs of shoes at R250 each. The shoes are so beautiful that you could easily sell them for double that price. The problem is that you don’t have the R2500 you need to buy the stock. But you believe so much in the product and your ability to sell it. So you decide to borrow the money from a friend or a relative.

You then contact the seller, exchange phone numbers, address details and bank account numbers. You send the money off to the seller and patiently wait for your stock to arrive. In the meantime, people are starting to place orders with you in anticipation of the the stock that is on its way.

One week passes. Then two. Then three. And the stock has not arrived. You contact the seller and get no response. You send messages. Still no response. Another few weeks go buy and as hard as it is, you are forced to accept that you have been the victim of a scam. Now, not only have you lost R2500 but you now owe that amount to the friend or relative you borrowed it from.

Stories like this one happen everyday. Every single day. The good news is that it does not have to be that way. Not with Paysho around.

Whether it is physical or digital goods, Paysho ensures that all buyers and sellers are protected equally and can transact with each other in complete peace of mind. Click here for more information on how Paysho works.

#BeSureWithPaysho

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buyer protection Uncategorized

Beware of COVID-19 Scams

One silver lining that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about is the large number of South Africans who have been able to generate an income for themselves by selling different kinds of personal protective equipment including masks, face shields, sanitizer dispensers etc…

Although no formal studies have been done with regards to the revenue that has so far been generated through the buying and selling of this equipment, the surge in the number of related social media posts, websites and classifieds adverts suggests that it is likely to run into hundreds of millions of Rands.

Many of these websites, social media posts and classifieds adverts will be from honest sellers. However, there will also be people that seek to take advantage of unwary buyers and scamming them out of their hard-earned money. Without proper precautions, the goods that a buyer receives may not match what they paid for. Or, worse yet, they may not receive the goods at all.

One way to guarantee that as a buyer you 1) receive the goods you’ve paid for and 2) that they are of the correct standard and quality is to use a reputable escrow service like Paysho to facilitate your payments.

How Paysho works:

  1. The buyer and the seller agree to the terms of the transaction.
  2. Paysho collects the funds from the buyer and the seller is notified that the funds have been secured.
  3. The seller ships the agreed goods to the buyer
  4. The buyer receives and inspects the goods
  5. If the buyer accepts the goods, Paysho releases the funds to the seller.

#BeSureWithPaysho