Any tips on buying in person?

P

pug

Member
Anyone have any tips for how to buy in person from strangers? Up till now I've only bought at the LCS but I'm seeing online classified ads for people selling at better prices than the LCS and I think it might be worth giving a try. But I know nothing about the right way to go about doing it... like to avoid getting ripped off or whatever.

I'm hoping there might be a few good do's and don'ts that the veterans might be able to suggest?

There's a local guy who's selling online from a classified who's asking about spot + $2 an oz for 10 oz generic bars.

Anyone have any suggestions?
 
For a more focused response, it may help to know what state or, if outside of Australia, what country you are in?
 
pug said:
Anyone have any tips for how to buy in person from strangers? Up till now I've only bought at the LCS but I'm seeing online classified ads for people selling at better prices than the LCS and I think it might be worth giving a try. But I know nothing about the right way to go about doing it... like to avoid getting ripped off or whatever.

I'm hoping there might be a few good do's and don'ts that the veterans might be able to suggest?

There's a local guy who's selling online from a classified who's asking about spot + $2 an oz for 10 oz generic bars.

Anyone have any suggestions?
Click to expand...
just ask to meet him in a public place .
 
Just make sure it's the right guy. You don't want to say that you're chasing 10 ounce dragons to the wrong guy...
 
Just back from a f2f at a train station. Not the best place to do a transaction as it's almost too public (for counting out cash anyway) but it has cameras, security, one exit etc and was relatively quiet.

I'll always call the seller/buyer and have a chat beforehand as it helps to get an idea of the person you'll be dealing with. I arrive at least 10mins before the arranged time to 'recon' the area for any undesirables/hot chicks and most times see the person arrive and wait for me. If all looks good, I'll gallop on over, talk sh*t for a few minutes and then make the deal.

Don't be afraid to ask questions as to why he's selling, where he got the bars from, weigh the bars etc. Tell him it's your first f2f and you want to ensure everything is ok before handing over cash to a stranger. This will help remind him to see it from your perspective too.

If I'm selling, I'll usually meet them in a bank, have them deposit the cash while I'm at the tellers window and then give them the item once the cash is all there. Always nice and smooth and the look of confusion on the tellers face as I hand over a lump of metal for cash will always be priceless :D

All the people I've met for f2f have been nothing but pleasant and great to talk to. Even the very dodgy looking guys that I'd normally walk across to the other side of the street to avoid!

Word of warning- Don't talk about your stack, where you work etc. I'm consistently surprised by how much personal info randoms are willing to give up once the convo starts to flow
 
I like banks, particularly NAB because they have those private little booths. And I can withdrawn funds just after inspection of goods.
 
Bring a friend {?with a camera}. Try doing it in a bank and talk to any guards before hand. Tell them what your going to do. When the other person arrives, make they see you talking with the guard. Mention the cameras. Ask them to hold something { when you get it back you've got finger prints.}
 
While we are getting paranoid, beware the passer-by scam.

I fell foul of this in Warsaw many years ago, but the psychology is still as effective. It's when you have an FTF in the open standing opposite one another. You watch the nice man count the money, or even count it yourself. He produces an envelope and takes it back out of your hands, or just takes it and rolls it up with an elastic band. At this point a passer-by walks between you with an apology. You are then handed your money (envelope or roll), the deal is done.

Unfortunately, the 'passer-by' has switched the envelope or roll, which now comprises a whole lot of low-value notes wrapped in a single high value.

When we are fixed on a deal, we miss the foreground (there is the famous gorilla video to prove it), and join the dots in our heads. I tuned out the interruption (so I was young and foolish). Given that the deal in question was 19,600 zloties, from memory (less than $50) I regarded it as a paid education, especially as chasing either would have probably had nasty consequences.

Warning signs - you are carefully positioned by the other party in a thoroughfare (so avoid traffic zones); he takes the cash back (at which point you need to count it again); the deal is too good. :rolleyes:
 
^^^Good point, can happen to anyone. Nearly got done by a bait and switch too... but for 800. Laptop was in the briefcase, he took it back into the car to "put the charger in", switched it with another briefcase full of phonebooks but sped off after I hesitated to hand over the cash without checking again. Damn tinkers!

I remember the gorilla video from Psych class, about 1/3rd didn't notice it at all and nobody noticed anything else changing.
people who watched the video who were able to count how many times the basketball was passed, as much as 40 per cent failed to see the person in the gorilla suit.
Click to expand...


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGQmdoK_ZfY[/youtube]
 
no deal if he is not willing to be subjected to this kind of abuse. :lol: skipped from Cloud Atlas
images8.png


get the contact number and speak to the person, and deal in the public area where you can see lots of people.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top