Marketplace 101
These are not the marketplace rules, those can be found HERE
This is more of a guide, or tips and tricks sort of thread. Common sense after all, is very uncommon in the marketplace so this is made for you all who would like to have the perfect marketplace ad and not have me on your ass all day deleting your threads and telling you what's wrong with it.
1) Image Hosting:
The biggest issue for marketplace threads is not being able to view images, well this is because everyone uses different image hosting sites and/or don't know the correct format of posting links.
Recommended image hosts are:
Google Drive / Google Photos
CubeUpload
PostImg
Imgur
I do not recommend using PG's built-in image uploading tool at the moment.
2) Trader Score / Trade Feedback Ratings
Look at the tradescore of the member you're about to deal with or are dealing with. This is common sense, however some people tend to miss out on this point and then end up getting scammed.
If their profile has more than 2 negative ratings which are with a 'Thumbs Down' icon, proceed with caution and make sure you clear everything up with the seller before transferring money.
Negative feedback will look like this:
Spoiler: show
Traders with positive feedback will have profiles like this:
Spoiler: show
3) H2H deals:
Always deal with the buyer/seller in a public place, not some shady dark alley, or inside his car in an empty plot, unless of course you want THIS to happen.
Whatever the deal may be, both parties should decide on a public place where you should check your product and count your cash properly before leaving to avoid any issues or troubles later, for example:
'You see a phone while meeting the buyer, you check it for 10-15 mins, but after you go home, it develops issues and the seller is being a prick and you lost your hard earned money' so you bring your sorrows to Team PG, no. Don't do that. Check the item as thoroughly as you can, and only then hand over the cash.
4) Out of city deals:
If you have a bank account with online banking, transferring to another account within the same bank and in most cases, to other banks is possible and almost instant, this is the preferred method of payment for larger transactions.
For smaller transactions (under 15,000 PKR), JazzCash and EasyPaisa are convenient options and you don't need to provide your bank account number to anyone since the account number is your phone number.
NOTE: Do make it clear to the person you're dealing with about any transaction or bank charges, it is a common issue and sometimes buyers will ask the seller to compensate them for the bank charges.
5) Shipping:
When shipping an expensive product to a different city, always arrange Insurance, Special Handling Service (SHS) and for the courier guy to put a fragile sticker on it. Pack the product as best you can, use bubble wrap extensively to prevent it from being damaged in transit.
The phrase 'Shipping on buyers risk and expense' is often misunderstood or completely ignored.
The first part of it means that the seller won't take responsibility for the product once it's shipped since it's not an H2H deal. The second part means the buyer will bear the shipping expenses, if this isn't feasible for both parties, decide to split the cost 50/50 or work something out with the seller.
It's also common courtesy to provide the tracking number of the consignment to the buyer immediately since they'd like to keep track of their product. I usually just send a picture of the TCS receipt which shows details of the item shipped, the date and time and the tracking number.
6) Scammer radar:
Don't ever fall for ads that have generic images like this:
You'd have to be an absolute idiot to even think about dealing with someone who uploads pics like that, but it has happened before, so I had to bring this up.
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PG's marketplace is generally much safer than other classifieds websites, however you can still get scammed if you don't know what you're doing. Always make sure to do your research about the product you're interested in buying, and clear up every doubt you have with the seller before transferring money or handing over the cash. Check the item thoroughly, see if the seller is willing to offer a check warranty and use your common sense. If an item is being sold at a significantly lower rate than market price, then it's probably too good to be true.
