For sellers

The Scam Field Guide: 9 tricks to spot before you ship

By The Tell-All desk · November 10, 2026

Short answer: the nine most common scams aimed at worn-item sellers all try to get the item, money or your identity before you’re safely paid. The fix is the same every time: get paid through a protected checkout first, ship only to an order, and never share your real name or location.

Selling worn items online attracts honest buyers and a steady stream of people hoping you’ll skip a step. Here are the tricks we see described most often, so you can spot them on the first message.

1. “Ship it first, I’ll pay when it arrives”

The oldest one. If payment isn’t in hand before you ship, assume it never will be.

2. The fake payment screenshot

A cropped screenshot or a “payment pending” email that looks official. Only trust money you can see in your own account.

3. The overpayment refund

They “accidentally” send too much and ask you to refund the difference. The original payment later reverses, and your refund doesn’t.

4. The “verification fee”

A big order is waiting, they say, as soon as you pay a small fee to unlock it or to become “featured.” Real marketplaces don’t charge sellers to receive a sale.

5. The after-delivery reversal

Payment apps let some payments be disputed or reversed after the item arrives. You end up with no item and no money.

6. The friendly fishing trip

Questions about your real name, city, workplace or other social accounts, framed as “building trust.” Trust doesn’t need your address.

7. The gift-card rush

Pressure to accept gift cards, fast. Gift cards are hard to trace and easy to dispute or drain.

8. “Let’s move to another app”

Moving the conversation off-platform usually means moving away from anyone who can help you.

9. The free “test pair”

A request for a free sample before a “huge” order. The huge order never comes.

How Toe Or Tell is designed around these

• Buyers will pay Toe Or Tell before you ship. No screenshots, no IOUs.
• You’ll sell under a stage name. Your ID will be checked by a private verification provider, not kept by us.
• Messages will stay on the platform, so reports reach a real person.