You found a listing that interests you. The price looks right, the photos seem fine. But how do you know in 60 seconds if this listing is real or if you're about to get scammed?
Here's the systematic method used by Trustee to analyze thousands of listings every month.
The 7 points to check in under a minute
1. Is the price consistent with the market?
Open two or three similar listings. If the price is more than 30% below average, that's an immediate red flag.
Scammers play on the "great deal" effect to trigger a quick reaction and get you to pay before you have time to think.
Rule: a price that's too low is never a chance, it's almost always a trap.
2. Do the photos come from the real listing?
Right-click on a photo → "Search image on Google".
If the same photo appears on other sites, foreign listings or brand catalogues, the photos were stolen. The seller doesn't own the item.
3. Is the seller profile credible?
Check:
- Account creation date: an account created less than 2 weeks ago is suspicious
- Number of listings: 0 or 1 listing + recent account = throwaway profile
- Reviews: no reviews doesn't necessarily mean a scam, but it's one more factor
4. Is the description generic or specific?
A real listing describes the actual condition: "scratch on the left side", "battery at 87%", "original box missing".
A fake listing copy-pastes the manufacturer's official description, with no personal information about the item's condition.
5. Are they pushing for an off-platform transaction?
"I prefer we sort this out on WhatsApp", "Payment by bank transfer is simpler", "I can't use buyer protection for technical reasons"...
Never. Buyer protection only exists if the transaction goes through the platform's system. Going off-platform means you lose all recourse.
6. Are they creating artificial urgency?
"I have 3 other interested people", "I'm going abroad tomorrow", "It's the last one available"...
Urgency is a classic manipulation technique to make you decide fast and badly. A real seller doesn't need to rush you.
7. Do they refuse a meeting or video?
For any purchase over €50, ask to either see the item in person or get a short video of them holding the item with a sheet of paper with your name written on it.
A legitimate seller will always agree. A scammer will find an excuse.
The quick method with Trustee
If you don't want to do all this manually, Trustee does it in seconds.
Copy the listing URL, paste it into Trustee — the AI simultaneously analyzes the price, images, seller profile and listing language, and gives you a trust score with detected signals.
Summary
| Signal | What it means |
|---|---|
| Price 30% below market | Likely scam |
| Photos found on other sites | Stolen photos |
| Account < 2 weeks old | Throwaway profile |
| Off-platform transaction | Classic trap |
| Artificial urgency | Manipulation |
| Refusal to meet/video | Item doesn't exist |