Protect the trade.
Protect yourself.
A useful trade conversation does not require your password, financial login, verification code, Social Security number, or home address. Slow down whenever someone tries to move faster than good judgment.
What not to shareKeep sensitive information out of messages.
- Passwords or account recovery answers
- One-time security or verification codes
- Bank, credit-card, or full payment-account details
- Social Security, driver’s-license, or passport numbers
- Your exact home address before a safe plan is necessary
- Photos containing mail, IDs, keys, children, or private documents
Pressure is part of the scam.
- Requests to pay a fee before a trade can happen
- Overpayment followed by a request to return money
- Links asking you to “verify” your identity or payment
- Gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfers, or unfamiliar payment apps
- A sudden emergency designed to prevent questions
- Requests to leave My Trade Shelf immediately to avoid records
Meet where safety has witnesses.
- Use a populated public place during open hours
- Consider a police-station exchange area when available
- Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to return
- Bring another adult when the item or situation warrants it
- Inspect the item before completing the exchange
- Leave immediately if the location or behavior changes unexpectedly
Keep a clear record.
- Agree in writing on the item, condition, shipping method, and responsibility
- Use tracking and appropriate insurance
- Photograph the item and packaging before shipment
- Do not trust screenshots as proof of payment
- Verify funds through the payment provider directly
- Never ship because an email merely claims payment was made
Stop, preserve, block, and report.
Do not continue negotiating to prove a point. Save relevant messages or transaction information, block the member when appropriate, and use the reporting control available throughout My Trade Shelf. Message reports go to the moderation queue; item, image, profile, shelf, privacy, and scam concerns go to the content-report queue.
Reporting is not emergency response.
If you believe someone is in immediate danger, contact local emergency services. For suspected financial fraud, contact the payment provider or financial institution directly using contact information from its official website or app.
