Local marketplaces are where most peer-to-peer scams happen. Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist are the worst offenders — but it can happen anywhere there’s no platform-level protection. Here’s the seven most common scam patterns we’ve seen in the Pacific Northwest, with specific Gig Harbor examples.

1. The “I’ll send my mover” scam

The setup: Buyer agrees to your asking price sight-unseen. Says they live “out of state” or are “buying for a relative.” Asks if they can send a mover/shipper to pick it up. Will pay you “extra” to cover the moving fee.

The trick: They send a check (or fake Zelle transfer) for more than the asking price plus moving fee. Then ask you to refund the difference to the “moving company” (which is them). The original payment bounces a week later, and you’re out the refunded difference.

Recent Gig Harbor instance (March 2026): A seller listed a $2,500 boat trailer. Out-of-state “buyer” offered $3,200 to cover “the mover I always use.” Sent a $3,200 cashier’s check, asked seller to forward $700 to the mover’s Zelle. Check bounced 8 days later. Seller out $700.

Avoid: Never accept payment for more than your asking price. Never refund any portion of any payment. If they really need a mover, they pay the mover directly.

2. The Western Union / wire-transfer scam

The setup: Buyer in another country (or claiming to be) wants to buy. Insists on wiring funds via Western Union, MoneyGram, or international wire.

The trick: Wire transfers are nearly impossible to reverse. The “buyer” sends a fake transfer confirmation email that looks legit. You ship the item. The wire never actually clears.

Avoid: Never accept wire transfers from buyers you haven’t met. Use platform payment (Stripe through Gig Harbor Sales, or a buyer in person with cash/Zelle).

3. The fake escrow service

The setup: Buyer is “concerned about safety” and proposes using an “escrow service.” Sends a link to a professional-looking escrow website (almost certainly a fake one they registered yesterday).

The trick: You ship the item. The “escrow service” disappears. You’re out the item.

Avoid: Real escrow services exist (escrow.com is the legitimate one) but for under-$1,000 transactions they’re overkill. For local pickup, you don’t need escrow — you have the item until cash changes hands. For shipped items, use a platform with built-in protection (Stripe + Gig Harbor Sales, eBay, OfferUp).

4. The “test my driveway” / broken-on-arrival shakedown

The setup: Buyer comes to pick up a working item — say, a $300 lawn mower. Inspects it, agrees, pays cash, takes it home.

The trick: Two days later, they message you saying “it doesn’t work.” Demand a partial refund or threaten a chargeback (if they paid via credit card or platform).

Avoid:

  • Demonstrate the item working at pickup. Start the mower. Plug in the laptop. Power on the TV.
  • Have the buyer acknowledge it works (“watch it run for 60 seconds before you take it”).
  • Take a quick video of the working demo on your phone.
  • For platform-paid transactions: this is exactly why we built the 48-hour buyer-protection window. They have to report within 48 hours, with photo evidence, and we mediate.

5. The “Cash App / Zelle confirmation screenshot”

The setup: Buyer “sends” payment via Cash App or Zelle right in front of you. Shows you a confirmation screenshot on their phone.

The trick: The screenshot is fake (Photoshopped, or from a different transaction). Buyer takes the item and walks. You realize 30 seconds later your bank app shows nothing.

Avoid: Always check your own bank/Cash App/Zelle app for the deposit. Don’t trust their screenshot. Wait for the deposit to actually appear in your account. If they’re impatient about waiting 60 seconds, that’s a red flag.

6. The “broken / wrong item” return scam

The setup: Buyer buys a working iPhone, takes it home, two days later returns to “exchange” it because “it doesn’t work.” Hands you back a broken / different iPhone.

The trick: Bait and switch. The broken phone you’re getting back is theirs, not yours.

Avoid: All sales are final on local pickup. Make this clear in the listing. If you offer returns, photograph and serial-number-record every piece of electronics before sale, and verify the serial number matches at any return.

7. The “let me come check it out” scope-out

The setup: “Buyer” books a viewing time, asks for your home address, asks lots of questions about layout, security cameras, when you’re home.

The trick: They’re not buying. They’re casing the place for a future break-in.

Avoid:

  • Don’t share your home address until pickup is firmly arranged.
  • Meet at a Pierce County Safe Exchange Zone (the Sheriff’s Department maintains these — well-lit, public, often video-monitored).
  • For unmovable items (large furniture, appliances): meet at the home, but never alone. Have a friend or family member there. Don’t volunteer info about cameras, schedules, or layout.

Red flags to walk away from

  • Buyer/seller refuses platform messaging and wants to text/email immediately.
  • Pressure to share personal info before any commitment.
  • Asking to pay outside the platform when platform payment is available.
  • Listings with stock photos or photos that look suspiciously professional.
  • Prices dramatically below market.
  • Stories about being out of town, military deployment, or needing shipping arranged.
  • Anything involving “my agent” or “my mover” or “my assistant.”

What we do

Gig Harbor Sales blocks off-platform contact attempts in chat (no phone, no email, no Cash App until trust is built). We hold buyer payments in Stripe until pickup is confirmed. We have a 48-hour buyer-protection window. And we ban scammers — for real, not just hide their listings.

If you’re using a platform that doesn’t do these things, the friction it adds you (an extra 30 seconds per transaction) is worth far less than the protection it removes.

See something? Hit Report on any listing. We respond in hours, not days.