Selling online: what to share with a buyer
What's fine to share
- Clear photos of the item, with a plain background
- Its condition, honestly described, and the price
- A public meeting place, or a shipping plan through the site you're selling on
- Your first name, or the name on your selling account
What to keep back
- Codes sent to you. The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) describes a scam where a "buyer" asks for a Google Voice verification code. The scammer uses it to set up a number linked to your phone number. The FTC's advice is never to share a verification code with someone you don't know. This is our advice: a buyer has no reason to need one.
- Your bank or payment app login. A buyer needs only to pay you, not to see your account.
- Your ID. This is our advice: a buyer has no reason to need it. If a platform really needs to verify you, do it inside the platform's own app.
- Your home address, unless you're shipping it from there. Meet somewhere public instead.
Your photos can say where you live
Apple says that when Location Services is on for Camera, your iPhone saves where each photo was taken, and that anyone you share the photo with may be able to read it. A photo of an item in your living room could carry your home's location. Here's what's hidden in a photo. Before you post, tap Share, then Options, and turn off Location, or remove it from the photo.
Look at the background too. A letter on the table, a package label, a screen showing notifications, a reflection in a mirror or a window can show more than the item. Take the picture against a wall or a cloth, or crop it. If you sell something with a screen, like a phone, close your accounts first. Here's what to do before selling an iPhone.
Common scams to know
The FTC lists these ways of cheating sellers:
- Fake payment. The buyer sends a fake payment notice from a payment app, hoping you'll hand over the item. Or they say they overpaid and ask for a refund. Check your own account, not their screenshot, and don't accept a mobile payment from someone you don't know.
- Check for too much. A check for more than the price, with a request to send back the difference. The check is fake and the bank later takes the money back. Never deposit a check for more than the selling price.
The FTC suggests selling to a buyer you can meet in person, and accepting cash. If you can't sell locally, it says to check what seller protections the site offers. For a meeting, our advice is a public place in daylight, and telling someone where you're going.
If a buyer asks for a picture of something private
Maybe proof of a receipt, a warranty or an ID. Send only what they need, with the rest covered. Here's how for receipts, and how to spot a fake request for an ID.
How FirstHour helps
If you do need to send a picture with private details on it, Share lets you cover them with solid boxes and sends a copy without the location or camera details. Your original isn't changed. Here's how.
It can't judge whether a buyer is genuine, it won't stop you reading a code out to someone, and it doesn't check a listing photo's background before you post it. It also can't take back anything already sent.
Questions
A buyer wants my phone number. Is that OK?
Many sites let you chat inside the app. Stay there if you can. If you do share a number, never read out a code that arrives afterward.
Can I show my IMEI or serial number?
Buyers of phones sometimes ask. We haven't found an official source on whether sharing it is risky, so we won't advise either way.
I think I've been scammed.
Stop sending anything. In the US, report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Elsewhere, use your country's consumer or police service.
Sources
- Selling stuff online? Here's how to avoid a scam, Federal Trade Commission
- Manage location metadata in Photos, Apple Support