Recently – well, to be exact, today – a Facebook user posted this message on the bidorbuy Wall on Facebook, and we quote exactly:

“People, PLEEEASE STAY AWAY FROM BID OR BUY. Nigerian scam. Ive lost money through a scam of the so called Smiths. Stay away from this site.“

An unpleasant experience, especially such an extreme one as falling victim to a scam, will certainly put the injured party off transacting on our site (at least for a while). However, as practically everyone who has bought or sold on bidorbuy knows, this platform is just too good to be turned away from.

For buyers, bidorbuy is good because here they can buy things they cannot find in shops, as well as things they can find at shops, but at better prices.

For sellers, bidorbuy is good because here they can sell an odd unwanted item, or generate a steady secondary or primary income.

As is in the nature of consumer-to-consumer trading platforms, the partners, buyers and sellers, are responsible for what they do. That means that they must enter into every transaction with eyes wide open. Buyers, for example, should read the article How to Buy on bidorbuy for Beginners, browse the Buying Help pages, and closely study the bidorbuy Buyer Protection Programme.

Plus, everyone who ventures onto the wonderful, but at times also hazardous, world of the World Wide Web should learn from day one how to keep safe. We have written extensively about scams criminals perpetrated, or tried to perpetrate on bidorbuy (see the Scams section of this blog and the article Beware of Car Scams).

A few minutes ago, we also came across this spot a scam presentation on ZD Net. Look at it carefully. Read the users’ comments. Because, the more you know about scams, the better equipped you will be to recognise them and to avoid them.