Unfortunately, scammers are everywhere, they target pre-loved marketplaces such as ours, as well as social media and many other websites. While we do everything we can to stop them, even big corporations haven’t been able to completely prevent scammers from using their platforms. So we ask all our members to follow our safe selling rules in order to protect themselves.

Although they are a nuisance the good news is that scammers are normally easy to spot. The best way to protect yourself is to educate yourself about the common signs of a fake enquiry and take the appropriate steps to avoid falling victim to scammers:

Safe Selling Rules:

• Scammers tend to approach people who are selling higher priced items for example bows and optics rather than lower priced items, so be aware that you may be more of a target depending on what you're selling.
• Use a safe method of payment - use PayPal or a similar escrow service to make payments to sellers, as it protects both parties just in case something goes wrong, For this reason we don't recommend using Paypal's 'Friends & Family' option as it offers much less protection against possible fraudulent sales, instead we recommend buyers send payment through Paypal's 'Goods and Services' option. 
• Never accept an E-Check -  this is the most likely method scammers will use to defraud you. Digital fraud may include a variety of methods, such as ACH fraud, account takeovers, or malware attacks, wherein scammers fraudulently gain access to a person’s account and initiate e-check transactions without consent. Mobile deposit fraud, consisting of depositing the same check into multiple accounts or using remote deposit capture with stolen or counterfeit checks, are other common methods.
• Do not accept more than the listed price for your item and do not use an unprotected money service or payment method, such as Western Union as this is invariably a sign of fraud.
• Do not give out your personal information to buyers such as your address, telephone number or banking details - the only information a buyer needs to pay with Paypal is your email address
• Remember that you should always confirm that any money has cleared in your account before sending the item onto the buyer; check your account do not rely on an email confirmation as proof of payment. If you receive a fake PayPal email please report it here spoof@paypal.com. 
• We advise that all sellers should send items using a reputable postal service and request proof of postage and delivery.  You should also take out postal insurance to cover the full value of the item so if it goes missing your insurance will cover the costs.
• If you do choose to meet your buyer to complete the sale, meet in a safe place, preferably somewhere public and remember to tell someone where you’re going first.
• If you think you've fallen victim to a scammer contact your bank immediately, if you haven't already done so, to inform them of possible fraudulent activity, then follow their guidance and recommendations. You may need to review and update your security settings and in some cases you may be able to recover any lost funds

Sell My Bow is proud to serve the archery community and we do everything we can to make our website as secure as possible. We have a registration process in place in order to deter those who are not genuine buyers from making an enquiry and unlike other marketplaces we do not give out your email address to buyers, as the first enquiry is always through our website. 

We have a spam catcher and hidden spam checker in place, but we rely on our members to help keep the marketplace a safe place for one another. So if you think you've been contacted by a possible scammer please contact us immediately so we can investigate whether the buyer is genuine or not, then if necessary suspend their membership of Sell My Bow.

The majority of our buyers are genuine archers who are looking to buy pre-owned archery equipment, so please remember:

• Our marketplace is international; English may not be someone’s first language, so please be respectful in communications with each other
• The archery community is made up of experts and novices alike, so please be patient if someone is asking you lots of questions about your item; archery knowledge takes time to acquire.
• We encourage communication between buyers and sellers; ask lots questions if you need more information before you’re ready to commit to a sale.
• If you are unsure if a buyer is genuine or you are at all uncomfortable with a sale, walk away and stay safe.
• We are here for you - if you have any questions or concerns about buying or selling an item please let us know and we'll do everything we can to help.