California Possibly IMPORTANT Caution to Marketplace Buyers

[tps5352]

I recently posted "Want to Buy" ads in a few places on the Internet*, asking to purchase a Rivian Key Band (aka "Wrist Band," "Wrist Key," etc.). The wisdom of buying such a (relatively expensive and arguably notorious) gadget aside, within a relatively short time I had to deal with twothree potential scammers--one on Rivian Forums and onetwo (possibly) on another Rivian forum.

What is it about Rivian Key Bands that seems to attract desperados? (Perhaps because they (a) have a certain mystique--i.e., a clever idea, with its share of fans and critics, associated with the popular Launch Edition vehicles; (b) were once readily available for a reasonable price; and now,...not so much--e.g, perhaps a little of the Dutch tulip psychology?; (c) have a 'Goldilocks' price that appeals to aspiring con artists--not too cheap; not too expensive; just right; or (d) have plenty of easy-to-find (and duplicate) photos online.)

Coming soon to a screen near you!​

This is intended as a friendly warning to the vast majority of honest buyers/sellers, and especially to people looking for Rivian wrist bands:

• If you post a WTB ad, be cautious_with people offering to sell you a Rivian Key Band (or anything else for that matter). Be sure to use common sense and to ask plenty of appropriate questions.
  • Is the seller is an established (not brand new) Forum member with other legitimate postings?
  • Examine his/her profile. Does everything make sense? (My first scammer was a "Professor" who couldn't write in proper English.)
  • Are they open about location and type of vehicle owned, or is everything "hidden?"
• IMPORTANT: Make sure you see a legitimate photo of the actual item for sale. How to be sure? Follow the (01-16-2023) Marketplace Rules_and insist on at least one clear photo that shows:
  • the exact item (e.g., Key Band) for sale plus in the same photo...
    • a real piece of paper with...
    • the correct hand-written Forum Username and...
    • the date written on it. (That helps eliminate the unauthorized 'theft' of online photos from other ads--as was done by my second scammer.)
• If you have any doubt as to the authenticity of the offer or the seller's veracity, you can use the "Report" link_(found at the bottom of most posts) to contact an administrator/moderator for assistance.
  • Learn to trust your "gut." If in doubt, be prepared to "walk away" from a deal.
• If things get serious, I recommend the use of PayPal for money transfer, identifying the purpose as “For Goods and Services."
  • Don't use Venmo (owned by PayPal, btw) or most other new money transfer mechanisms. Cut-rate services are inexpensive for a reason. They are intended exclusively for "Friends and Family"-like money transfers, where the money sender theoretically knows and totally_trusts the money recipient. But F&F $ transfers offer absolutely no security for the sender. Once the money is sent, it's gone; whether you eventually receive the purchased item or not.
  • In contrast, PayPals' "Goods & Services" money transfer requires that the money recipient (the seller) pay a small fee. That fee (a) helps guarantee that buyer (money sender) and seller are financially protected if something goes wrong, and (b) can always be calculated and paid before-hand by the money sender (buyer), if required. (Really, the buyer and seller should split the PP fee, since it benefits both.)
  • So a legitimate seller should have no reason to reject the use of PayPal. If he/she does, it's another good reason to walk away from a deal, imo.
• If, like me, you had never seen the Rivian Forum Marketplace Rules, and could not find them anywhere, here is a screenshot:

Why are these rules hidden on some computers? In my case, I discovered that certain add-on app settings on my Firefox browser were treating this "information banner" as an ad (and hiding it). I had no idea that this important information was being displayed on all the Marketplace screens. (Now I know.)​

• BTW, I was eventually able to successfully purchase a Rivian Key Band from a reputable Forum member. So the system works if you take proper care.

_____
* Including an ad in the "Audio, Visual, Navigation, Electronics" Marketplace location of Rivian Forums.

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[Administrator]

I recently posted "Want to Buy" ads in a few places on the Internet*, asking to purchase a Rivian Key Band (aka "Wrist Band," "Wrist Key," etc.). Within a relatively short time I had to deal with two potential scammers--one on Rivian Forums and one (possibly) on another Rivian forum. What is it about Rivian Key Bands that attracts desperados? (Possible answers: They have a Goldilocks price--not too cheap; not too expensive; just right--and it is easy to find/steal photos of them online.)

View attachment 125963​

This is intended as a friendly warning to the vast majority of honest buyers/sellers, and especially to people looking for Key Bands:

• If you post a WTB ad, be cautious with people asking to sell you a Rivian Key Band (or anything else for that matter). Be sure to use common sense and to ask plenty of appropriate questions.
• Be sure that the seller is an established (not brand new) Forum member with other legitimate postings.
• Examine his/her profile. Does everything make sense. (My first scammer was a "Professor" who couldn't write in proper English.)
• IMPORTANT: Make sure you see a photo of the actual item for sale. How to be sure? Follow the (01-16-2023) Marketplace Rules_and insist on a clear photo that shows:
  • the item (e.g., Key Band) for sale plus...
  • a real piece of paper with...
  • hand-written Forum USERNAME and...
  • the date written on it. (That helps eliminate the unauthorized 'theft' of online photos from other ads--as done by my second scammer.)
• If you have any doubt as to the authenticity of the offer or the seller's veracity, you can use the "Report" link (found at the bottom of most posts) to contact an administrator/moderator for assistance.
• Learn to trust your "gut." If in doubt, be prepared to "walk away" from a deal.
• If things get serious, I recommend the use of PayPal for money transfer, identifying the purpose as “For Goods and Services," (Don't use Venmo, or most other new money transfer mechanisms.) "Friends and Family" money transfers (on PP and other new services) offer absolutely no security for buyers. In contrast, a "Goods & Services" money transfer results in the recipient (the seller) paying a small fee. But (a) that fee helps guarantee that buyer and seller are financially protected if something goes wrong, and (b) you (the buyer) can always calculate the fee amount (using any number of online PP fee calculators) and pre-pay that fee amount to the seller, if necessary. (Really, the buyer and seller should split the PP fee, since it benefits both.) So a seller should have no reason to reject the use of PayPal. If he/she does, it's another good reason to walk away from a deal, imo.
• If, like me, you had never seen the Rivian Forum Marketplace Rules, and could not find them, here they are:

Why are they hidden on some computers? I discovered that my Firefox browser was treating this "information banner" as an ad (and hiding it). I had no idea that this important information was being displayed on all the Marketplace screens. (Now I know.)​

• BTW, I was eventually able to successfully purchase a Rivian Key Band from a reputable Forum member. So the system works if you take proper care.

_____
* Including an ad in the "Audio, Visual, Navigation, Electronics" Marketplace location of Rivian Forums.

The marketplace rules display fire in my Firefox ??‍

 

[Judd]

It’s all forums and WTB ads…the trash of the world have seen that as a golden opportunity. Sadly, I’ve quit posting any WTB ad on any forum.

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