The safest way to buy & sell used video games online in Canada
For a local deal, meet in a public place and pay cash or Interac e-Transfer in person after you've inspected the item. For anything shipped or higher-value, use escrow — a service that holds the buyer's payment until they confirm the item arrived and matches — so a no-show or a "not as described" can't burn either side.
The three ways people usually get burned
- Paying ahead for a shipped item that never arrives. An e-transfer to a stranger has no recall once it's accepted.
- Getting an item that isn't the condition — or isn't the item — that was promised.
- A buyer reversing a payment after receiving the goods (a chargeback on a direct card or PayPal payment).
How to avoid all three
Meet in person when you can
Local cash or Interac e-Transfer, in a busy public place, after you've inspected the item, is the simplest safe deal there is. Confirm the item and the money before anyone leaves.
When you can't meet, use escrow
Don't pay a stranger directly for something shipped. With escrow, the buyer pays but the money is held — the seller ships, and the funds are only released once the buyer confirms the item arrived as described. It's the one mechanism that covers both "it never came" and "it's not what was described," and it protects the seller too: a bad-faith buyer can't just take the item and deny receiving it.
Price off sold, not asking
Whether you're buying or selling, check what a title actually sold for — eBay's "sold items" filter is the fastest reality check. Asking prices are wishes; sold prices are the market.
Questions
How does escrow actually work?
The buyer pays at checkout, but the money is held — the seller doesn't get it yet. The seller ships or hands over the item. Once the buyer confirms it arrived and matches (or the confirmation window passes without a dispute), the funds are released to the seller. If it never shows or isn't as described, the buyer opens a dispute while the money's still held.
Is Interac e-Transfer safe for buying games?
It's fine in person, once you've seen the item. Sending an e-transfer ahead for something shipped is risky — there's no chargeback and no recall once it's deposited. For shipped deals, use escrow instead.
How do I not get scammed selling locally?
Meet in public and in daylight, take cash or Interac in person (never a mailed cheque or a "pay you after it arrives" promise), and count or confirm before you hand anything over. For shipped deals, don't rely on trust — use escrow.
On Vidsmark, escrow and the sold-price checks are built in. Browse listings → · More in the FAQ →