a. Only buy cards via paypal standard payment (so you are secure) from established members.

b. Only trade with established members - and in this case, I mean highly established. Several years on the site and alot of references.

You should never do the following:

a. Trade/buy internationally with anyone who isn't seriously established or without registered mail.

b. Send first to a new traders, as if you're going to help each other out. They are here to get over on you.

quote:

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Originally posted by caquaa:
Make sure there are recent refs within the past few months.

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This! I can't agree with this more! This last incarnation of John Strickland, where he hacked into mpgriffin's account, the account hadn't had any recent refs (all his refs were at least 5 years old and older) at all. Utilize the trading tips that nder posted, always! Even for a "high ref'd" member, search the BTA and CBTL, because you never know who they could be.

Third party mediation is also a great way to trade safer, I personally offer this service at no cost to my MOTLers (Well, you need to pay shipping costs, of course )

John Strickland is out there again, his last ripping spree apparently didn't teach him anything. And he will continue to hack into accounts as long as he can, and as long as he's getting something for it. George Vontitsos from Greece is ALSO out there again. Except he's been using some guy in California to make initial trades so you feel he's trustworthy, which go through fine, and then asks for you to send to him in Greece.

If you have ANY feelings that a trade is questionable, contact a Moderator and ask for their opinion on it. That's one thing that we're here for!

I understand how you feel, I got ripped off on my first trade on MOTL, the kids name was Bart Pereta and I will NEVER forget it. Luckily, I managed to get him to send back MOST of the cards (The Lotus, whew), but he still kept about $30-$40 in cards that I never got back. (The case is somewhere on the BTA, and when I re-read it, boy.. I feel like I was being pretty pompus, lol)

Trading online can be a safe and enjoyable experience, if you take the time and the steps to protect yourself.

Thanks,
Jazaray

__________________
A Plastered Dragon Original Limerick:
There was a nice lassie named Jaz
Many wished to have what she has,
A delicate face,
A soft warm embrace,
And a whole lot of bedroom pizzazz.

WeedIan: Jazaray is like MOTL's Mom.

quote:

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Originally posted by mm1983:
If you shipped internationally on any of those 3 trades you claimed to be scammed on I would definitely give it some extra time before you worry about it. I have had stuff take 4-6 weeks to get to me from other countries before I received it. I guess that depends on how quick things make it through customs.

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Normally I'd agree, but all 3 are known repeat rippers.

__________________
There's no need to fear, UNDERDOG is here!

All your Gruul Nodorogs are belong to me. Trade them to me, please!

Report rules violations.

quote:

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Originally posted by mysticknight:
Im new to trading on the site and unsure because many people want to start with large trades. I would feel more comfortable sending trade in the $20 range just in case I get ripped off. I will send first yet since im a zero who will believe me if I get ripped off since Im only a zero? Who do you report theft to and how is it recorded to the traitors account?

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Send first to established members with higher refs and who have recent trading activity to start with. Avoid sending first to people with lower ratings or accounts that have no recent trading activity as older accounts with high refs that are no longer active seem to be favorite targets for hacking.

Don't be afraid to ask your trading partner for third-party trades if larger values are involved - if they refuse then tell them you won't trade without third-pary and move on to a different trader. There are a number of reputable members on the boards here that will do third-party trades, there's even a thread that lists them somewhere.

Check the BTA and Confirmed Bad Traders lists for names, addresses and usernames before you send. Be thorough in your search as rippers will often do things like misspell names and address info to throw off searches for them. Read the BTA forum regularly as this will help keep you informed of the names and addresses of people who have open BTA cases as well as the people who wind up on the Confirmed Bad Traders list. Also, be sure to review the site's rules for trading!.

And by all means buy tracking for your end. A simple Delivery Confirmation number will do wonders for you if you need to provide proof that you sent your end of the deal on this site.

quote:

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Originally posted by Swift2210:
Can this thread be stickied up top? It should be required reading for new members

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quote:

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Originally posted by ijuanda:
hey guys im an aussie and not familiar with the term. Whats DC? i can only assume it means a type of tracking or registration

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DC is Delivery Confirmation. You get a tracking number and can see it's movements from place to place.

~MM

__________________
Blah, blah, blah werewolf. Smackity-smack not a werewolf. Suspicious of this fruit loop.
My vote this round will be for Player X.

So you build up your reference and suddenly you can ask other parties to send out first
Id most ne careful to check the refs date
Because if a member has 100 refs + but none of them in the last year Id tell him and prbly wouldnt send first