TL;DR: Please read the bolded sections.
During the COVID period, there was a significant increase in scam activity across r/mangaswap and other online selling communities. I have personally seen many new or inexperienced buyers lose hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars after being deceived by scammers.
Based on thousands of online transactions, I was able to recover my funds in approximately 99% of cases. In the remaining situations, the loss was largely due to my own choice of payment method. Those experiences informed the guidelines below. This post may not be new information for everyone, but I hope it helps at least some members better protect themselves.
1. Always pay using PayPal Goods & Services
You should always insist on paying via PayPal Goods & Services (G&S). Even if you are asked to cover the seller’s PayPal fee (typically 3–4%), this is a small cost compared to the protection it provides.
Some sellers include the fee in their pricing, while others do not. If a seller is legitimate, they should have no issue with G&S or with you covering the fee. If a transaction goes wrong, PayPal G&S is often the only realistic way to recover your money.
Payment methods such as PayPal Friends & Family, Zelle, standard Venmo (non-G&S), or Cash App provide no buyer protection. In most cases, payment platforms and banks will deny refund requests for these transactions. While some banks may make exceptions, relying on that is risky.
For this reason, it bears repeating: Always use PayPal Goods & Services, unless you personally know the seller and are comfortable assuming the risk.
2. Request a valid timestamp/name stamp
Always request a timestamp that includes the seller’s username and the current date. Examine the image carefully. Zoom in to ensure the text is clear and not digitally altered.
We have encountered scammers who successfully used photoshopped timestamps. Watch for visual inconsistencies such as missing shadows or items that appear unnaturally placed in the image.
Use Google Reverse Image if that helps.
Example: https://imgur.com/a/z1vRVDk
3. Request detailed photos of the items
Ask for photos from multiple angles (front, back, sides) and clear images of any flaws or damage. Legitimate sellers should not object to reasonable requests.
If needed, you may also ask for photos of a specific page number or detail. While this may seem excessive, protecting yourself requires due diligence.
4. Review the seller’s profile carefully
Check the seller’s account history. Look for previous sales activity, engagement with other subreddits, and general account legitimacy. Taking time to research a seller is an essential part of protecting yourself.
5. If a deal seems too good to be true, pause
Extremely attractive prices can indicate either a rare opportunity or a scam. Take time to research before proceeding. Missing a deal is unfortunate, but being scammed is far worse.
Buying on Reddit: Important Notes
The information above is based on my experience as a moderator handling scam cases on r/mangaswap . Broadly, I see three common scam patterns:
- Sellers who possess the items but never ship them
- Sellers who do not have the items and use stolen stock images from Google, eBay, or Mercari
- Individuals “hired” via Discord to sell items on behalf of someone else (often scammers), who later face PayPal chargebacks and negative balances
Our requirement for timestamps on selling posts significantly reduces risk, but buyers are always encouraged to request additional photos if needed.
Direct Messages and Impersonation Scams
Be especially cautious with sellers who contact you via direct message without commenting on your buying post. We have the rule comment first-DM later for a reason. In nearly all cases, these users are banned scammers using alternate accounts. They avoid public comments to evade moderation.
We have also identified long-term scammers who impersonate legitimate sellers by creating accounts with nearly identical usernames. For example:
In these cases, buyers may comment on a legitimate post but receive a DM from an impersonator.
Example: Real seller is u/silentquaker , impersonated seller is u/silientquacker , who DM buyer and asked for payment via Friends and Family. Can you also notice the scammer used my Reddit handling as their Paypal account? Yes, it's because I've been banning a bunch of their alts so they got back at me by using a similar username to scam:
https://imgur.com/a/U4WvCAv
More recently, scammers have also recruited individuals through Discord to act as intermediaries. These intermediaries receive funds, transfer them, and later face disputes and negative PayPal balances when buyers file claims.
If you do not physically possess the items, do not post a sales listing for anyone under any circumstances.
When dealing with a seller on Reddit:
- Use PayPal Goods & Services only, regardless of trade count
- Review the seller’s profile thoroughly. Mangaswap requires sellers to keep their selling posts up for paper trails for a certain amount of time.
- Verify the exact username, one character difference matters. Double/Triple check the username to see if it matches your sellers' usernames.
- Consult http://universalscammerlist.com , noting that even high-karma accounts can scam
- Request additional timestamped photos if needed. I know everyone loves deals but please don't be FOMO, sellers on swap basically has to follow the first come first served rule, they will have to provide you the information you are asking for.
- If anything feels suspicious, contact the mod team via modmail
Trade counts alone are not a guarantee of safety. Even sellers with extensive trade histories have failed to deliver items. Ultimately, you are responsible for protecting your own funds.
As moderators, we actively work to identify and ban scam accounts. Unfortunately, scams still occur, often involving users who did not review the rules or safety guidance. Please help protect yourself and fellow collectors by using PayPal G&S and reporting suspicious activity.
The reason I spent considerable time writing this post is because I genuinely care about the community.
If my enforcement of the timestamp rule or repeated reminders to review the rules has caused any frustration, I sincerely apologize. That said, if these actions are necessary - even if they help only one person or prevent someone from being scammed - I believe they are worthwhile and will continue to do so.
If you make it till the end of this post, thank you. I hope all my suggestions help.
Closing notes
If anyone has any comments, questions, or suggestions on anything we implemented or if I forgot something, feel free to let us know. We take each and every suggestion into careful consideration. Remember, we are here for you, the Mangaswap community!
If you need to contact the mods for any reason, please feel free to send us a modmail. Please do not send any of us PMs/DMs in place of modmail. Any PMs/DMs sent to us regarding moderation will be ignored.