Hi, Recently I have been selling several sites. I had a great number of so-called "fake" website buyers. They write the emails, act like they are very interested in purchase of the site. When all the money-talk is done. "Fake" buyer acts like: "Hay man before I transfer you money, can I go in your host root and take a look at the files?" After getting polite version: "Off course not. Are you crazy?" they loose any interest about the potential deal. Who in the world would like to look into the host root at files? I have had several "fakers" like that. I bet these people "play" buyers for the only purpose to steal the script or design. I understand that sometimes is an opposite situation and the seller can not send the files or script but it is always possible to get a refund from the PayPal. Did you meet buyers with similar behavior, who asked you to take a look in your host root?
I've never had that asked of me, but being staunch about not giving details before payment is 100% protection.
I was recently selling a myspace resource site. OK, the script is the free script that everyone has ,right, I was only selling it for $$$ because it was marketed with SE traffic. BTW Still for sale. Anyway, I had about 3 emails like that. It's very obvious what they are doing. And I thought it was funny they asked me to see the files, and the script is absolutely free and all over the webmaster sites. Yea, it does happen, and i don't like it. They need to go! Pay for the script like everyone else does, or in my case use a free one and promote the shit out of it!
That would be very stupid to let them go to your scripts, obviously they will be stolen, almost 100%.
Yes its sad... I've taken a risk like this before with one of my complete sites, the deal went through fine, but looking back on it I never should have taken the risk.