Please be aware that Scam items also exist on FB marketplace, quite often power tools that are brand new and selling very cheap. if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is...
Yeah you do have to spend some time learning how to spot scams on Facebook, and often you do learn a lesson during the process through falling for one, but overall I have definitely done well in getting some incredibly good deals on there.
There are probably some expert websites on spotting frauds, but unlikely any specifically focussing on tools. In my experience the following applies:
- look at age of the sellers profile (if it is <4 years old be v suspicious)
- look at the other factors on the profile (seller ratings if they are available, how many friends they have - if they have 4 friends and 3 of them are ‘selling pages’ then it’s probably a scam, whether there’s normal stuff on their profile I.e photos etc. also common sense stuff like a profile of an 18YO with a photo of them in a tracksuit kicking a can is unlikely to have a large set of block planes or a rotex that he has used for the past 5 years…)
- look at the other items they are selling (if it’s all new makita/DEWALT power tools with peculiarly familiar pictures then be suspicious, i am much more comfortable buying from someone who also has a few other ‘normal’ (non high-value tool) items for sale like a sofa etc as that’s more likely a real person! On this point, the prosumer/trades tools are the risky listings, as there is a large market for them from DIYErs etc, and also a large amount of stolen tools from vans. More specialist woodworking tools like hand tools, or machines such as planers etc are much less likely to be scams as effectively the market for the scammer is too small).
- used tools are less risky than new tools (I always prefer buying a decent used tool than a ‘supposedly new’ tool on Facebook. Firstly photos of a used tool, you can ask for more photos and easily recognise if it’s the same tool, whereas there’s a ton of new tool photos people can just send you.
- overly pushy sellers when you message them. (You can also ask for phone number etc if that makes you more comfortable, if I think something is a good deal but am not convinced of the profile sometimes I ask if I can call to discuss, sometimes I google names/numbers to check whether they are real and often I can see that the number is listed as a carpentry business etc, which is reassuring if they are selling carpentry tools!, obviously that isn’t foolproof and sometimes it is a random person who’s come into a tool etc and you have to chance it if you want the deal).
- the number one risk is buying ‘popular high value items that consumers want and therefore there is a huge market for the scammer’ (most woodworking tools don’t fall into this category, very few people want a second hand guide rail, or a used thicknesser which would do with a new set of blades, or a rotex with no accessory handle. A lot of people DO want a new DEWALT cordless power drill - much more risky! (The only thing I’ve been scammed on was a ‘new Dyson hairdryer’ for a present, and retrospectively I should have recognised the scam, but learned a load from the experience even though I lost a bit of money).
- does the story make sense? (A ridiculously cheap items price might be well explained if the seller is a wife/partner/daughter of a woodworker and doesn’t know much about the tools but is happy to send some photos (sometimes wives clear out peoples garages etc), it wouldn’t make sense if it was someone who seems well informed about the tool and it’s value, and is guarded about sending any more photos)
There’s a lot more that could be said on this topic, but this is a good starting point I feel.
