Just like @amaw, I am also a newbie but unlike him I am very serious and interested in posting stuff at the buy/sell/trade section of this forum. I also agree with @n’gel and @xyberblue re asking for membership fees for whoever posts at said section but I hope Mods can find a way to implement guidelines where both buyers and sellers are protected coz this is a gray area.
I’ve been doing transactions selling laptops in Cebu for a couple of years now and so far I haven’t had any problems so far (knock on wood). These are some of my suggestions for both buyers and sellers: sellers usually have the right to choose the time and place, if a prospective buyer wants to check a said item and wants a demo then choose a very public area ie food courts, coffee shops in SM and Ayala or any other mall located nearest you. lunchtime and anytime after 5pm would be a good time doing these transactions since it’s at these times where the crowd is heaviest . It would be of great help if you have a bank acct in any of the banks located in those malls so you could deposit the payments automatically (iin this case lunchtime would be perfect since banks close at 3pm). But the most important thing of all, bring 2 or more of your most trusted buddies coz this would deter somebody who have bad intentions in pushing thru with their plans. These are not fail-safe ideas but it’s a good start.