How to buy used items without getting scammed

What are the warning signs of a scam?

Police and consumer advice centres describe the same pattern: an offer that looks too good, a story that puts you under time pressure, and a request for money before you've seen the item. One sign alone doesn't prove fraud, but each one is a good reason to slow down.

• The price is far below comparable listings. If an offer sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
• Pressure and urgency: “Three other people want it, whoever pays first gets it.”
• The seller wants to move to WhatsApp, Viber, email or SMS at once, before you've even asked about the item.
• A deposit or advance payment, or a fee for shipping or insurance, before you've seen anything.
• No meeting, no video: the seller won't meet, won't let you see the item and won't show it in a short live video call either.
• The story doesn't add up: the town, the name or the bank details change from one message to the next.
• The photos look like catalogue pictures, or the same photos appear in other listings.

To check photos, you can use a reverse image search. It's a general method that several well-known search engines offer for free: you search with the picture instead of words and see where else it appears online. If the same photo shows up in another listing, under another name or in another country, walk away. If you find nothing, that doesn't prove the photos are genuine, so the other checks still matter.

What can you check about the seller on Afër?

Tap the seller's card in the listing to open their profile. It doesn't give you a score; it shows signals you can judge yourself:

• The name and municipality, and “Member since” with the year the account was created.
• A “Business” badge if the seller is a dealer.
• “Email verified” if the seller confirmed their email address. That proves access to the address, not identity or ownership of the item.
• Ratings and reviews from confirmed buyers. On Afër a review is only possible after both people confirmed the sale in a conversation, and reviews appear once both sides have reviewed or the 14-day window closes.
• The typical reply time, which only appears once the seller has answered enough conversations.
• Their other active listings. Many identical items at very low prices from a private seller deserve a closer look.

A new profile without reviews isn't a warning sign on its own; everyone starts somewhere. And as our safety page says, no profile signal guarantees a risk-free purchase. So ask concrete questions about the item: when and where it was bought, why it's being sold, what doesn't work perfectly. A real seller usually answers in detail and without hesitating.

Photos can't be sent in the Afër chat yet. If you want an extra photo with a detail you choose, for example the serial number on the back, or a short live video call, suggest it yourself once the seller has answered in the chat. Someone who only has copied photos can't deliver it. Use the other app only for that, and keep the price and the meeting point in the Afër chat. Buying a phone? Our guide on how to check a used phone walks you through the IMEI, the battery and account locks step by step.

Why should you keep the conversation in the Afër chat?

In the Afër chat, everything you agree stays in writing in one place: the price, the condition the seller described and the meeting point. If something goes wrong, that record helps when you report the listing or go to the police. Consumer advice centres also recommend talking only through the platform, because scammers like to lure buyers into other channels.

If a seller has added a phone number, a private seller's number stays masked until a signed-in user clicks to show it; a dealer's number is shown in full to signed-in users. Guests never see a full number. Calling is fine, but once you leave the chat, its protections no longer apply. Whatever channel you use, never send:

• Photos or scans of your ID card, passport or driving licence. Criminals can misuse them for identity theft.
• Card numbers, the security code on the back of your card, your PIN or your online banking password.
• Codes you receive by SMS. The US consumer protection agency FTC puts it bluntly: anyone who asks for your verification code is a scammer.

Don't open links to supposed “payment pages”, “safe payment” or delivery services, and don't scan QR codes a seller sends you. A well-known trick is a fake page that looks like a bank or a payment service and asks for your card details, which then go straight to the criminals. This is called phishing. Kosovo Police and Albania's State Police warn against clicking suspicious links and entering bank details on such pages. Afër has no payment service, so a link that claims to be an Afër payment is always fake.

How do you meet the seller safely?

Meeting in person is your best protection, because you see the item before you pay. Police safety tips for online sales boil down to a few simple rules:

• ✓Meet in daylight in a busy public place, such as a café, a shopping centre or a square with people around.
• ✓Bring a friend or family member, and tell someone where you're going.
• ✓Only take the money you need for this purchase.
• ✓Test the item fully: switch it on, try every function, check accessories and any serial numbers.
• ✓For expensive items, meet near your bank or in a shop where the item can be checked, for example a phone repair shop for a phone.
• ✓Don't follow the seller to a quiet side street or into a flat on your own.
• ✓If you feel uncomfortable or the seller suddenly changes the place or the story, walk away.

Don't let anyone rush you during the test. A serious seller understands that you want to look closely before you pay. Take your time, and if the item doesn't match the listing, say no politely and leave. You don't owe anyone a purchase.

How do you pay without risk?

On Afër you pay the seller directly. There is no payment service, no escrow and no buyer protection programme, so the safest moment to pay is the handover itself.

1. Check the item first, as described above, and only then agree on the final price.
2. Pay in cash and count it together, or by a bank transfer that arrives immediately and that the seller can see in their banking app before handing over the item.
3. For a transfer, make sure the account holder's name matches the person you're meeting.
4. Take the item, and keep the chat and any receipt or handwritten note from the seller.

Never pay a deposit to “reserve” something, never pay in advance for a courier or shipping to a seller you haven't met, and never pay with gift cards, cryptocurrency or money transfer services. According to the FTC, money sent that way is generally gone for good.

No legitimate seller needs your card PIN, your online banking password or a code sent to you by SMS. If someone asks for one of them, the deal is over: stop writing and report the person through the chat menu (⋮, “Report”).

What should you do if you've been scammed?

Act quickly and don't blame yourself. Scammers are practised at what they do, and what counts now is limiting the damage.

• Stop paying. Don't send more money, even if the seller promises a refund after “one last fee”.
• Call your bank at once if you paid by transfer, and ask whether the payment can be stopped. If you shared card details or codes, have your card or online banking blocked.
• Keep the evidence: the chat, screenshots of the listing and the profile, and any payment confirmation.
• Report the listing, or the person through the chat menu, on Afër. Our team reviews reports and can remove a listing or suspend an account.
• Report the fraud to the police: in Kosovo to Kosovo Police (Policia e Kosovës), for example through its “Lajmëro Policinë” app or by calling 192; in Albania to the State Police (Policia e Shtetit), whose website also has an online form for reporting cybercrime.

Reporting helps other buyers too, because the team can then remove the listing or suspend the account. For more on safe contact and how reviews work on Afër, read our safety tips.