If you've spent more than ten minutes shopping for used auto parts online, you've already met a scammer. They live on Facebook Marketplace, eBay, Craigslist, and every parts forum that lets anyone post for free. They use stolen photos, ship empty boxes, and disappear the second your money clears. The used-parts industry has a fraud problem — and it's getting worse every year.
Red flag #1: The price is too good to be true
A $400 transmission that retails used for $1,400 is not a deal — it's bait. Scammers price low because they have no intention of shipping anything. Real sellers price within 15–20% of the market because they actually have to move inventory.
Red flag #2: They want to leave the platform
Zelle, Cash App, Venmo, wire transfer, gift cards. The moment a seller asks you to pay outside the marketplace, the marketplace cannot protect you. That is the entire point of the request.
Red flag #3: Stock photos and no proof
If they cannot send a video of the part with today's date written on a sticky note, the part does not exist. Real sellers will happily prove they have it.
Red flag #4: Brand new account, zero history
Scammers burn accounts. A profile created last week with no sales history is a profile created to take your money once.
Red flag #5: No verified identity
This is the one that matters. On every other platform, the person you're paying is fundamentally anonymous. Parts Match requires government ID verification for every seller and every buyer before they can transact. No verification, no listing, no exceptions.
How Parts Match eliminates all five
Payment is protected until the part is delivered and inspected. Every user is identity-verified through Stripe Identity. Off-platform payment requests trigger automatic account suspension. The five red flags above simply cannot exist on Parts Match — by design.