Inside the secret car boot sale app where air fryers and Nike trainers sell for as little as £5 but scammers are rife
WITH zero selling fees, no membership costs and a hotbed of free items, buying and selling site Shpock sounds like a dream.
It’s been likened to an online car boot sale, boasts over 10 million users and it has been downloaded five million times.
The Austrian site, launched in 2014, has rivalled the likes of Gumtree and even eBay.
Iyesha Cheema-Bradshaw, Shpock’s brand and content manager, describes it as ‘a win-win’ as buying pre-loved saves money and is good for the environment.
On paper, it sounds like a site to rival all others but within its midst are scammers – unscrupulous con artists who are luring innocent sellers into handing over their bank details and profiting from counterfeits.
Concerns are echoed on TrustPilot, where the site gets just two stars.
One user reveals how her grandson paid £320 for an Xbox on the site, but never received it and another claims she was sent a counterfeit perfume, but didn’t get her money back.
Within an hour of listing an air fryer for £65 after upgrading to a new one, I was bombarded. I had six offers but not one of them seemed to be genuine – if I didn’t agree to the deal quickly, the messages and the accounts would disappear.
It meant there was no trace of who the buyers were or any record to prove they’d made me an offer in the first place.
Interestingly, they all offered the asking price and didn’t bother to haggle, which is unusual for a buying and selling site like this one.
When I accepted one offer to see what would happen next, I was immediately asked to send the ‘buyer’ an email to arrange payment and collection.
If you’re dealing with a genuine buyer the process is simple. The transaction is completed on the app and cash is exchanged via a Shpock ‘wallet’ – there’s no need to liaise with your buyer outside of the app, or provide any personal details.
One user ‘Gabriella Fawcett’ said emailing would allow her to ‘reply faster’, and as soon as I refused, she deleted the message and stopped responding.
It’s one red flag the site is across.
Shpock advises against sharing an email address – especially containing payment information – as scammers use this to target unsuspecting sellers.
On the app homepage, Shpock warns: “When entering a deal, your partner may claim they require your email address to complete payment or they may provide a payment link directly in the chat. These links are fake and aim to gather your card information.
“If you receive such a request from your partner, please do not open the link and immediately report the issue to Shpock via the menu at the top right of your chat.”
Shpock says they will never ask a user to open a link or leave the app when making or receiving payments. Like with the selling site Vinted, payments should go directly into your Shpock wallet ready for withdrawal.
I reported my ‘buyer’ to Shpock who later replied saying they had permanently suspended their account and relisted my item.
A week later and I’m yet to have one genuine offer on the air fryer.
Next, I tried listing some Nike running trainers for £5 but no bites for those either.
It’s disappointing, because if it wasn’t for the scammers, the app would be a great way to pick up items nearby very cheaply – or free.
And because all the transactions are carried out online, there’s no traipsing around a wet, muddy field on a Sunday morning in search of a bargain.
I came across a free chocolate fountain for the kids but it was snapped up before I had a chance to buy.
A quick search online reveals thousands of reports from people who have either been the victim of a scam on the app, or have stopped the transaction before completion due to suspicions.
Lynsey Hope
Looking a bit further afield, I could have had all sorts, from dressing tables and leather jackets – as well as free cardboard boxes (handy if you’re moving house) and wooden pallets.
And my experience wasn’t entirely bad.
Before using the site, I’d tried selling my daughter’s wooden dolls pram on eBay but had no luck.
When I listed the same on Shpock, someone came to collect it the same day.
However, the bad outweighs the good, in my opinion.
“The only way you can protect yourself is to stick to the actual payment website, never make direct bank transfers and ignore all emails and messages and ‘payment links’
Martyn James
A quick search online reveals thousands of reports from people who have either been the victim of a scam on the app, or have stopped the transaction before completion due to suspicions.
Consumer expert Martyn James, at martynjamesexpert.co.uk, says: “Second-hand sales market places are often targeted by scammers, particularly where it is perceived that there isn’t much of a buyer seller protection policy. Sellers and buyers need to be on their guard to avoid the huge variety of scams out there. Remember, if something looks too good to be true, it usually is.
“Paying by PayPal is protected if there is a dispute but sellers have to be wary as fake PayPal emails are endemic from scammers. I get loads every week.
“The only way you can protect yourself is to stick to the actual payment website, never make direct bank transfers and ignore all emails and messages and ‘payment links’.”
One user, who asked not to be named, was contacted in 2021 by someone interested in buying her Panasonic CD Stereo System – and arranged to pay for it via PayPal.
SHPOCK'S ADVICE FOR AVOIDING FRAUD
- Only talk to other users via Shpock: We can’t help if we can’t see what’s been said, so make sure you only talk to other users directly through the Shpock chat.
- Avoid giving out your personal information
- Avoid unsafe payment methods: You’re only fully covered by us if you use Shpock integrated payments. If you pay with anything else (like PayPal Friends & Family), we won’t be able to refund you if something goes wrong.
- Look out for too good to be true prices: If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Report anything you’re unsure of via the item page and our Trust team will investigate.
- Only complete your deal when you’re happy with your item: If you have a delivery deal, do not confirm the deal until you’ve got the item and you’re happy with it. To be covered by our Buyer Protection you must report a problem to us within 7 days of the item being shipped.
- You don’t need to pay a deposit: If you’re collecting something you should only pay for your item when you’ve seen it and you’re happy with it.
- Always use tracked delivery: Make sure you get proof of postage for the item you’ve sent so you can track it if it doesn’t arrive.
After an email exchange, the buyer claimed to be housebound due to illness and said an ‘agent’ would collect it from the seller’s home.
A few days later, and after sending a fake email confirming payment via PayPal, the buyer said they had a ‘a little problem’ as the agent could only schedule the pick up after they received a collection fee of £100.
The buyer went onto ask the seller to pay this in cryptocurrency – a digital currency – and promised they’d be refunded. Fortunately the seller grew suspicious and ended all communication.
Another user known as ‘fashionme_03’ sold a Gucci handbag on the app.
Buyer Protection
Just like me, she was sent dozens of emails from users offering to pay full price and was then asked to email to arrange collection.
Although the app bans counterfeit products, I saw dozens of items I suspected weren’t genuine including some Apple Airpods and a Gucci handbag.
Shpock says that if collecting an item in person you should make sure you are happy with it before handing over money and taking it home, which could suggest that paying by cash is safest.
If you choose to have an item delivered, for an additional small fee you are covered by Buyer Protection which means you’re entitled to a refund if the item doesn’t arrive – or it isn’t as described.
Shpock were approached for comment.