The great majority of private sales go perfectly well. Somebody is selling a sofa because they are moving, you come and collect it, you have a coffee while you are there, done. But what does go wrong goes wrong in the same handful of ways every time. Know those and there is very little to worry about.
Who exactly are you buying from?
That is the question that matters most, because your rights depend entirely on it. Are you buying from a private seller or from a business?
| You buy from | What you have | How long |
|---|---|---|
| A shop or dealer | Legal guarantee | At least 1 year on second-hand; 3 years if nothing was agreed |
| A shop, but new | Legal guarantee | 3 years, since 2022 |
| A private seller | No guarantee | 6 months for hidden defects |
So from a private seller you buy with no guarantee at all. What you do have is in the Civil Code: if the thing had a defect that already existed before the sale, that is serious, and that you could not have spotted by looking properly, you can undo the sale or claim money back. You have six months from delivery to do it, and the burden of proof is on you, not the seller.
Six months, and you have to prove it. So: look before you pay, not after.
The Bizum trick
Spain's consumer authority has put out a warning about this one, and it turns up on every marketplace. It goes like this: you have something for sale, an eager buyer appears, and says they will pay right away. Instead of sending money, they send a payment request. You assume that is part of the process, you approve it — and you have just sent them money.
Remember one thing: receiving money never asks for your approval. It simply arrives. If your phone is asking you to confirm, you are paying.
The second version is the fake refund: somebody says they transferred too much by mistake and asks for the difference back. Check your own account for the money first, and ring your bank if there is any doubt. A Bizum cannot be reversed.
Before you get in the car
- Meet at the seller's home, not in a car park. Somebody selling up because they are moving can let you in.
- Daylight, and take somebody with you if real money is involved.
- Make them switch it on. A washing machine runs a cycle, a scooter starts from cold, a laptop boots and shows you its battery health.
- Pay only once it is in your hands. Never up front, however plausible the story.
What should set off an alarm
- The price is far below what comparable things fetch. There is always a reason, and it is rarely a nice one.
- The seller will not take a call and will not meet, only message.
- They are in a hurry, or there is "somebody else coming for it this evening".
- They want a deposit to hold it for you.
- They are supposedly abroad and will have a courier deliver it. That courier does not exist.
For anything of value, put it on paper
A bookcase does not need this. But if you are spending hundreds of euros or more, write a few lines together: what is being sold, for how much, on what date, both names with DNI or NIE numbers, and two signatures. Two minutes' work. If anything comes up later, that is the difference between a story and evidence.
And bear in mind that trading on this coast is not anonymous. The seller lives two villages away, knows the same people you do, and will still be findable next year. That is the best protection there is.