Seller Safety

As a Pro Seller you control your listings, your contact methods, and your transactions. Here's how to stay safe when buyers reach out.

How OGM protects sellers

Your email + phone stay private — buyers contact you through the on-site message system. Reveal your direct contact only when you choose to.
Encrypted messaging with full thread history. Disputes have a paper trail.
Identity-verified buyers — Pro Seller dashboard shows you each buyer's account age, location, and reputation before you reply.
Block + report any buyer in one click. Banned buyers can't message any seller on the platform.
Listing analytics — see views, saves, contacts so you know what's working.

Smart seller checklist

✓ Always do this:

Verify funds clear BEFORE handing over goods, signing a deed, or transferring keys.
For real estate: use a title company or attorney. Don't accept wire transfers without escrow.
For high-value goods: cash, certified check (verified at issuing bank), or escrow only.
Keep all conversation on OGM messaging until you're ready to close. Off-platform chats have no record.
Take honest photos in current condition. Honest listings get repeat buyers and good reviews.

Common scams targeting sellers

🚩 These are scams:

The overpayment scheme. Buyer "accidentally" sends a check for more than the asking price and asks you to wire the difference back. The check bounces a week later — you lose the wired amount.
The fake escrow link. Buyer sends a link to an "escrow service" you've never heard of. It's their own site collecting your bank info. Use only nationally-known escrow services or a local title company.
The shipping label trick. Buyer offers to send their own shipping label (often stolen). The shipment gets recalled mid-route, you lose the product.
The "I'll have my agent contact you" message. The "agent" is a phishing setup to harvest your bank account info.
The Western Union / gift card buyer. Anyone paying in gift cards is laundering money. Decline.

For real-estate sellers

Off-Grid Market is a listing platform, not a brokerage. You arrange your own closing through a title company, real estate attorney, or escrow service. This keeps OGM's hands off your transaction and lets you use the closing partner you trust. Most sellers pair OGM listings with a title company for clean closings — many counties have one or two local options.

For service-providers (well drillers, solar installers, etc.)

OGM provides leads, you arrange your own invoicing and payment. We recommend: a written quote BEFORE work, a deposit upon scheduling, milestone payments for multi-day jobs. Don't start work on a "we'll figure out payment later" basis.

For marketplace sellers

If buyers pay through OGM checkout (Stripe), Stripe handles fraud protection and chargebacks. You'll receive notifications if a buyer disputes a charge. Save shipping receipts and tracking — they're your evidence in chargeback cases.