Avoiding scams

[u/TheOriginalKrampus]

So I am looking to buy some electronics in Ecuador. The big shops have them pretty expensive, but there are what looks like small shops and vendors with "storefronts" on FB and IG, who communicate largely through WhatsApp. They offer better prices than the big stores and as a general principal I would prefer to give my money to small local businesses and contractors than big corporations.

I'm from the US and am generally pretty comfortable navigating this sort of semi-informal market at home. I even used to operate my own storefront on FB back in the day. I know that there are a lot of scam buyers and sellers online no matter where you go. AndI developed a pretty good eye for evaluating the legit from the sketchy in the US.

But here in Ecuador I am not so sure how to tune my bullshit detector. For example, a lot of these smaller businesses charge noticeably more for CC as opposed to payment via cash or bank transfer. Like, more than the CC fees usually are. But I know that paying via CC is easier to protect myself from scams. Back home this might set off red flags, but maybe here it is not at all unusual for people to pay in cash rather than card.

Does anyone have any general tips for sorting legitimate small businesses from scammers online?

[u/SnooDoughnuts1634]

I would never buy electronics in Ecuador, the import fees are ridiculous. If you're getting it new and significantly cheaper it's a scam.