I would like to ask posters in DP who are experienced in buying sites on the net: What are the steps you take when approaching the webmaster of a site to buy the site from him/her? If the webmaster agrees to sell, when do you usually pay, before or after the webmaster transfer the site to your ownership? What are the best methods of payment to use (online or offline), and the company you use? What procedures can I take to prevent from being ripped off with the webmaster running away with my money and not holding up to his/her end of the agreement? Thank you for your input
Are you buying from auction site? If you are using credit card for payment you can seek for chargeback if you face any problem. However check these guideline issued by FTC for more detail; http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/online/auctions.htm
The buyer always pay the seller before he transfers the domain. If the transaction involves a lot of money, then I would suggest you go through Sedo or Escrow.com. This way, you won't be "ripped off".
i think if you deal with trusted members here you can go smooth, check the itrader ratings and then decide for payment mode.
I agree it is best to use an escrow service from escrow.com otherwise you might get scammed very easily
If the Transaction involves lots of money to be put, you should only use escrow services because the possibility of being ripped off is very high