Secondhand Online Shopping – Scamming Rife for Buyers & Sellers

Fraud on the secondhand market

Secondhand Online Shopping – Scamming Rife for Buyers & Sellers

A survey by Which? found that consumers were suffering widespread fraud when purchasing from secondhand online shops. Depop, Schpock and Preloved came out worst, but the findings weren’t positive for eBay or Amazon either.

The Which? survey that looked at consumer purchasing in the past two years found that 32% of people surveyed had received incorrect goods, counterfeit goods, or not received anything at all.

How bad is it?

When a consumer makes an online transaction to a ‘fake shop’, the fraud is called an authorised push payment, or APP fraud for short. In just 6 months in 2023, 77,000 APP purchase frauds were reported to banks, equating to a £41m loss to fraudsters.

The online store most abused by fraudsters was found to be Depop by the survey. 35% of people asked said they had been scammed on Amazon Marketplace, 29% on eBay, 29% on Gumtree, Facebook 24% and Vinted 22%.

Not as clear cut as it seems…

However, the scamming appears to run both ways! When questioned by Which?, 22% of sellers also said they had fallen victim to scamming by buyers over the same period.

What can be done?

The survey highlights the importance of checking reviews and profiles, and brings into question whether secondhand marketplaces have a duty to perform better checks, and be quicker at removing scam profiles.

As customer-to-customer buying and selling increases in popularity, it seems more needs to be done to protect both buyer and seller. Depop said it’s currently investing in new technology. While Vinted said its security measures are regularly checked and new tools are always in development.

Take the time to protect your business

If your business involves buying or selling online, and staying one-step-ahead feels like an endless task. Remember that you can always turn to support from CSnotepad to free up your valuable time. We have a range of services to support businesses, and can tailor them to suit your needs. Maybe you’re looking for some overflow support during busy times, or a full-time telephone answering service. Either way, we’re confident we can help.

Talk to a member of our team today on 01273 741400, or visit our website here.

For more information on secondhand marketplace fraud, read this article from The Guardian.

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