How to order goods through an intermediary and not run into scammers

Who are intermediaries and why are they needed?

Even before 2022, sometimes Russians resorted to the help of intermediaries when buying goods via the Internet. This was necessary if the online store did not deliver purchases to Russia itself or even worked only on the territory of its own country. The services were used by those who wanted some unavailable product or were looking for a profit on a foreign sale.

Since 2022, many goods have not been imported into the Russian Federation, at least officially, due to sanctions. For example America banned sell luxury goods to Russia. The list includes cosmetics and perfumes, expensive clothes and shoes. Sometimes not the countries, but the companies themselves decided to stop deliveries. Therefore, the services of intermediaries have become even more in demand by those who are not ready to give up, for example, vitamins with iHerb or shoes with Asos.

Intermediaries are of two types:

1. Intermediary companies. These are firms that offer various lists of services. Basically, they are ready to provide the client with an address in the country in which he makes purchases, for example American. Then the client will be able to order the goods ostensibly within the country. Then the intermediary will repackage the parcel and send it to the addressee. Now companies can also help those who do not have an international card with payment for goods. Sometimes they collect several parcels from different stores into one to make shipping cheaper.

2. Bayers. Unlike companies, people operate in a gray area. Usually this is just a person who lives in another country, collects orders from those who are suffering and arranges a package in his name or buys things in an offline store. And then he lays them out in boxes or packages and sends them to the recipients.

How not to run into scammers

With intermediary companies, everything is more or less simple. They are usually well-known, easy to google, they have websites, and there are a lot of comments mentioning them on the Internet. To protect yourself, you should read the latest reviews and conditions specified on the site. For example, what is the maximum weight of the parcel and what can be in it and what will not be sent under any circumstances. In addition, you should be careful if a representative of the company allegedly writes to you, but you have no way to connect him with it. Sometimes data is leaked, so a scammer can get to you.

Buyers are more difficult. It is often more profitable to order through them, since their commission is lower than that of companies. Plus, it's easier to maintain direct contact. But this is just a person, moreover, from another country. It's easier for him to take your money and disappear. The purchase fee is usually sent in advance, and this is a transfer to an individual, it will be almost impossible to challenge it at the bank. Plus, now you have to send money abroad also with the help of third party serviceswhich makes the situation even more difficult. You need to be alert.

Here's what to look out for in order to mitigate the risks.

Look for a buyer with a "human face"

It is clear that there is a person behind the service. But what? If this is incognito, working only through instant messengers, this should alert. Because all you have is a phone number. Those who have pages on social networks, both for business and personal, look more conscientious. The first ones are usually used to post what products have arrived, what reviews have been received, how the buyer unpacks the packages, and so on. If there are only photos of goods on the page, especially if they are screenshots from sites, there is reason to think. And by studying personal accounts, you can make sure that a person exists, lives in the country he is talking about, and so on.

Of course, this does not give a 100% guarantee, but it still somewhat reduces the risk that you will be deceived.

Avoid buyers with unrealistic promises

Some intermediaries initially look suspicious. For example, those that talk about the purchase of goods from the factory. It is unrealistic that a person really takes Ikea bedding or Zara dresses, bypassing the companies themselves. And if so, then this plant is clearly located in one of the provinces of China, and the original manufacturer does not know about it.

Carefully read what the buyer writes, if something is alarming, it is better to refuse cooperation at this stage.

Ask the buyer to describe the cooperation procedure

Sometimes it is advised to ask the buyer for a photo of receipts, unpacking things. And it will not be superfluous, it is nice to control the situation. But this is not the most effective solution, because by the time the intermediary places the order, he has already received the money.

Although preventive inquiries also do not insure anything, because a person can deceive. But the very course of the conversation sometimes reveals alarming moments. Ideally, the buyer will tell in detail how and in what time frame he completes the purchase, whether he sends receipts and photos during this the moment, does he take off the unpacking, when he received the parcels, how much will the thing go to you, what are nuances. After all, if he keeps his promises, he will easily describe the process. Ask clarifying questions and see how and how quickly the person responds. If he floats in the material, then there is doubt whether he is doing anything at all other than collecting money.

Don't be tempted by big discounts

Bayer buys goods on the site or in the store at a regular price, which you can see for yourself - perhaps using VPN. To this cost must be added the cost of sending parcels and the personal income of a person. That is, the product will cost more than its regular price, and not cheaper.

A buyer, of course, somewhere can have a personal discount as a regular customer. But it is rather 5-15%, not 50%. Plus, for him, this is an opportunity to put the difference between the retail price and the discount price in his pocket, which many use with pleasure. This is a business, not a charity.

Therefore, radical discounts should not attract, but alert. Perhaps the person just wants to collect a large amount of money and dissolve. Another outcome is to get fakes instead of what you ordered.

Use word of mouth

Reviews can be faked. But it hardly makes sense for your acquaintances to lie about their negative experience with this or that buyer. If a friend made a purchase and was satisfied, it is worth taking note of the recommendation. Although, alas, this does not insure 100%. The scammer may just build up a reputation before collecting really a lot of money and disappearing.