TIPS: HOW TO BE SAFE BUYING and SELLING THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

1. Deal with people you know. Online yard sale sites and facebook garage sale groups are all the rage, and you will be able to find great deals. Be careful to only deal with friends or friends of friends. This is one benefit of Sharetown being connected with facebook, you can look at someones facebook profile before deciding to buy or sell an item. Make sure you have some friends in common before agreeing to dealing with them.

2. Use the BUY button to buy and sell. If you use the buy button on Sharetown, you will not have to carry cash with you, which adds an extra layer of protection.

3. Use the Trust button. Sharetown has a rating system where you can "trust" people that you do business with, along with your friends and neighbors so other people in the group know who they can trust.

4. Bring a friend with you. Don't go alone to meet someone, bring a friend or your spouse to be extra safe.