# Buying pre-owned libraries



## Tacet (May 22, 2018)

Hey guys

So I posted my first WTB thread in the for sale section - then realized I'm not quite sure what the accepted process is for selling/buying pre-owned libs.

Is the buyer expected to pay the seller in full first, then just keep their fingers crossed and wait for the seller to send the relevant product keys/License transfer ID's etc?
It seems to me that it's a case of caveat emptor (buyer beware)... is that fair, or am I being a tad cynical?

While I fully expect the good folks here at VI-Control to honor their seller's committments, how about ebay or other forums?
Any horror stories I should be aware of?

Thanks in advance for your help
Tacet


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## aaronventure (May 22, 2018)

If you pay via PayPal, you can issue a chargeback. The seller will then be forced to provide proof that they sent you the keys. If they fail to prove it (in this case screenshot that they sent you the key in the mail), you get your money back and the seller has to cover the chargeback costs. If the key is fake, I guess you can provide it uncensored to the PayPal staff and they are free to try it themselves? Anyway, if you get wronged after having paid via PayPal, I'm sure you'll get your money back. 

I've never bought second-hand libraries but I've bought a lot of other second hand stuff online and never had any trouble (I always paid via PayPal). Chargeback wastes the sellers' time and money, they don't wanna bother with that.


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## Henu (May 22, 2018)

I tend to check if I can spot anything related to the seller's reputation first. Postcount, any sorts of "signs" that something could be wrong, etc. 

The best is of course when they sell different things in one topic and you can see that something is sold (without any complaints later) or a buyer has even commented underneath that everything went smoothly. 
Personally, I tend always to leave a positive response towards the seller to show that he/she was a trustworthy person and wish that it would help to sell the rest of the products as well.


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## korruptkey (May 24, 2018)

Tacet said:


> Is the buyer expected to pay the seller in full first, then just keep their fingers crossed and wait for the seller to send the relevant product keys/License transfer ID's etc?
> It seems to me that it's a case of caveat emptor (buyer beware)... is that fair, or am I being a tad cynical?



I've always wondered why people would think otherwise. When has there been a buyer seller transaction where the goods were given first? It's always buyer beware. At best there would be a middleman. 

In college, I tried to sell an audio interface off online classified section. Some guy on the other side of the country really wanted it, but wanted me to mail the device first. I told him he was out of his mind over the phone, he insists I'm stupid and would never make it in the "real world". Later he leaves me a voicemail asking to meet halfway and he'll send me half the cash with some escrow service and I'll send him the device. Oh, and no paypal, because he doesn't trust paypal. But wants me to use an escrow service with a website that looked so generic it could've been made yesterday. I sold the card later that day to someone local who was willing to pay higher. True story.


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## JC_ (May 24, 2018)

Assuming the plugin you are getting is transferable, the general practice is money upfront and then they transfer the license to you. I find that post history and feedback usually give you a good idea of what kind of person you're dealing with. Not sure if this is still a thing but be wary of people asking you to send money via Paypal using the "friends and family" option. As far as I know, there's no protection for a buyer who uses that.

I am pretty skeptical by nature but I've had nothing but positive experiences with 2nd-hand plugin marketplaces and it is kind of fun to be able to sell plugins you aren't using.


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## kimarnesen (May 27, 2018)

If you're buying something quite expensive, you could suggest that you pay 50% first, and 50% when you've received the license. Other than that I suggest checking if the seller is a regular user of the forum.


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## pderbidge (May 29, 2018)

Some libraries can only be transferred with a developers help where the buyer requests they transfer the license to you. I like this scenario since you can get assurance you are getting a legit license. That's how I obtained embertones violin.


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## CT (May 29, 2018)

I think trust goes both ways.

I haven't bought anything second-hand yet, but I did recently sell something for the first time. I made sure the buyer had the library and could use it before going ahead with the payment process. Like someone else pointed out, this trust was based on the fact that this guy is a regular member here who I didn't think for a second would screw me.

I'd say as long as you're dealing with someone "established" here, either as a buyer or a seller, you can feel at ease. It's a good group!


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## Voider (Jun 4, 2018)

aaronventure said:


> If you pay via PayPal, you can issue a chargeback.



Afaik there is no customer protection when you use the "send money" function.


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