Buying & Selling - top tips for staying safe

While most individuals who use Gumtree have success with buying, selling, renting or connecting with others, from time to time we do receive reports of people attempting to scam or defraud our users. We have found that one of the best ways to address this problem is to ensure that all transactions take place locally and in-person. Remember that Gumtree is a local classifieds web site and Ads are not reviewed before they go live on the site.

 

Most basic Buying & Selling tips:

1. Always meet in-person
2. Never send or wire money to someone you do not know or trust
3. Use common sense. If something sounds too good to be true - it probably is

 

Buying & Selling Tickets:

1. When selling or buying tickets for events please be aware that some tickets may have terms printed on them that limit the ability of the original buyer to sell them to someone else. Please check out resell policies, terms and conditions with the official event organiser before selling or buying a ticket on Gumtree.
2. Buyers please ensure the legitimacy of tickets before handing over money and again refer to resell policies, terms and conditions with the official event organiser.
3. Buyers double check that the ticket isn't canceled by the event organiser before handing over money.
4. Buyers be a little cautious with sellers offering printed tickets as dodgy sellers can print several copies and sell to more than one buyer and only the buyer who arrives at the event first will be authorised to enter. Again refer to resell policies, terms and conditions with the official event organiser as some events will also require you to produce a photo id to confirm you are the original buyer.
5. Sellers please refer to selling tickets on Gumtree policies before advertising your ticket for sale.

 

Buying a second hand mobile phone?:

• Perform a mobile phone IMEI check to see if the handset is reported lost or stolen. IMEI is the International Mobile Equipment Number which is a unique identity number for your mobile phone and this is electronically transmitted every time you use your phone which reveals the identity of your handset and is usually recorded beneath the battery on the back of the phone.
• Check the IMEI number of the phone before you buy a mobile and ensure that the phone you are buying hasn't been reported lost or stolen. Remember this check only provides details of phones reported at the time of the inquiry therefore you should also request a proof of ownership of the phone at the time of purchase. This way you don't end up buying a lost, stolen or blocked mobile.