Safe buying checklist for second-hand items

A few messages before you travel save most wasted trips. Ask how old the item is, why it is being sold, whether it has been repaired, what is included and whether the bill is available. Ask for one more photo of something specific, such as the back of a phone or a label. A genuine seller can take it in a minute; someone using pictures from the internet cannot.

Agree a price range before you meet. Haggling hard at the meeting over something the seller already described is the fastest way to lose a good deal.

• A price far below what the same item sells for used elsewhere.
• Stock photos, or photos with someone else's watermark.
• A seller who will not meet and wants to send the item by courier after you pay.
• Pressure: "many people are asking", "pay now to hold it".
• A story that changes between messages.

Meet in daylight in a public place, and take your time. Look at the item from every side, open everything that opens, and compare what you see with the photos and the description.

• Electronics: switch it on, test the screen, buttons, speakers, microphone, cameras, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and charging. For phones, match the IMEI (*#06#) with the box and bill and have the seller sign out of their account.
• Clothes and shoes: check seams, zips, soles and stains in daylight, and try them on if you can.
• Furniture: open drawers and doors, check joints for wobble and wood for termite holes and powder.
• Kids' gear: test brakes, buckles and folding locks; look for missing small parts on toys.
• Beauty: buy only sealed, unexpired products and check the batch code.

For anything valuable, ask for the purchase bill and check that the serial number or IMEI on it matches the item. For phones in India, you can check whether a handset has been reported lost or stolen on the government's CEIR service (part of Sanchar Saathi). Buying a stolen phone can leave you with a device that is blocked.

Pay only after you have inspected the item and agreed to buy it. Cash is simple for small amounts. For UPI, pay to the seller's own UPI ID and wait until they confirm it in their bank app. Never pay an advance to "reserve" an item you have not seen, never pay a "delivery" or "verification" fee, and never share an OTP.

On AltF Marketplace there is no payment on the platform at all. Placing an order gives you the seller's phone number and WhatsApp, and you settle the price with them directly. Anyone asking you to pay AltF Marketplace for a listing is not us.

If you are cheated online, report it quickly: call the national cyber crime helpline 1930 or file a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in, and tell your bank. Speed matters for stopping a transfer. Report the listing to us too, so we can take it down.