How to know if a seller's store is trustworthy

The first time I bought something secondhand in Colombia was a fan — 80,000 pesos, seller in Laureles. I sent him the money through Nequi without having met him in person. It worked out. But before doing that, I spent ten minutes looking at his store and asking questions that I now ask whenever I buy on a marketplace.

Buying on platforms like Colombia Move has clear advantages: lower prices than in stores, hard-to-find products, sellers specialized in what they sell. But it also means dealing with people you don't know. Before making any payment or coordinating a meeting, the question is always the same: how do I know if this seller is trustworthy?

The answer, in large part, is in the store. Each seller has a public page on Colombia Move — and that page says much more than it seems, if you know what to look for.

What a seller's store reveals first

When you enter a seller's store, the first thing you see is their profile photo, store name, a description, and their active listings. That's already quite a bit of information.

A serious seller has a real photo — not a generic silhouette avatar or a brand logo they downloaded from Google. The photo doesn't have to be professional, but it has to be theirs or their business's. If the profile has been active for months and still has the default gray icon, something doesn't add up.

The store name also matters. "Ferretería Hernández Envigado" says more than "user5829". It's not that an unpolished name is an automatic sign of fraud — there are honest sellers with basic profiles — but someone who took the time to name their store and write a description is doing something different from someone who posted a photo quickly at 11 at night.

Read the description carefully. Does it mention what they sell? Where are they located? Do they do shipping or only in-person sales? Do they have a usual response time? The more specific, the better. An empty or generic description ("Sale of guaranteed quality products") says nothing and should make you go slower before proceeding.

How useful reviews are — and how to read them properly

Ratings are the most valuable data you have about an unknown seller. But not all reviews are worth the same.

First, look at the total number. A seller with 40 positive reviews is very different from one with 3. It's not that 3 is bad — it could be someone new — but it requires more questions before trusting.

Second, read the content. A review that says "very good thanks" doesn't tell you much. One that says "arrived the same day, well packaged, exactly as in the photo, responded quickly on WhatsApp" is gold. Look for concrete details: delivery time, product condition, communication. That's what you want to know.

Third, pay attention to how the seller responds to bad reviews. Do they ignore them? Get defensive? Offer a solution? A seller who responds to a dissatisfied buyer with "it's not my fault" generates more distrust than the same negative review. One who writes "we're sorry, contact us to resolve it" is showing that they care about their reputation.

The publication history: signals nobody mentions

Look at how many active listings they have and how consistent they are. A seller who has been selling used electronics for months, with 25 listings, all with their own photos, reasonable prices and detailed descriptions — that seller knows what they're doing.

On the other hand, a profile with a single listing, photos that look straight from MercadoLibre and a price well below market deserves more questions before proceeding.

Prices are another signal. I'm not saying everything cheap is fraud — secondhand prices vary a lot. But if something costs half of what it's worth on any other platform and the seller can't explain why, it's time to pause. The old saying applies: if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Red flags you shouldn't overlook

Here are the things that personally make me disconnect immediately:

Asks for payment before showing the product. If before coordinating delivery they're already asking you to send them money through Nequi or Daviplata, that's the classic fraud pattern. A legitimate seller has no problem showing you the item first.

Excessive pressure. "I only have this until today", "there are three people interested", "if you don't pay me now I'll sell it". It might be true sometimes. But it's also the favorite tactic to keep you from stopping to think.

Photos from the internet or reused. You can do a reverse image search (right-click in Chrome → "Search image") to verify if the photo comes from another site. If it turns out the photo is from a store in Lima or the manufacturer's official page, the seller clearly doesn't have that product.

Copied or generic description. When the listing text sounds like a template — "high quality product, shipping to all Colombia, warranty included" — without any concrete detail about the specific item, it's a sign that the seller doesn't have much to say about what they're selling.

No neighborhood or real city. A serious seller knows where they are. If the listing only says "Colombia" without any city or area detail, how are you going to coordinate delivery?

How to contact a seller with a clear head

When something seems good but you're still not completely sure, the fastest way to clear up doubts is through WhatsApp. Most sellers on Colombia Move have direct contact available, and the speed and quality of the response says a lot about who they are.

Ask concrete things: is the product available today? Can you send me an additional photo of the serial number / battery condition / back? Can we do the delivery at a public place? A good faith seller responds without problem. One who gets evasive or says they "can't take more photos right now" is raising red flags.

For in-person deliveries, suggest a public place: a shopping center, a metro station, a well-known café. Never a parking lot alone or the home of someone you don't know on the first meeting.

What if something goes wrong anyway?

Even taking all precautions, it can happen to you. Maybe the product arrived different from the photo, or the seller stopped responding after payment. In that case, there are concrete steps you can follow.

Document everything. Save screenshots of the conversation, photos of what you received, transaction number. That documentation is what you need if you want to report or file a claim.

Leave an honest review. I know it's a hassle to write, but negative reviews are what help other buyers the most. A seller with specific comments about a problem is a warning worth leaving.

Report the listing or profile from the platform. The tool exists for that. And if there was a money transfer involved, contact your bank or Nequi/Daviplata to file a complaint — sometimes there are reversal mechanisms that people don't know about.

Frequently asked questions about how to evaluate sellers in Colombia

❓ What do I do if a seller asks me to pay before showing me the product?

Don't pay. A legitimate seller doesn't need you to pay before coordinating delivery or showing you the item. If they insist on receiving the money first without any guarantee, disconnect and look for another option. It's the most common fraud pattern on Colombian marketplaces.

❓ How do I know if a seller's reviews are real?

Read the content, not just the score. Real reviews mention concrete details: delivery time, product condition, how the communication was. Fake ones tend to be short, vague and without specific information. Also check if all the reviews arrived on the same day — that can be a sign they were artificially generated.

❓ Can I shop safely without meeting the seller in person?

Yes, many sellers ship with companies like Servientrega or Interrapidísimo. But if it's your first purchase with someone with no review history, prefer to coordinate an in-person delivery in a public place, or use a service with shipment tracking so you have traceability.

❓ What's the difference between a reliable store and a basic profile?

A reliable store has a real photo, complete description with contact information and location, several active listings and at least some reviews. A basic profile could be from someone honest who just arrived on the platform, but it requires more questions before proceeding with a payment.

❓ Where do I see a seller's complete store on Colombia Move?

Each seller has a public store page at colombiamove.com/tienda/{user}. From there you see all their active listings, their reviews and their contact information. You can also get there by clicking on the seller's name from any listing.

Do you have questions about a particular seller?

If you're evaluating a purchase and aren't sure what to do, you can ask directly in the Colombia Move community. There are active buyers and sellers who can guide you on how to evaluate a specific situation — or simply give you a second opinion before making a decision.