If purchasing from TUG marketplace how do you ensure the deal is real?

[VHSGreg]

Hello, sorry if this question is clear somewhere in this forum, I just didn't see it yet.

Looking to purchase in the marketplace. How do I make sure that the seller is legit. Is there a recommended escrow service? For small price units (such as those under $500) do you just blindly paypal?

Is there a list of TUG users who are known to be dishonest?

 

[MelissaI]

I'm having trouble getting sellers to respond when I use the "Contact Owner" button. I have contacted two owners via the marketplace on recently added units and have not received responses from either owner.

 

[TUGBrian]

Welcome to TUG!

while all ads posted in the marketplace are by TUG members, any resale (or rental) transaction should be verified before any agreement is made or especially before any money changes hands!

you can find resale and rental checklists and verification articles here in the advice section! http://advice.tug2.net

 

[TUGBrian]

I'm having trouble getting sellers to respond when I use the "Contact Owner" button. I have contacted two owners via the marketplace on recently added units and have not received responses from either owner.

whenever someone sends a message thru the marketplace the posting member is sent an instant email notification they have a new message.

Unfortunately many folks dont check email daily, thus it may take more than the expected time to receive a reply. also please be sure you are checking your spam folder for a reply as it will come directly from the member who posted the ad, not from TUG.

lastly, we suggest using the phone number listed on the ad to call them directly, if no phone number is listed the member specifically chose to not have it included and only wants to be contacted via email.

if they still dont reply after a few days, send an email to TUG@TUG2.NET with the ad number and we can look into it.

I will say that 99.9999% (ok, all of them) of issues where there is a perceived delay or non-response between a buyer and seller, it is because the emails are being intercepted by spam filters and or one or both parties is not checking the spam folder for legitimate emails.

 

[TUGBrian]

note that TUG also sends another reminder every monday afternoon to every TUG member who has an unread classified ad message to remind them to log in and check/respond to their messages.

 

[MelissaI]

Thanks so much. There was no phone number listed and I did check spam thanks to your reminder. I will send an email to the address you provided later in the week if I don't hear anything.

 

[jackio]

When I had an ad running, I did not realize there was a message in my inbox for several days, until I got a reminder email. Then I had trouble finding my notifications.
I would recommend sending a PM to the seller also.

 

[MelissaI]

When I had an ad running, I did not realize there was a message in my inbox for several days, until I got a reminder email. Then I had trouble finding my notifications.
I would recommend sending a PM to the seller also.

I would love to do that if it would help, but I don't see any indication of the seller's username in the marketplace. I just see the button that says Contact Member.

 

[dioxide45]

I would love to do that if it would help, but I don't see any indication of the seller's username in the marketplace. I just see the button that says Contact Member.

It is possible that the seller isn't even a member of the BBS Forums.

 

[TUGBrian]

there is specifically no personal information on the public ads in the marketplace. (other than a phone number, and that is optional)

users are welcome to put said personal details in the description field of their ads, but to my knowledge...noone ever does this. It was one of the main features we implemented in the new marketplace to protect owners from being bombarded by spammers/scammers and having their personal info collected and placed on various spammer/scammers contact lists.

 

[dioxide45]

Regarding the original question, if the seller is open to allowing you to use your own closing company, do go that route. Sometimes brokers want you to use the one they partner with. Though you can ask to use your own. If you are using your own, use someone like LTT and you should be fairly safe. I have however sent money blindly for several timeshare purchase. Two were under $500. If you can put it on a credit card, then do that and you are offered some additional protections from the credit card company.

 

[MuranoJo]

Hello, sorry if this question is clear somewhere in this forum, I just didn't see it yet.

Looking to purchase in the marketplace. How do I make sure that the seller is legit. Is there a recommended escrow service? For small price units (such as those under $500) do you just blindly paypal?

Is there a list of TUG users who are known to be dishonest?

Re. trusting those placing the ads, if it were me, I'd probably go to the 'Members' tab at the top of this BBS section and check out how long they've been a member of TUG and how many posts they've made. Also check into the content of some of the posts. Now, this in no way guarantees they are trustworthy, but I'd wager members who've been around a while and post more than just 'bargain deals' could be trusted. Good luck!

 

[DeniseM]

Clarification: The marketplace and discussion forums are completely separate, and many people who use the Marketplace never post in the forums.

 

[silentg]

I have bought, rented, sold and exchanged thru Marketplace. Overall have had great experiences and find most people here to be trustworthy. I agree using LTT for closing is best.
Silentg