Spotting and avoiding scams
Red flags, common patterns, and how to pay safely.
Buy now's escrow protects you from most scams, as long as you stay inside it. The scams that work are the ones that talk you into stepping OUT of the protected flow.
How to pay safely
Use Buy now when you can: TradeSafe holds your money until you accept the item. No Buy now button yet? Meet somewhere public, check the bike and its serial before any money changes hands, and never pay a deposit for a bike you haven't seen.
Why this works: TradeSafe holds your funds in escrow until you accept the item (or its inspection window ends without an issue raised). Money sent before you've seen the bike has none of that protection — once you've EFT'd, the money is gone and the seller can vanish.
Red flags
From a seller
- 🚩 Price is suspiciously low for the item (30%+ below market for the same model/year)
- 🚩 Stock photos instead of their own photos of the actual item
- 🚩 "I'm overseas / abroad — courier will arrange" — they want to send a fake courier "email" asking for advance fees
- 🚩 Pushes you off CrankMart immediately ("WhatsApp me at this number, my CrankMart account is glitching")
- 🚩 Asks for EFT ("TradeSafe is too slow / too expensive / overcomplicated")
- 🚩 Brand new account with one listing and no other activity
- 🚩 Vague or evasive about details ("I'll send specs once you confirm interest")
From a buyer (for sellers)
- 🚩 Overpayment scams — buyer "accidentally" pays more and asks for the difference back
- 🚩 Fake payment confirmation emails — forwarded "TradeSafe payment received" that didn't actually happen (check your CrankMart account, not your email)
- 🚩 Pressure to ship before payment lands
- 🚩 Wants you to use a courier they specify that you've never heard of
- 🚩 Tries to negotiate down after agreeing on a price ("My budget changed — can you do R3,000?")
What a legitimate buyer / seller looks like
- Pays / lists through CrankMart's flow
- Asks specific, knowledgeable questions about the item
- Has been active on the platform — listings, ratings, or activity history
- Uses an SA mobile number that's been around for a while
- Doesn't pressure you on timing or money
If you've been scammed
- Inside CrankMart's flow: don't confirm you've received it, click "SUBMIT ISSUE" in TradeSafe's email if you have one, and email support@crankmart.com with your order number. An open issue stops TradeSafe releasing the funds while we investigate.
- Outside CrankMart's flow (EFT scam): unfortunately CrankMart can't recover funds. Report to your bank (some fraud reversals work within 24h), open a SAPS case, and report the user to us so we can ban them.
Reporting
- Listing-level scam: click the Report button on the listing
- Account-level concern: email support@crankmart.com with the username, what happened, and screenshots
- We aim to reply within one working day.
Trust signals to look for
- Verified seller badge (green ✓) — they completed TradeSafe identity + banking verification
- Member since date — long-tenured users are less likely to be one-shot scammers
- Active listings count — sellers with 5+ active listings have skin in the game
- Profile completeness — real photo, bio, location