Buy safely.

The short version

• Collect in person where you can. See it run, then pay.
• Paying remotely? PayPal Goods and Services. Never Friends and Family with someone you don't know.
• No bank transfers to strangers, and no gift cards, crypto or money transfer services.
• Posting? Tracked and signed for, with photos and proof of postage.
• Screenshot the listing before you pay. We erase it soon after it ends.
• If it feels wrong, walk away.

Collection is king

• Meet at a club night or race meeting if you can. It's the safest handover there is.
• Otherwise, meet somewhere public and busy, in daylight, and take a friend.
• Check it before you pay. See a car or electronics run, and look for the faults the listing declared, and any it didn't.
• Cash is the cleanest way to be paid on collection. Count it before you hand anything over. If the buyer pays by bank or PayPal on the spot, sellers, check it's arrived in your own app. A PayPal payment can still be disputed later, and PayPal's seller protection usually doesn't cover items handed over in person.

Paying remotely

If you can't collect, pay with PayPal Goods and Services. If an item never turns up, or is significantly different from the listing, you can claim with PayPal within its time limits. PayPal decides those claims, not us.

• Friends and Family is not for buying. It gives no protection for purchases. Anyone who asks for it, or offers to "cover the fees" to use it, is a red flag.
• Sellers pay PayPal's fee, so build it into your price.
• No bank transfers to strangers. A transfer gives you no protection if the item is faulty or not as described. If it's a scam, your bank will usually have to refund you, but not if you ignored clear warnings, so don't count on it.
• No gift cards, crypto, money transfer services or cheques. Genuine sellers don't ask for them.
• Check payments in the app itself, never in an email or a screenshot. Fake "payment received" emails are the most common trick.

Posting: tracked and signed for

• Use a tracked, signed-for service, such as Royal Mail Special Delivery, and cover the parcel for what it's worth.
• Take photos of the item and of the packed parcel with its label, and keep proof of postage until the sale is done.
• Paid through PayPal? Post only to the address on the payment, even if the buyer asks, or the seller can lose PayPal's seller protection.
• Agree who carries the risk before anyone pays, and put it in an email. We suggest the seller does until tracking shows delivery. If you don't agree it, the law often puts the risk on the buyer once a private sale is posted.
• Buyers, film the unboxing of anything worth a fair bit.
• LiPo packs don't go in the post. Most carriers won't take loose lithium batteries, so battery listings are collection only. Selling a bundle? Keep the packs out and hand them over in person. Tyre additive is collection only too.

Read the listing, then check

Every listing declares its working state and known faults, and a person checks it before it goes live. We review the listing, not the item, so if you're unsure, ask for more photos or a video of it running.

Listings also say whether the seller is private or a trade seller. A trade seller owes you extra legal rights, such as satisfactory quality and, for most sales agreed at a distance, 14 days to cancel.

If what arrives doesn't match the listing, take it up with the seller first. If you think a listing was deliberately false, tell us: we remove false listings and can turn down that seller's future ones.

Spotting a scam

The classic signs:

• A price well under what the item usually goes for, or pressure to pay fast.
• A refusal to video-call the item running, or to let you collect.
• Overpayment and "refund the difference", or a buyer who wants to "cover the fees".
• A courier, "agent" or relative collecting on someone's behalf, especially from overseas.
• A push to move to WhatsApp or another app straight away, or links to "payment" or "delivery" pages.
• Stock photos, or photos that turn up on another listing when you search for the image.

Keep your address and phone number back until you're paid and confident. If an item looks stolen, don't buy it, and tell us.

Something gone wrong?

Honest problems, like a parcel gone astray or a missed fault, usually get sorted by talking calmly, in writing. Keep your evidence: a screenshot of the listing, your emails, payment records, proof of postage and photos. If you think it's a scam, stop replying and don't send any more money. Then:

• Paid with PayPal Goods and Services? Open a dispute in PayPal within its time limit.
• Paid by bank transfer? Call your bank straight away. Dialling 159 reaches most UK banks' fraud teams.
• Been scammed? Report it to Report Fraud, which replaced Action Fraud, on 0300 123 2040 or at reportfraud.police.uk. In Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101.
• Worried about a child? Report it to CEOP at ceop.police.uk, or call 999 if they're in immediate danger, and tell us.
• Tell us with the Report link on the listing, or at hello@marbl.racing with the listing reference. Don't reply to an enquiry email to report it: replies go to the other person. We can't referee a sale or get your money back, but we act as quickly as we can, with anything illegal or dangerous first: removing scam listings, stopping the scammer's enquiries, turning down their future listings, and passing information to the police where the law allows.