martyn111 said:
My concern with this new marketplace is the lack of security with payments. I realise that Paypal has stupid fees for the seller but it gives the buyer some security, I personally wouldn't be sending my money to anyone without some entity either holding the money until the goods arrive or at least guarantees that refunds will be available if the seller doesn't keep up their side of the bargain.
With GRF, any trades would be safer because the sellers are known to us all, if they aren't a regular they will be challenged and scams will be revealed, and, if the seller is a regular they wouldn't want to loose face with the rest of us by not following through on a deal.
I don't wish to be negative after all the hours you have put into this project but I will not be using it until the security side of things is addressed.
I completely understand your concern when it’s a matter of wanting to buy something from someone who you have never met before.
Buying from a buyer through Paypal adds some safety and I would suggest it, but accepting Paypal as a seller adds “some” risk to the seller through charge backs (though I have never been a victim of this), plus fees. So it’s hard balancing that as a seller or a buyer.
While trying to keep the action fees low to nothing, and have a less restrictive trading environment, the third party option (having someone hold payment until item arrives) may not be practical, and would not protect you in all cases.
Until we have a volume of transactions and feedback it’s going to be touch and go (as they say).
I would advise this: If someone sees something interesting, contact the seller and ask some questions (Who are you, and where are you located, where is the item, is the item ready for delivery, how fast do you ship, do you know about the Gold Refining Forum, have you ever cheated someone through an online sale, etc…). Ask them very specific questions about the item. A reputable seller will answer these questions without pause.
In most cases, demanding this type of transparency from a seller quickly separates good, decent people, from bad ones.
Post the replies on this forum. Ask if anyone has dealt with this person before. If you are not satisfied, do not buy and/or report it to me and I will personally look into it.
If a listing is found to be an outright scam, I will ban the user, and if needed, I have enough info to contact the relevant law enforcement agency and launch a criminal complaint.
I hope this helps some of you, and please keep the feedback coming as it is greatly appreciated!
Thank you.
Keith
www.ThePMMarketplace.com
