Buying a used PC part without getting scammed
An RTX 3070 for €150, a seller in a hurry who suggests moving the chat to WhatsApp, a “secure payment” link that looks exactly like leboncoin… Second-hand scams almost always follow the same script. This guide focuses on PC parts bought on leboncoin, the French classifieds site: how to spot the trap, pay safely and check the part before you confirm the sale.
The simple rule. As long as the conversation and the payment stay inside leboncoin, you are protected. The moment someone pulls you off the platform — WhatsApp, text message, e-mail, an outside link, a bank transfer — you no longer are.
1. Know the real price before talking to the seller
The first red flag is the price. Before replying to a listing, check the model's used price index: the median, the range covering half of the listings, and our good-deal threshold. A listing a little under the index is a good deal. A listing at half price is almost always bait.
On our pages, a listing far below the market gets a To check badge instead of “Deal”: it isn't necessarily a scam, but that is where you need to be extra careful. The Price stability banner above the chart also tells you whether the index is a reliable reference or only a ballpark.
2. The most common scam: leaving leboncoin
The script hardly changes. The seller (or the buyer, if you are the one selling) answers fast, is very accommodating, then suggests moving to WhatsApp or text messages because “it's easier”. Once you are outside leboncoin's messaging, nothing is logged or moderated any more, and the scammer has a free hand.
Then comes the fake link. You receive a page imitating leboncoin, a parcel carrier or a “secure payment” service, with the right logo and colours. It asks for your card number, sometimes for a code sent by text message. If you are selling, the excuse is often “to receive the payment”: but you never need to enter your card to receive money. That code is actually used to approve a payment from your card.
Variants to know:
• Off-platform payment: bank transfer, PayPal “friends and family”, prepaid vouchers. No way to get your money back if the parcel never comes.
• A deposit to hold the item: “lots of requests, send €50 and I'll keep it for you”. The card doesn't exist.
• The fake leboncoin e-mail: “your payment has been received, click to confirm shipping”. Leboncoin notifies you in its app, not through a link sent by the buyer.
• A QR code or short link sent by message: same trap, different wrapping.
The reflex: if anyone sends you a payment link, whatever it is, don't click it. Go back to the leboncoin app and check the transaction there. Leboncoin payments start from the listing, never from a link you received.
3. Reading a listing and a seller
A few simple signs you can check in two minutes:
• Photos: a photo of the actual card at the seller's place, serial number readable, is worth more than a box picture found online. Feel free to ask for a photo with a note showing your first name and the date.
• Profile: account age, number of reviews, rating. An account created yesterday selling an RTX 4090 under the index deserves questions.
• Description: the exact model, a reason for selling, how it was used. A vague description or one copied from a product page is a bad sign.
• Urgency: “I'm moving abroad tomorrow”, “first to pay gets it”. Pressure is the scammer's main tool.
Our pages also show two useful things: a listing that has been bumped several times (the seller pays to push it back to the top, often because it isn't selling at that price) and a price drop, which often opens the door to negotiation.
4. Paying and receiving safely
In person: the best option for a PC part, because you can see it working. Meet at the seller's place or somewhere the part can be plugged in, test it, then pay. For a large amount, avoid cash in the street: leboncoin's payment also works for in-person handovers.
At a distance: use leboncoin's built-in shipping and payment, started from the listing. The seller is only paid after delivery, which gives you time to check. On 19 October, about 7 in 10 of the graphics card listings we tracked offered this built-in shipping, and just over 1 in 4 an in-person handover.
On delivery: film the parcel being opened in one continuous take, with the label visible. It is your best proof if you receive a brick or a different card from the one advertised. Test before confirming receipt: once confirmed, the money goes to the seller.
5. Checking the part, component by component
Graphics card. Check the exact model with GPU-Z (fake cards circulate, reflashed to show up as a newer model). Run a stress test or a demanding game for at least fifteen minutes: watch temperatures, on-screen artefacts and crashes. A faint electrical whine (coil whine) is common; rattling fans less so. A card used for mining isn't necessarily bad, but ask.
Processor. Look at the pins: on AM4 Ryzen chips they are under the processor; on Intel and AM5 Ryzen they are on the motherboard. A bent pin can make the part unusable. Check the reference engraved on the heat spreader and beware of ES or QS markings (engineering samples, not retail versions).
Memory. Ask for a complete kit of identical sticks (same part number, same revision). A pass of MemTest86 or Windows' memory diagnostic catches most faulty modules.
SSD. With CrystalDiskInfo, check the health status, the amount of data already written and the power-on hours. Beware of “2 TB” SSDs sold for a handful of euros: they are often small chips in disguise, which a test such as H2testw exposes.
6. If things go wrong
If you paid through leboncoin and the part doesn't arrive or doesn't match, open a dispute in the app before confirming receipt, with your unboxing video. If you entered your card on a fake site, call your bank immediately to block the card and dispute the payment. In every case, report the listing and the profile to leboncoin, and file a police report (in France, online through the official THESEE platform for internet fraud). Keep screenshots of the conversation.
If you still have doubts
Buying used saves money, but it isn't mandatory. If a listing doesn't feel right, compare it with today's new price: the gap is sometimes smaller than you think, and you get a warranty. We also track new prices for processors, memory and SSDs. To tell whether a listing is really worth it, read how do you know it's a good deal.
Our deals and price indexes are free, with no sign-up. Deals are also posted on our Discord.
Figures collected on 19 October 2026 from the leboncoin graphics card listings tracked by RacingTech. RacingTech takes no part in sales between private individuals. Links to new products are Amazon Associate links: they don't change the price you pay.