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Seller Safety Guide

“Praemonitus, Praemunitus” (PRAY-mont-ee-us, PRAY-mun-tee-us): Latin for “Forewarned is forearmed”.
It means that advance knowledge enables one to be prepared.

The iOffer team has worked hard to prevent fraud. But we can’t do it alone. Sellers should follow the advice of ancient Romans to be prepared. Most buyers are honest and reasonable. However, just like in the offline world, this is not always true. Below is a summary of iOffer security features, safety tips for sellers and information on additional online fraud resources.

iOffer Security Features

The iOffer rating system provides a numeric designation next to the User ID. This number consists of ratings left by both sellers and buyers. Pay particular attention to the type of rating (positive, negative, neutral) and comments from other sellers. For neutral and negative ratings, be sure to “get the whole story” by viewing the listing description, which contains a record of iOffer transaction (pre and post-sale) communications. It’s also worthwhile to check out any buyer negative ratings received as a seller. Sometimes a buyer who is also a seller can be your toughest customer. And remember the old adage, “there are two sides to every story”.

As part of the iOffer rating system, a seller can leave a NPB (Non-Paying Buyer) rating for unpaid items. This serves two purposes. It allows the seller to receive credit for item FVF (Final Value Fee) and unused portions of Premium Listing Fee(s). And, a NPB rating alerts both sellers and iOffer to a problem buyer. Multiple NPB ratings can cause a buyer's account to be limited, suspended or terminated. More information on NPB refunds can be found at Fees & Credit Policy.

iOffer is a fast growing trading community. Many buyers are newly registered (see “Member Since” in rating) and therefore have a low rating number. Although new to iOffer, the buyer my have extensive online trading experience and/or be using iOffer as a sales channel for an established offline business. Be sure to see if the buyer has a personal profile and iOffer Store description in order to obtain more buyer information.

When attempting to purchase an item at asking price, newly registered buyers must complete “First-Time Buyer Verification”. This helps to promote safe trading. Buyers are given the option to transfer their rating from another site (eBay, Amazon, or Yahoo!) or make an offer. Sellers may then accept, counter or decline the offer.

When you list an item for sale, you may select to place a price on the item. You may also accept offers for less. Another option is list item with no set price, using ’make offer only‘; the final price is decided by negotiation back and forth and acceptance of an offer by the seller or counter offer by the buyer. You do not have to accept any offer that is not agreeable to you as the seller.

If you have the item listed at other sites and have imported them with Mr Grabber, setting the item to ’Make Offer’ will only assure you will not sell the items you have one in quanitity at both sites. You must actually click ’Accept’ to complete a transaction (ie: it is up to you as the seller to decide). If an item is sold at another site, we ask you immediately end it on iOffer to avoid duplicate sales, you can do this easily in My iOffer Current Items.

Those selling items popular with buyers who aren't serious about purchases or fradulent buyers (such as electronics), may want to use the ’Make Offer‘ price on your items. This avoids them from purchasing using ’Buy Now‘ and sellers having to file NPB for fee refunds. (You can also update your Seller Preferences to block new or unrated buyers)

And finally, it’s very easy to ask buyer questions from the item description page. If the buyer doesn’t respond or you’re not comfortable with the answer, don’t accept the offer.

Safety Tips for Sellers

In addition to using the iOffer security features described above, please consider the following common sense guidelines:

  • Don’t Ship Until Payment is Received: Sellers should wait until payment has been received, and confirmed or cleared, before shipping item.
  • Overpayment: Do not accept a check payment exceeding sale amount. This could be a scam, particularly if buyer requests a refund for the overpayment.
  • Insurance: Insurance protects both buyer and seller, and should be offered for high value items.
  • Tracking: Although tracking (aka confirmation) does not insure an item against loss or damage, it does confirm ship and delivery dates. This feature is included with some carrier services and must be purchased with others. If used, be sure to keep record of tracking number.
  • Payment Methods: Be careful of buyers offering wire transfer payment. Accept personal checks, at your discretion, with a holding period. Mailed cash should also be accepted with discretion. Be aware that cashier’s checks and money orders can be faked. If PayPal is accepted, ask the buyer to identify the PayPal account type and their buyer reputation number. For non U.S. buyers, be sure that PayPal is accepted in their country. PayPal also offers a Seller Protection Policy for accounts meeting specific guidelines. For more information, see PayPal Help .
  • Escrow: Escrow services act as middlemen for high priced items, holding the buyer’s payment until item receipt and condition is confirmed. Beware of fraudulent escrow services!
  • Fraudulent Emails and Websites: Never respond to an email requesting account or credit card information. This is called “phishing”. Also, be sure that sensitive information is not entered into a “spoof” web site. Always check the URL.
  • Off Site Sales: If you sell outside of iOffer, which is a violation of our policy, you will not have access to our security features. You will not be able to rate, or have the documentation provided on the negotiations area that may be needed after the sale should issues arise.
    We provide sellers with free listings, stores, shopping carts, gallery, slide show, photo albums and place your item in all major search engines to bring you buyers. To continue to provide these free services we require all sales go through your store. Our small final fee on items sold is fair. Those attempting to avoid our fees through coded email messages, offsite selling site URLs, and low transaction amounts with inflated shipping fees or invalid quantities will risk losing their membership.
  • Documentation: iOffer maintains transaction communications in the item description. However, there may be some post transaction emails, shipping notifications, payment receipts, etc. If so, be sure to maintain copies, in case you have a problem.

Additional Online Fraud Resources:

Frequently Asked Questions

Site info

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