I don’t mean to frighten you, but there seems to be a disturbing trend when people sell on Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp or Craigslist. Sure, these platforms are a decent place to make cash, but scary stuff does happen.
Earlier this year, a Florida man was robbed at gunpoint when he met with a buyer for his old iPhone. The suspect was armed and demanded that the guy hand over the device.
He didn’t — and the suspect fired a shot into the ground and clocked him in the face with the gun. Yes, he got away with the phone. Just last week in Oklahaoma, a woman was badly injured in a Facebook Marketplace meet-up gone bad.
Meeting at night is a no-no
The woman agreed to swap a Nintendo Switch for a laptop. Things took a dark turn. When the man arrived in the dark parking lot, the woman noticed the laptop wasn’t what he showed her online. When she called him out, the man grabbed both items and hopped back in the truck.
She reached in to take her Switch back, and he shifted into reverse, dragging her quite a while before she hit the pavement. The man was charged with assault with a deadly weapon.
Don’t give out your address
A Seattle man found a buyer for his used MacBook Pro through OfferUp. He gave the buyer his home address, and when he pulled up, the seller noticed the license plates were just dealership ad cards (a big red flag).
The buyer insisted on using CashApp and showing the laptop to his girlfriend, who was sitting in the car. When the seller refused, the buyer pulled an eight-inch knife on the man. Yeah, he got away with the laptop.
Practice safe selling
It might be your best bet to go entirely online and let a site like Amazon, Decluttr or Gazelle take your old tech gear. If you do want to sell to someone locally, do it the safe way:
- Meet in a public place for your exchange. Bring a friend. Libraries, police departments, and municipal buildings are all safe bets. Check out police department safe trading zones in your area.
- Stick to daylight hours. If it has to be at night, make sure your meeting place is well-lit and bring someone along.
- Ask for cash. Some people are fine with payment platforms like PayPal, Venmo or CashApp, but not me.
- Be aware of your surroundings. When the other party arrives, look at the vehicle and license plate number. Snap a pic if you can without arousing suspicion.
- Avoid giving your real phone number. If you’re using Facebook Marketplace, communicate through the app. You can also set up a free burner phone number.
Ya know, I just bought a used time machine on Craigslist. They sure don’t make them like they’re going to anymore. (Get it?)
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