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Dear forum members who buy and sell blades here.
One way some of the more notorious scammers evade detection is by constantly creating new accounts and not actually posting in threads. They operate primarily by PM.
So, if you have posted a Looking For thread and are searching for a specific item, these people may contact you by PM and make an offer. Now it may be that they will have what you want.
But.....
1. Please look to see if the person has joined very recently.
2. Also, check in their profile to see if they have ever posted a comment in a thread, or created a thread here.
3. If the person contacting you is new and/or has no history of commenting please proceed with great caution! Those are major red flags.
4. Under NO circumstances should you use the Paypal as a gift option (Friends and Family) but especially if the red flags noted above are waving. You must use Paypal in a way that protects your money in case the deal goes bad, for example the blade never comes or is not as advertised or is a fake. Remember, some guy you are making a transaction with on the internet for the first time is not a member of your family and may not be your friend.
5. If you decide to proceed anyway, demand to see photographs of the ACTUAL blade and demand to know when he will be shipping the blade. If photos of the actual blade are not immediately forthcoming -- if he doesn't send them to you in a day or two, do not proceed with the transaction! And remember, a cut and paste of a manufacturer's picture is not good enough. You need to see a photo of the actual blade taken in a way that makes it clear that he has it in hand. A picture of the blade in his hand is not a bad thing to ask for, even if the item is said to be new. Better yet, a picture of the blade with a piece of paper with your name written on it.
6. You probably don't want to buy a "new blade" from someone here who does not have a pretty extensive history of selling here.
Finally, let me note a few other things: The vast majority of transactions here, 99.9%, proceed just fine. That is because most of our members are honest and are NOT scammers. The people who are very active buying and selling here, you won't need such elaborate precautions. But, if you are suspicious of something, let me know. We do our best to protect members by instituting new rules as needed, by providing feedback threads, and by advising members on best practices. But if you do dumb stuff and don't protect yourself, we can't help you.
Also, using the forum to buy and sell is a privilege, not a right. The forum has rules and they have to be followed. They are in place to protect the members. They are not that hard to follow. If somebody refuses to follow the rules, if they think they are exempt because selling TT stuff is how they make a living, they should not be allowed to sell here. They can go to ebay.
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