Awesome guide. I want to thank you especially for that Quick Tips about Scams and How Not To Get Scammed information.
Seeing how you seem to be a seasoned trader I have a question: have you ever been scammed or have you noticed that someone is about to scam you?
Hi Slark, thank you for the kind feedback. I have actually been scammed several times and so I was forced to develop methods to counter and prevent future scams, as well as trying to think like a scammer in order to see what possible methods they would try next. For example, as I deal primarily with cash deposits, I had to slowly develop a way to find all the necessary requirements of a legitimate deposit on the receipt. Meanwhile, I learned how to read the codes on the receipt which would correlate with the bank's state, teller of the transaction, and whether it was a cash or check deposit. I have noticed that when people have ill intent in a transaction they will appear either overly friendly or very demanding. Since I have dealt with numerous daily transactions, it was easy for me at the beginning to let slip a few dollars but since then I have become more strict in each and every transaction.
One of the biggest scammer is Fastestcoins which ran a website by pulling in bank accounts from LocalBitcoins' sellers and, using the MIM method explained above, would aim for the sellers (going so far as blackmailing me) and the unsuspecting purchasers on their website. One of my biggest advice is to slowly build up your reputation/repertoire, even though it may take some time. This will allow you to earn the trust as a seller so that even if your pricing is slightly higher than others, your customer service will always trump theirs (that's what we were doing before as we gave mutual respect to our buyers).