Over the past few months, we've seen a significant rise in scams targeting Buying posts. Accounts respond to [W] posts with bogus offers, push for irreversible payment methods, provide fake timestamps, and simply never ship. At best, you get your money back after weeks of disputes. At worst, it's gone for good. It has reached the point where more trades originating from Buying posts are fraudulent than legitimate.
Because of this, the mod team is seriously considering removing Buying posts. No decision has been made yet. This affects everyone who trades here, so we want to hear from you before anything changes.
Problem with Buying Posts
1. Everything happens out of public view.
A seller replying to a Buying post never makes a public listing. Any timestamps they provide are sent privately, where no one else can check them, so fake, stolen, or recycled photos are easy to pass off. The community can't spot red flags, warn the buyer, down-vote, or report. If something goes wrong, moderators are left with screenshots of private messages, which makes scams harder to investigate, harder to tie to alt accounts, and slower to act on.
2. Buying posts give scammers a target list.
A [W] post tells everyone exactly what someone wants and that they're ready to pay. Scammers can contact the buyer directly, offer a price just low enough to be tempting, and push urgency ("someone else is interested"). The buyer is exposed publicly, and the seller is not.
3. They bypass our account requirements.
New, low-karma, or compromised accounts that couldn't meet our posting requirements can still reply to Buying posts or DM the buyer. That makes Buying posts the easiest entry point for throwaway and purchased accounts.
The case against removing them
We want to be upfront that removal isn't a perfect fix, and there are good arguments on the other side:
1. Scammers will adapt.
We know that removing Buying posts only close one route. Scammers would likely shift to watching Selling posts and messaging the people who comment on them: "I noticed you're interested in the XYZ. I have a similar model for sale for a bit less." This already happens, and it could become more common.
This would require vigilance from our buyers that they only deal with sellers that have made a proper Selling post.
2. Hard-to-find parts get harder to find.
For older, niche, or rarely listed hardware, a Buying post often feels the only way to reach someone who has the part sitting in a drawer but would never have thought to list it.
3. Legitimate traders lose a useful tool.
Many honest users have completed good trades through Buying posts. Removing them affects those users as much as it affects scammers.
We know removing Buying posts would make tracking down specific or hard-to-find parts harder, and we won't make this decision lightly.
- Looking for something? You'd search the subreddit or HWSMarket.com, since most items get listed regularly. If you can't find it, other marketplaces like eBay, Swappa, OfferUp, Mercari, or Vinted are options.
- Sell by answering Buying posts? You'd make a normal Selling post with timestamps instead.
- Unsolicited offers to sell you something without a public listing would be treated as scams and should be reported.
- Scammers use compromised Reddit and Paypal accounts and are willing to use Paypal Invoice and G&S because the PayPal info is stolen so it's important to review the invoice and ensure proper comments for what you are buying is mentioned on the PayPal transaction.
We don't take this lightly, and want your feedback!
Tell us what you think in the comments, or in the Discord channel #buying-feedback.
Some questions we'd especially like answered:
- Have you been scammed, or approached by a likely scammer, through a Buying post?
- Would removing Buying posts affect how you use the community?
- Is there a middle ground you'd prefer, such as keeping Buying posts but requiring all offers to be made publicly in the comments?
We'll collect feedback until 10/15/2026 and then share our decision along with what we heard from you.
How to buy safely
Whatever happens, these apply now:
- Only buy from a public Selling post. Comment on the listing before sending a PM, and keep the conversation tied to that post. Scammers watch Selling posts and DM the people who comment, offering a "similar model for a bit less." If someone contacts you about an item you never saw them list, it's almost certainly a scam. Only trade with the person whose listing you commented on.
- Always use PayPal Goods & Services. Even better, ask the seller to send an official PayPal invoice listing the items sold, their condition, and everything included.
- Never pay without proper timestamps. If a deal seems too good to be true, it usually is.
- Watch for payment account switches. A seller should only ever use their own PayPal account. If the seller's PayPal "isn't working" and they ask you to pay a different account or person, stop the trade and contact the moderators. This is a common scam.
- Ask for help when unsure. Reach out to the community on our Discord, send a modmail, or open a Discord ticket with the moderation team.
How to sell safely
- Only deal with buyers who have commented on your Selling post. If a buyer refuses to comment on your thread, report them to the moderators. This often means the account is banned.
- Only ship to the address on the paid PayPal transaction. If the buyer needs a different address, refund the payment and have them pay again with the correct one.
- Take thorough timestamps. They don't just prove you have the item, they document its condition. Clear photos are your best defense against "item not as described" return scams.
- Consider recording your packing. A short video of the item going into the box and being sealed can help settle "empty box" or "wrong item" claims.
