Hello everyone.

This is just a thread about certain precautions everyone should be taking while on HCrealms in regards to trading and selling. I will start with trading first then finish with some stuff about selling. I am just writing this for other people on the realms who should learn about all of their options when deciding about a trade.

1. Check the itrader rating - When you are checking for itrader rating do not just check that they have all positive ratings but who was rating the person. There are other things to look for such as....
a. Who traded with the person Look for people who have previously traded with the person who you personally know or have traded with before
b. What are the itrader ratings of the people who already traded with your trader - this allows you to gauge if this trader just asked some friends to sign up on the realms just to give them some positive feedback.
c. When was their last trade - There are some people who are on and off the realms due to their life. However if they have not traded in a 6 month or more period it might seem a little fishy, so just be wary of what could possibly happen.
d. Buyers - Some scammers tend to boost their ratings by buying on the realms. If they have an iTrader rating with a lot of buys, then approach with caution since they are changing their trends.
e. Negative feedback - If the person has negative feedback or even neutral feedback then they should send first. IF their negative feedback is from a known scammer you can let it slide if you want, but they should send first. Do not listen to sob stories or anything like that from the person you are trading with cause it will be their side, do not be afraid to PM the person who left the negative feedback.
f. Trade with high rated traders first - When you start out as a trader, try to stick to trading with people with high Itrader ratings - at least 50+ references, preferably 100+. There is never any guarantee that you will not be scammed, but the chances are a lot smaller when dealing with established traders.

2. Trade lists - When I first started trading I did not trade with anyone who did not have a trade list, now I am a little more lax on this situation. However there are some things to look out for...
a. "What are you looking for?" - There are people on the realms with trade offers that I ended up never trading with who turned out to be scammers who asked this question. You might have a list of stuff that you need, but by giving this information you are allowing a person to know what your deepest clix desires are, which enables them to ensnare you to believe you are getting what you always wanted. All of these people who turned out to be scammers always seemed to have a Doomsday, Apocalypse, KC figures, Winter Soldier, Rare LE's, and chase figures. Needless to say, ask to see if they have a trade list.

3. Check public profile - I know that people like to keep things private but when I first started trading people gave some information on their public profile that could help you determine if they were a scammer. The most noticeable was giving an address that did not represent their location in their profile.
a. Buddy list - Do they have any buddies on the realms? If so, there is a better chance they are not a scammer.
b. Amount of posts - How often do they post on the realms and in which forums. Are all of their posts in the trading forum? If they are, then approach with caution. Do they post in other parts? Are these posts worthwhile or mindless/confrontational/childish drivel.


4. Check the trading forum – When you look for trades it is always good to check all trade threads because people are always trading more than their high-end pieces, but there is another reason…
a. See who is posting – When you look at other people’s trade threads you tend to notice the people who want to trade with them. Through common courtesy people bump a thread to let the trader know that they are sending a message and to put a trade thread back at the beginning of the list to allow other people a chance to want to trade. Look at the people who are offering trades and make a note of who is posting and what they are saying. There are a lot of people on the realms who have a high trade rating and post a message and you tend to learn more about who might be good people to trade with. There is no telling who a scammer might be from this, but if you look at the amount of posts and the amount of positive iTrade rating.
b. Do they have their own thread? – There are a lot of traders on the realms and some people have their own trade thread. Would you want to trade someone who does not have their own trade thread or have anything on their Haves/Wants list. It seems a little odd, but it does not mean they are going to scam you if they do not have a trade thread or a Haves/Wants list.
c. What is in the trade thread? – When I look at trade threads I always look to see what they have and want. There are some people who specifically want one or more pieces for a certain piece, which is common for a chase for a chase thread. From my own experience I tend to not trade with people who have very small lists that appear to be open ended. Most of these trade threads usually has the poster saying…
“Make me an offer” or “Let me see your list so I can fill your gaps” as they are trying to trade away a figure. I would like to note that there are a lot of people who have very good trade threads that may mention those two phrases but they have a lot of haves and wants and willing to trade for trade-able figures.
d. Did they bump your thread? - Some scammers make a habit of not bumping other people's trade threads. It is common courtesy to bump a person's trade thread. It allows for the thread to go back to the top of the list and more people to see the trade offers.



5. Use an intermediary - Never be afraid to ask a trader or a mod who you trust to be the middle man
a. Chase figures - Face it, in the past year most of the people who have been scammed, have been scammed because of chase figures. If you do value them so much, then please take care of what you value.
b. A list if reliable third party traders - This is a list that provides the names of people who are reliable third party candidates.

6. Delivery Confirmation - When you get a delivery confirmation number check it HERE as soon as you get it...
a. Give it about 8 hours from the initial message - The USPS is not lickety-split when it comes to posting the DC# on their website so give it about 8 hours from when you suspect they sent the package, it will show on the website. I issue this as a warning because there are 20 numbers to type and sometimes you get a number wrong once in a while, I know I have about 2 times. The huge difference is that a good trader will reply promptly with the corrected DC#.
b. Getting a package back - One realmser, I believe Hush144, was able to go to his post office and request that they cancel the delivery due to his simulsend partner giving a bad DC#. There is an option just in case. (If Hush144 or anyone else can confirm this and maybe post some more information I will edit this part.. Thanks!)

7. Trust your instinct - A lot of people say they felt a little funny about the trade before getting scammed
a. Do not let the deal cloud your judgment - If you feel funny after exchanging address you could either stop the trade and get negative feedback or bring in an intermediary as specified from #4 above. There may be some trouble if you ask for an intermediary after the initial exchange of addresses. For the reason read the warning below.
+Warning!+A person who has an iTrader like mine would be plenty pissed in this situation, so be very careful. Also, since you already exchanged addresses then asked for an intermediary there will be questions about leaving feedback if one person declines the intermediary. This can turn the whole situation into a mess.

Buying on the realms

It is most important to follow all steps above, but there two things you should always follow.

1. Money orders - If the person only accepts money orders then that is an immediate red flag in my mind, but people who only accept money orders are not all scammers. There are some easy precautions you can make if you want to pay by money order...
a. Paypal - Ask to see if they will accept paypal. All you need is a credit card for paypal and it is safe, in my opinion. If they do not accept paypal then follow your instinct.
b. How to send the money order - There are many ways to send a money order. You could send it in an envelope, but there is no way you can be sure the seller received it. I would suggest something that requires a signature. This means that there is physical proof that they received the money. I can only assume that because they signed for it, you have enough proof to take them to court if the need should arise. If they back out of a deal when you mention this, then you should contact a mod about this fishy situation.

2. iTrader revisited - Just because the person is selling clix does not mean they have a perfect iTrader rating. If they have an blemish on their record you should definitely ask them to send first.
a. An iTrade rating of 25 - is the minimum rating in order to sell on HCrealms. There are some people who seem to go right ahead and start selling as soon as they hit 25. Trust your gut on this and decide whether or not you want the be one of the first buyers from this person.

My opinion about sellers with a negative iTrader feedback - Yes I know things can happen and everything, but I do not think people who have a negative feedback in their iTrade rating should be allowed to sell on the realms unless they have consent from a mod, or they initially offer to send first.

Is there anything else I should add? Please post!

It is up to the Mods if they want to sticky this.

***Disclaimer***
Just because someone did something on the list does not necessarily make them a bad trader so do not judge what you do not know. This is for your own knowledge to help guide you through safe trading on HCrealms.

Excellent thread, definitely deserves to be a sticky.

One thing I'll add: When you start out as a trader, try to stick to trading with people with high Itrader ratings - at leaft 50+ references, preferably 100+. There is never any guarantee that you will not be scammed, but the chances are a lot smaller when dealing with established traders.

In addition to what Quebb said, I'd also suggest checking to see how active the person is on the realms.

Check their profile. Is their account new, or have they been here for years?

use the "find more posts" function Do they post anywhere other than the trade forum or are they exclusively here to trade?

Odds are the longer they've been around, and the more they participate in daily discussions (or mafia games) the less likely you are to get scammed. That's not to debase any of the trader/lurkers here, but it's a good rule of thumb on who to deal with if you're new.

Small trades at first:
I started trading with the intent of getting an Ult Thor and a Legacy Ares. I didn't ask for these at first, because I was new to the site and didn't want to get scammed in a bad way on a big trade. My suggestion is to Build your iTrade up by making modest trades that you can afford to not kick yourself over if something goes bad. I started filling gaps of nons in my collection, and by the end of the year had a 40+ itrader rating, an Ult Thor, and an Ares.

To add to this, you can sometimes get a general feel for a person's attitude towards the HCR community by researching posts. Most trade discussions I have had have been very short and to the point, not giving much information about a person's character. Posts in discussions, however, can be fairly revealing.

Donor status can have an impact on my impressions of a trader also. Generally speaking, IMO, if a person has a bit invested in the HCR community, they are less likely to scam.

Another great trade info thread!

A great thread. Good rulles to follow when trading. I know I have been "checked" out by traders and thats fine by me. I can usually get a simu-send by the fact that I am active in so many other parts of the Realm.

Another good idea is to probably post this in the actual Trading and/or Sales area. Since most people tend to go there to trade. Don't get me wrong, I think this is a great thread, and everyone should read this, but I think most people tend not to come to this area until it is too late.

Another red flag is if the person you are trading with gives you the name M. Steinmetz, Jessica Rodriguez, or Ray Kochonies. It is a scam. And this guy will lurk with many different screen names for months before he gets noticed. Sometimes those screen names will even trade or post with each other. I have even noticed an occurrance where they might even seem to be having an argument.

And I do agree, if someone is new, only posts in the trader/sales threads, and only seems to want or have high end, be very cautious.

See one thing i have a problem with is do not trust anyone that only accept money orders.

Honestly iam 18 and i have no credit established and for that i can not get a credit card so i mean that makes me a red flag If i only accept money orders?..iam not trying to start a arguement..But what about the people that have no credit or have bad credit that doesnt give us a chance.

I agree with everything else you said...Just the money order red flag thing i dont agree on

In addition:

#8

Only trade with me!


lol, just kidding, great thread and very informative.

I understand your concern but that has always been one of the red flags that I have noticed while being on the realms. I would also like to mention that I never said "do not trust anyone that only accepts money orders" I only mentioned it as a precaution. Paypal is more secure than a money order so that is why it is the method of choice of most of the realms members. I also added for part 'B' of that section about how to send money orders to ensure that there is a way to track your payment. My disclaimer at the bottom of the post also mentions that people who may seem to fit on one part of the list are not necessarily a bad trader/scammer.

You seem to be establishing yourself very well Hush144 so you should not worry about anything.

I gotta agree with hush144 on this. Stating that you should be wary of people that only take money orders is a very bad statement. Just this statement alone with scare off many buyers. And now the damage is done. People will read your list and now automaticly think I'm a scammer if I prefer MOs, because people will believe what they read, regardless of how thing might really be. When I sell figures on here and on e-bay, I only take money orders (and sometimes personal checks from well known members). I do this because I've had problems with Paypal before and I prefer not to do business with them. Doesn't mean I'm looking to rip some off, just means that I don't like Paypal.

I think if you're up front about something like this, I'm certain there are folks who would be willing to make an exception or compromise.

It never hurts to ask; the worst someone can say is "no."

agreed on the money orders/paypal thing

i for one HATE paypal with a passion and wont even look at someones list if it says paypal only as i like sending postal money orders (which are guaranteed funds)

to me PAYPAL should be the red flag as they can get the money, transfer it and you wont ever see a dime back even with a paypal dispute if there is a problem

but this is all from someone that prefers to not use drive thrus and likes to go inside at banks lol

If you're doing a trade that involves a chase figure, I think that it's always a good idea that both traders send to a third party.

Scammers target people who are after chase figures, again and again. It's just not worth the risk.

Rep to phantalien.

(In respond in getting back the package)




Well when i was in the middle of a bad trade i wa snot using a 3rd party i was trading my susan richards chase and a few cheapo uniques and i was waiting for the other guy to send me my dc# and he never did i gave him another day for a chance.But he still didnt send the dc# so i went to the post office with my reciept (everyone keep your reciept)
Because on my reciept it had the date and time i sent out and they actually took it out of his hands while he was at the post office he was so close to a free chase figure but i got it back.

In regards of the False dc# i never got that one resolved he actually gave me someone elses dc# that he was in a trade with.So when the package was suppose to be here in FL it was actually delivered in another state.so False DC#'s i can't help with right now when i find the solution i will be sure to post it to everyone!


I hope this helped a little bit but like i said keep your reciepts from the post office they help greatly.


Best of luck to everyone