I certainly feel bad for my fellow members here getting scammed. It is very irritating and disappointing to be scammed by anyone for anything, anywhere,
ever !
Given the fact that we are participating in a hobby directly involved with the sales and purchase of illegal replica watches, our exposure to the criminal element intent on conducting various scams is rather high.
So, what can we do as individual members on this forum to prevent being scammed? And, whom exactly is responsible for preventing or at least reducing the potential of being scammed here ?
I feel as a member on this forum when it comes to scam prevention, we are provided more resources and admin/mod support than on any other forum(s).
Simply stated : It is up to each and everyone of us to conduct our own best due diligence to prevent being scammed prior to participating in any m2m sale.
Of course we know to research an item before making a purchase. The more we know, the better the experience.
Always committ yourself to finding out as much about the member posting the item for sale as possible.
The forum makes it rather simple to check out the selling members join date, along with his/her posting and sales history. Take time to read the type of comments the selling member makes in his/her post history. Look for any potential red flags, negative or derogatory comments. See if you can follow a previous sales post involving the seller whereas he/she was the actual buyer. If you find any comments that appear to be misleading in any way, dig deeper.
What kind of buyer or seller have they been ?
Is there a previous history of nuked sales, withdrawn sales?
Have they been repeatedly asked to clarify or provide documentation?
Did they fail to respond to specific questions?
Any history of hesitation or refusal to respond to a sales mod ?
Is the seller using the correct sales form and have they completed it accurately and clearly?
Are they claiming to be selling the item for a friend ?
Is the seller keeping the sales post open after claiming it is sold?
Has the seller suddenly sent you a PM offering a special lower price , if you buy now or send payment via PayPal family and friends ?
Does the seller appear to be posting several items for sale all at once ?
Are they listing items for sell at considerably lower than average pricing ?
Is the seller posting several sales in various m2m sales areas for gen items, replicas etc.,
Does the seller react adversely to questions or comments concerning authenticity of the item for sale ?
Do you get a feeling that something is off about the seller or the item for sale?
We all have an inner sense of intuition. If you have a gut feeling something is not quite right, dig deeper, ask more questions. If you are not satisfied with his/her answer - walk away. There will always be another great watch that you just have to have.
Remember, patience is a prime factor in this hobby.
Before you spend your first dollar in this hobby, ask yourself this question:
Can I afford to lose my hard earned money ? If you feel in any way that you can't afford a loss, then just don't do it.
You are responsible for you. You are the only one responsible for your actions. The forum is not responsible for your decisions or the choices you make here, nor are the admin/mods, the TD's, or anyone else, Just you. If you can't take full responsibility for your own actions, decisions, you certainly can't expect anyone else to.
The absolute most important thing after accepting responsible is to be prepared. Prepare yourself to avoid being scammed by educating yourself. Use the forum resources to educate yourself on every aspect of this hobby. Educate yourself to know the best factory, the pros and cons of each replica. Educate yourself on the genuine watch you like. Familiarize yourself with the brand. Know what the gen looks like, feels like, it's specifications, how it functions, the type of movement it has. How can you expect to find the most accurate replica if you don't know all there is to know about the gen.
Finally, make your own decisions based on your own research to spend your own money.
Each of us must be prepared to take the full responsibility of our actions. It is not and I repeat it is not the responsibility of the admin/mods here to offer or accept responsibility for our decision to buy or sell here. Nor the outcome. For any of us to feel we can buy or sell any item here without owning the process, following the rules, heading the warnings and doing the research is foolish. The admin/mods are here to oversee the process, enforce the rules and provide support when purchasing from the approved TD's. And only then, when we follow the established process, adhere to the rules and take full responsibility for our own actions here. This certainly includes supporting the admin/mods when they work hard to help us identify, catch and take action against these scammers. If we are not committed to back up, support and do what is necessary to prosecute these scammers, how can we expect the admin/mods to justly resolve these issues if we don't see it to the end ? We can't and we shouldn't.
The forum has very clearly detailed the rules and suggestions for all members that participate in the M2M sales and buying. We must read, understand and follow them with each and every buying/selling transaction. Anything less makes it that much easier for scams to happen.
