Safe trading tips: 10 habits that keep you out of trouble
Most deals between strangers go well. The ones that go wrong tend to follow a handful of familiar patterns, and all of them are easy to avoid once you know what to look for.
1. Keep the conversation on the site
A stranger who immediately wants to move to another messenger or email usually has a reason. Inside the MooN Market chat there is a record of what was promised, messages can be reported, and the conversation can be used as evidence if a deal ends in a dispute. Outside it, you are on your own.
2. Look at the profile before the price
Open the other person's profile. How long have they been a member? Do they have reviews from completed deals, and a history of finished sales? A new profile is not a warning sign by itself, since everyone starts somewhere, but a new profile combined with a price far below everyone else's deserves a second look.
3. Prefer direct purchase when it is offered
With direct purchase your money is held in the middle and released only after you confirm that the item arrived. If the seller never ships, you are refunded automatically. This removes the question of who pays first, which is where most fraud happens. See how buyer protection works.
4. Never pay a “deposit to reserve”
A classic trick: the item is in great demand, and a small advance payment will hold it for you. After the payment the seller disappears. A genuine seller who wants a commitment can sell through direct purchase, where the money is held rather than handed over.
5. Be wary of buyers who pay too much or too easily
As a seller, watch for a buyer who agrees to your price without a single question, offers more than you asked, wants to send a courier they have arranged, or shows you a screenshot of a payment instead of the payment itself. Hand over the item only when the money has really arrived: for a direct purchase, when your order page shows that the buyer has paid.
6. Do not follow payment links from strangers
Messages such as “click here to receive your money” or “confirm your card to get paid” lead to pages that copy real websites and collect passwords and card details. On MooN Market you never have to enter card details to receive money, and payments for direct purchases are only ever made from your order page.
7. Meet in a public place, in daylight
For local pick-ups, choose a busy place such as a café, a shopping centre or a station, and tell someone where you are going. For expensive items, bring a friend. If a seller refuses every public place you suggest, walk away.
8. Check the item before you confirm
Switch it on. Try every button. Compare the serial number with the box. For a phone, make sure it is not locked to someone else's account. If you paid on the site and are collecting in person, show your handover code only after you have inspected the item, because the code completes the order and releases the money.
9. Guard your codes and passwords
Nobody from MooN Market will ever ask for your password, a sign-in code sent to your email, or your two-step code. Anyone who asks for one of these is trying to get into your account. Turn on two-step sign-in in your security settings for extra protection.
10. If it feels wrong, stop
Pressure is the common thread in almost every scam: “decide now”, “someone else is on the way”, “send it today or the deal is off”. A real buyer or seller can wait an hour while you think. If something does not feel right, do not continue, and use the Report button on the ad, profile or message so our moderators can take a look.
Quick rule of thumb: a price that is too good, a hurry that is too great, or a request to leave the site. Any one of these is a reason to slow down; two of them together are a reason to stop.