Buying and selling safely

Flog It is not part of your deal. You arrange it, you meet, you hand over the goods and the money yourselves. That keeps things simple and free — and it means the two of you are responsible for doing it safely.

This page is free to read, no account needed. It's linked from every conversation.

Before you agree to meet

Keep it in the app until you're comfortable. You don't need to give anyone your phone number, your address or your surname to agree a price. Share those when you've decided to go ahead, not before.

Trust your read of the conversation. Pressure to decide immediately, a story about why they can't meet in person, an offer well above asking, or a request to pay or be paid in an unusual way — any of those is a reason to walk away. You never owe anyone an explanation.

Agree the price and the item first. "Still available?" then haggling at the car boot is how people get worn down into a bad deal.

Where to meet

Meet in a public place in daylight. A shopping centre, a petrol station forecourt, a busy parking area. Somewhere with people and cameras.

Many SAPS stations have a designated safe trading space. Phone your nearest station and ask. It costs nothing and it changes the dynamic completely.

If the item can't be moved — furniture, appliances, anything that needs collecting from a house — then someone is going to a stranger's home. If that's you going: tell someone where you're going and when you'll be back, and share your live location with them. If that's you hosting: have another adult there, keep the rest of the house closed off, and don't leave anyone alone in a room.

Take someone with you. For a first meeting with a stranger, for anything of real value, for anything after dark. If you can't, make a call on the way and let the other person hear you say where you are.

Money

Cash is risky in the wrong place. Don't count it in the open, and don't carry more than the agreed amount. For anything substantial, consider meeting inside a bank or doing an instant EFT while you're both standing there.

Sellers: confirm the money has actually arrived in your account before the item leaves your hands. A screenshot of a payment is not a payment. "Pending" is not a payment. An SMS can be faked. Open your own banking app and look.

Buyers: nobody legitimate needs a deposit to hold an item for a stranger they've never met. If you do agree to one, accept that you may lose it.

Never share a banking OTP or one-time PIN with anyone, for any reason. No buyer, no seller, and no bank employee will ever need it.

Checking the item

Test it before you pay. Plug it in. Switch it on. Bring a charged power bank, a cable, or whatever it needs. Ask to meet somewhere with a plug socket if that matters.

Flog It listings describe what's visible in the photos and nothing more. If the listing doesn't say a thing works, assume it hasn't been confirmed. Ask.

Check the obvious: serial number present and not tampered with, charger and accessories included, screen and casing in the state described, no water damage, the thing actually boots.

Buying second-hand carries real risk of buying stolen goods. For phones, laptops, power tools and bikes especially: ask where it came from and whether they have the box, receipt or original packaging. If the answers are vague and the price is very low, that's your answer. Receiving stolen property is an offence even if you didn't know — and you'll lose both the item and the money.

For sellers

• Your garage shows an approximate area, never your address. Keep it that way until you've decided to deal with someone.
• Don't let a first meeting be at your home if you can avoid it.
• Don't let a stranger into the house to "have a look" at several items. Bring the items out, or arrange a time when you're not alone.
• Don't leave your phone, keys or bag within reach during a handover.
• If someone wants to buy a lot of things at once, sight unseen, at a low price, that's a dealer or worse. You're allowed to say no.

For buyers

• Don't go alone to an address you've never heard of, especially after dark.
• Send the address to someone before you leave.
• Have the agreed amount, separately from the rest of your money.
• If you arrive and something feels wrong — more people than expected, a different location, a changed story — leave. A second-hand kettle is not worth it.

Afterwards

• Mark the item sold in the app and record what it actually went for. It keeps the listing honest and it's how prices get better for everyone.
• If something went wrong, report the user. The report queue is read by a person.

If something goes wrong

• If you are in immediate danger, phone 10111 (SAPS) or 112 from a mobile.
• Report the user in Flog It, with as much detail as you can. We can remove listings and ban accounts.
• For a theft, fraud or an item that turns out to be stolen, open a case at a SAPS station. Take your messages with you — the thread is a record, and you can show it on your phone.

*Flog It is not a party to any transaction between users. We don't verify items, we don't hold money, and we can't recover it for you. This page is general guidance, not legal advice.*