How to buy and sell safely in your community

If you're buying:

• Look at the seller's profile. An account with a history of ordinary posts is more reassuring than one created yesterday with a single listing.
• Ask for one extra photo from a specific angle. A real owner can send it in a minute; someone using stolen pictures can't.
• Ask about the bill, warranty and original box for electronics. Missing everything isn't proof of theft, but it's a reason for more questions.
• Check what the same item sells for elsewhere. A price far below market is the most common bait.
• Keep the conversation on the platform where you found the listing until you've met, so there's a record.

If you're selling:

• Describe the condition honestly and photograph the flaws. It saves an argument at the meetup.
• Don't share your home address, flat number or daily schedule in the listing or chat.
• Decide your lowest price in advance so you aren't negotiated down under pressure.
• Wipe phones and laptops, sign out of accounts and remove SIM and memory cards before the meetup, not during it.

Most arguments at a meetup come from a mismatch between the listing and the item. Use condition words the way buyers read them: new means unused, ideally sealed; like new means used briefly with no visible wear; good means normal signs of use that don't affect how it works; fair means visible wear or a known fault you've described. Price against what the same item actually sells for second-hand nearby, not against what you paid. For example, a two-year-old phone in good condition with its box and bill will usually sell faster, and for more, than the same phone with no paperwork, because the buyer can see it isn't stolen.

1. 1

   Pick a busy public place

   A café, a mall entrance, a metro station concourse or a gated building's entrance with a guard. Somewhere with people around and, ideally, cameras. Not their home, not yours, and not an empty car park.

2. 2

   Go in daylight and tell someone

   Share where you're going and who you're meeting with a friend, or share your live location for the hour. For expensive items, bring the friend along.

3. 3

   Bring only what you need

   Carry the agreed amount, not your whole wallet. Sellers: bring the item, the charger and the bill, nothing else of value.

4. 4

   Inspect before paying

   Take your time. A genuine seller expects you to check. If they refuse or rush you, walk away.

5. 5

   Complete payment, then hand over

   The item changes hands only after the seller has confirmed the money arrived. Both sides should agree on this order before meeting.

• Check the credit, not the proof. Screenshots and SMS messages can be faked. Open your own banking or UPI app and look for the transaction.
• Refuse the “overpayment”. If someone “accidentally” sends too much and asks for a refund, check your actual balance first; this is a common trick paired with a fake payment message.
• Never share an OTP. No genuine buyer or seller ever needs one.

• The seller can't meet — they've been transferred, posted elsewhere or are travelling — and offers to courier the item after you pay.
• The buyer wants to pay without seeing the item and sends a link or QR code to “receive” the money.
• They push you to move to another messaging app immediately.
• They ask for a copy of your ID, your OTP, or your bank details beyond what a payment needs.
• The story or price changes at the last minute, or they pressure you to decide now.
• The price is far below what the item sells for anywhere else.

The Asyncbit marketplace is a place to list and find items, not a payment service. Knowing exactly what it does and doesn't do helps you use it safely.

• A listing has a price in ₹, a condition (new, like new, good or fair), a description and photos. Listings are always posted under your name.
• “Message seller” opens a direct message — and 1:1 chats need a mutual follow, so the seller has to follow you back before you can talk. It's a small speed bump that also keeps random strangers out of sellers' inboxes.
• There are no payments, fees or commission. Asyncbit doesn't hold money, so there is no in-app buyer protection or refund; the arrangement is between buyer and seller, and everything in this guide applies.
• Sellers can mark an item as sold (editing is on Android).
• Public listings can appear on search engines by default. If you'd rather they didn't, turn off search-engine visibility in privacy settings.
• You can report and block users who behave badly, under the same community guidelines as everything else.

For a walkthrough of listing, pricing and arranging pickups, see buying and selling locally on Asyncbit. The same meetup habits apply when you're returning something you found — covered in what to do when you find something lost.

1. 1

   Stop sending money

   Don't pay a “release fee”, “delivery charge” or anything else to recover the first payment.

2. 2

   Save everything

   Screenshot the listing, chat, profile and payment details, including the UPI ID or account number.

3. 3

   Call your bank quickly

   The sooner your bank knows, the better the chance of a transfer being flagged or held.

4. 4

   Report it

   Report the account on the platform. In India, cyber fraud can be reported on the national helpline 1930 or at cybercrime.gov.in; elsewhere, use your local police or fraud reporting service.

Keeping your profile lean also limits what a scammer can use against you; our social media privacy checklist covers that side.