Sellers, listings, and payment requests

Look for a consistent seller name across the listing, profile page, and payment screen. On marketplaces, review account age, feedback volume, and whether recent reviews read specific or templated.

A brand-new account selling high-demand items at unusual volume is a warning sign — not proof of fraud by itself, but a reason to verify before paying.

Next step: Screenshot the seller profile and listing, then submit them with any message thread to Assayer.

Compare the listing to the manufacturer’s suggested range and to other sellers you find independently. A low price can have innocent explanations (clearance, open-box, regional pricing), so Assayer does not treat price alone as proof of fraud.

Plausibility questions arise when a steep discount appears together with other gaps: no returns, off-platform payment, stock photos only, or vague shipping promises.

Next step: Add the product name, listed price, and shipping terms when you run an Assayer check.

The name on the invoice should match the seller or storefront you believe you are paying. Wire instructions in another person’s name, or a request to send payment to an unrelated peer-to-peer handle, are serious warning signs.

Assayer may flag when visible payment-recipient text does not align with the seller or brand shown in the same submission.

Next step: Stop checkout until the recipient identity is confirmed through an official channel.

Before paying, locate return windows, who pays return shipping, and realistic delivery dates. Vague “ships in 4–6 weeks” language with no carrier name is a gap worth noting.

If refund terms exist only in a PDF link from the seller — not on the brand you expected — verify them independently.

Scammers favor methods that are difficult to reverse or dispute. Requests to pay with gift-card codes, cryptocurrency, international wires, or cash-transfer apps for goods purchases deserve extra scrutiny.

Assayer’s text checks commonly surface these payment-method patterns when they appear in messages or checkout copy.

Next step: Prefer card or platform checkout with documented buyer protection when buying from unfamiliar sellers.

Buying inside a marketplace’s official checkout often provides dispute paths that disappear when a seller moves you off-platform. Know what protection applies to your payment method and whether it covers the category you are buying.

Assayer does not file disputes for you. It helps you decide whether the evidence warrants using those protections before or instead of paying.

1. Collect listing, seller profile, checkout, and any message screenshots.
2. Run an Assayer check on the combined evidence.
3. Verify contact and return paths through official channels you locate yourself.
4. If warning evidence stacks up, walk away or use a protected payment path — pause before sending money.