Safe Trading

Safe Trading Tips:

• Keep a record of all correspondence relating to your auctions.
• Ask questions and seek assurances before parting with money or goods.
• Don't divulge personal information except that which is required to complete a sale and ONLY AFTER the close of the auction (exception is sellers selling high value goods or goods that require inspection such as vehicles - see below).
• If you suspect an item up for auction, seller or buyer is not legitimate please report your suspicions here
• Be sure to leave feedback at the end of every auction as this encourages other members to deal with sellers/buyers who have a good reputation
• Don't reply to any offers to buy items that are not listed as auctions on Totalbids. Likewise, do not agree to sell items other than those listed as auctions on Totalbids. If the request is genuine, the requester will be willing to buy/sell the item on Totalbids so that it can be recorded and tracked, giving you both some measure of protection.
• Don't reply to any emails originating from or having to do with African countries. Please report all such emails by or cutting and pasting the entire email (including headers) here or into the Report Abuse form in My Totalbids

Buyer Beware If.....

• It looks too good to be true.
• The seller won't answer questions.
• The seller insists on cash or instant cash transfer such as Western Union or Postal Orders as the only method of payment.
• You require, and are willing to pay for, a courier or insured postal service such as Registered Post, but the seller won't agree.

Safe Selling:

• To avoid disputes and refund requests write accurate descriptions with full disclosure.
• Accept safe methods of payment such as personal cheque, PayPal or credit card.
• If you accept PayPal payments, take the trouble to get verified.
• Offer the option of Recorded Delivery or courier services.
• For high value items protect both yourself and the buyer by offering to use a reputable escrow service such as Escrow.com (this is the only one we have personal experience with and thus we can recommend it).
• When selling high value items or those that require inspection consider including a contact telephone number in the auction as you would if you were selling the item in a classified publication.
• Don't reply to emails asking for unnecessary personal information or bank/paypal details unless it is the winning buyer of one of your auctions. Report all such requests here or use the Report Abuse form on My Totalbids.

Payment Methods for Online Auctions

Recommended for Online Trading:

• Credit cards
• PayPal
• Nochex
• Personal Cheques
• Bank Transfer
• Escrow.com (for high value items)

Not Recommended for Online Trading:

• Western Union, MoneyGram or other instant cash transfer service
• Money Orders
• Postal Orders*

If you have any queries or other safe trading tips please send them to us.