"scrane"I always insist that the seller sends me a photo of the gun that includes a piece of paper listing the seller's name and the current date in that photo to prove he is in possession of the item.
Excellent idea. We all need to realize that the good old days of "gentlemen handshakes" are gone, unless you know the selling/buying party personally and able to verify with them who they are. I am glad that this forum is taking active steps to bite the scammer-trend so rampant on AA and the Yellow in the ass. Those who are set in their "old" ways and are less internet savvy and not willing to change their ways are already the first ones paying the price. The lessons that can be learned from them may help others though.
There is a balancing act between your privacy and/or the privacy of the other party and your advertisement sounding genuine and real. I certainly do not want my name, address, phone number, etc floating around the internet. So, just like the Mod said, I will go the extra mile with the potential buyer/seller to provide them all the information they want in a one-on-one setting once we established contact. For that I prefer to give my email, once they contact me or I contact them I will give them one-on-one my name, address,, phone number (actually call), and anything else that makes them happy and feel assured. The same thing works in reverse: I expect them to be as forthcoming and transparent as possible. I use Paypal+3% for high value items. Under $100 I may take a chance based on who I am dealing with. I do not have a fixation on Paypal, just do not know of any comparable service out there. Many are still suspicious about Paypal from what they read/heard about it 10 years ago when it was abused at times. But if you use your common sense and a bit of research on the other party you are dealing with, you can reduce the risks significantly.
Proper documentation of your shipping and tracking also may protect you from false claims by the other party when using Paypal. Demand the same from the seller if you are on the receiving end. If the seller or buyer does not cooperate, they are either lazy, or an old-timer who feels invincible (until he is taken down by a scammer), or a person you probably should not be dealing with in the first place. One thing I check often is the Ebay feedback of the other person. It says a lot about you as a person and as a seller/buyer.
I wish there would be an escrow service, a third party (like others also suggested) who holds the payment and the item until both arrive. Would be hard to find anyone doing this for free and shipping costs would increase for both parties, but in some cases where the total amounts are significant it may be well worth it. In some cases another airgun member who lives in the same town may be able to physically verify the item (and the person).
There is not one single solution for this, but something needs to be done to get rid of the pests who are fleecing this hobby and stealing the hard earned monies from those who been saving up for something they wanted. For those who are married, these precautions may also save you from getting your ass beaten by your wife for losing a huge sum of money or airguns.
Ah...one more thing. If the deal is too good to be true...9 out of 10 cases it's too good to be true!