Local Classifieds And International Scams

Most local classifieds sales are done successfully with both buyer and seller experiencing exactly what they expected. That’s the great thing about dealing locally, you get to communicate directly with the person buying or selling, they usually live near by, and you arrange to meet them to complete the deal honorably.

With the advent of classifieds ads online, buyers and sellers can now be contacted from international con artists with enticing emails to con them of their hard earned money.

These con artists can be extremely bright and think of new ways to trick you each day. They usually take advantage of people’s gullibility or manipulate online payment agencies and banking policies in subtle ways to rob you.

With these bright con artists out there I cannot over emphasize the importance of dealing locally or exercising extreme caution when dealing internationally. There are countless webpages now expounding the unfortunate experiences of duped people. Use these pages to avoid being the next victim.

Here are a few common methods and warning signs of online fraud:

1] Firstly, if any of your deals involve a person living in Eastern Europe or Africa forget about it. These countries house the vast majority of online con artists due to their lax laws or inability to enforce them.

2] You are offered a cashiers check or money order that exceeds the price of the item for sale, the buyer asks you to return the balance exceeding the price of the goods. Sounds good doesn’t it? You are receiving money, how can you lose out here? Your bank will often cash this check and then you normally ship the item and extra cash back to the buyer. Unfortunately that’s just the beginning of your troubles. The bank later investigates the check and discovers it’s a fraud and gets it’s money back from you ! This is after you shipped your goods and returned the overpayment amount. A double whammy !

3] Buyer gets you to ship an item after you think Western Union is sending you money. The buyer cons you by sending a fake email that looks like it’s from Western Union saying you will have funds released to you after sending the shipping/tracking number from Fed Ex, in other words, you’ve shipped the product already. Once you send them the tracking number you’re out of luck, they will receive the item and you later find out Western Union doesn’t have any money for you.

Unfortunately the banks and Western Union are not protecting you as much as you would have hoped or assumed in these cases. Some have suggested they have little incentive as they are making money from these transactions and you are stuck with the bills. Western Union is probably the most commonly used agency for these frauds.

So it’s really up to you to investigate when buying and selling internationally, no one else is going to help you if conned. Sending emails to third world countries law enforcement agencies to investigate the perpetrator is a fruitless endeavor. Even if it occurs within your own country of origin you will still likely not recoup any money.

I’ve painted a bleak picture but this is just of the bad apples out there, there are a majority of decent law abiding people out there making transactions. The rates of fraud are difficult to determine as most people cannot do anything about it after is happens and do not report it. The businesses involved also do not advertise these facts, or simply hide them or provide statements which are obviously overly optimistic to save face (eBay is guilty of this) I’ve heard an estimate of 1 in 100 transactions are actual frauds, eBay has quoted 1 in 40000 !

If a deal sounds too good to be true, trust your instincts and get out while the going is good or research anything suspicious before committing to any transaction. Ultimately you’re on your own when buying and selling internationally.

How To Tell The World About Your New Gizmo

The Internet has opened an immense number of doors for Internet businesses to market their products and services and gizmos. Becoming your own boss and establishing a national or global audience has never been easier. Some of the quality Classified Ad Distribution Sites will provide entrepreneurs with their own storefront. In addition, their is little or no programming knowledge required for these ready-made sales web site, as the administrator of the Classified Ad Distribution Site will ensure modern and enhanced features for consumers to find and purchase your products or services. However, there are a few elements to familiarize yourself with prior to deciding where you want to advertise.

Free Classified Ads

If you explore the Internet, you will find a variety of web sites that are promoting “Free Classified Ads”. Many advertisers will jump in and take advantage of these offers, without researching the possible ramifications. However, you should use prudence when dealing with these types of web sites. If they do not provide a Privacy Policy, steer clear of them all together.

Always remember, maintaining a web site has a price. If they are not selling their advertising space, another method is being used to generate income.

A frequent practice is the sale of e-mail addresses. In an online report by the University of Arizona, they describe how spammers obtain e-mail addresses. They went on to say, “Many sites, when the dot-bomb implosion hit, realized a list of e-mail addresses was an asset to be sold. The people buying didn’t care if you only opted-in to one site. They had your address and probably sold it off again and again.” There is a huge market for e-mail addresses. In fact, the value of an e-mail address rose considerably with the new legislation enforcing the “Can-Spam Act”. By opting-in to a web site, and providing your e-mail address, you are agreeing to allow that specific advertiser to market to you via your address. You are not agreeing to have your e-mail address marketed to other, less than honest businesses. Most of us appreciate your faith in us as honorable business folks and protect your information and privacy as though it was our own. I, like many others, NEVER share your e-mail address outside my own company.

There are some Free Classified Ad Distribution Sites that are legitimate. Some sites may advertise, “Free Classifieds,” but charge for extended time-periods of the advertisement’s run. For example, an advertisement that will run for one week is free. In contrast, an advertisement that runs for one month has a fee. In addition, some free Classified Ad Distribution Sites may charge a fee for additional features. This may include making yours a featured advertisement, bold text, color, graphics, placement of your advertisement above all others within a category, etc.

In any case, look for a Privacy Policy. Ensure that the web site clearly states they will not sell, trade, or share your registration information.

Features to look for in a Classified Ad Distribution Site

When choosing a Classified Ad Distribution Site, take a look at some of the features they offer. A good advertising venue should concentrate on customer friendliness. Navigation should be clear and simple for the user. They should offer features that help patrons shop and compare. This is what will make consumers come back to the resource for their future needs.

Here are some basic features to look for:

Classified Search Engine: While some people enjoy sifting through the vast quantities of Classified Ads, others want a Search Engine that will filter out the ads that are of no interest to them. The site should offer a search engine, and an advanced search engine that allows surfers to sort ads by specific item information. For example, a consumer should be able to shop for cars by the manufacture, model, location, price range, mileage, and other details related to the car they want.

Classified Watch List: Watch Lists are a more recent feature that will automatically notify a buyer when an item is advertised on the web site. This feature ensures that advertisements are targeted to customers that are interested in the offer you have. In addition, it informs the customer without their having to continually browse the internet.

Simple Navigation: The buyer side of the web site should have clear and fundamental navigation. If a buyer has to pass through several pages before seeing products for sale, avoid the site. They will not appreciate having to click on an assortment of links to find what they’re interested in. Classification of the products listed on the web site should be easy and straight forward.

Target Audience: The web site you are advertising has a Target Audience. If you are advertising something in Europe, it would not make much sense to place your advertisement on a Classified Ad Distribution Site for the United States. This will apply to other countries that speak similar languages as well.

Other Content: In addition to a Classified Marketplace, web sites need to offer additional content to ensure that users enjoy the web site. Content is what keeps people coming back, or draws them to a web site.

In my next article, I’ll talk about how to go about writing the sales copy that will make your prospects want to buy your gizmo.