[DreamerJoe]

I've been a little hesitant buying from members when they have to ship the product, obviously the safest way is local meetup. I almost got scammed by the dude who wanted payment in walmart giftcards so he can help support and firther his wifes career, lol.

besides the obvious and looking into the sellers profile, not his first post or past negative transactions, what's the best way to go about this? have them send a pic with username and date while they are at ups/fed ex shipping the item? sorry if this seems like a stupid question or common sense, but I've never purchased from a private seller where they've had to ship. I read a few threads up, to not use zelle or venmo, but to use paypal.. does paypal have some sort of hold on the funds until both parties are satisfied? I just feel like I'm missing out on a lot and not sure if I'm just being overly paranoid or what.. Thanks guys!