4. The mystery box method

Sketchy sellers on Amazon sometimes post “mystery box” ads that seem too good to be true because they promise substantial discounts on high-priced goods. However, the vast majority of the time, you will be duped and risk paying tons of money in vain.

A man from YouTube wanted to try this method out and spent $110 for a “mystery package” that might have included a computer graphics card worth more than $2,500. Instead, he got a 2nd-hand graphics card from 2007 that was physically broken and barely worked with.

Here’s how those scams work:

• Con artists advertise “mystery boxes” that they say contain items worth a lot more than the price they’re asking;
• There are usually many price points, with the promise that if you pay more, you have “more chances” of obtaining the desirable item;
• In reality, however, what is delivered the vast majority of the time is subpar, damaged, or antiquated. Since you intentionally purchased the “mystery package,” Amazon will not provide a refund.

Here’s what to do:

Beware of any advertisement for a “mystery package”, because you’ll end up wasting a lot of money. Don’t forget that you shouldn’t put too much stock in the reviews on Amazon, even if they seem genuine. If you want to discover what other customers think, you can read reviews of merchants on sites like Trustpilot and Reddit.