Improve Dispute Rules / Marketplace Safety Regarding Telegram Contact

[heysmmreseller]

Hi BHW Staff,

I want to suggest an improvement to the dispute rules in the Marketplace.

At the moment, the dispute rule says we must contact sellers on BHW, and any conversation outside BHW cannot be used in disputes. This is a good rule in theory, but in practice many sellers are posting marketplace threads and then redirecting buyers to Telegram/WhatsApp/etc. Once the deal happens off-site, they scam and vanish, and the buyer cannot open a dispute because there’s no valid BHW proof.

New users especially don’t see this until after they are scammed.

Current Abuse Pattern​

• Seller posts a marketplace thread
• Seller writes “Contact me on Telegram” (sometimes even in bold/large fonts)
• Newbies contact on Telegram → get scammed → no BHW proof → no refund
• Seller is technically “safe” under current dispute rules

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Suggested Improvements (any of the following would help)​

1. Disallow Telegram/WhatsApp contact lines inside marketplace threads
   If the seller wants to use off-site messaging, it should be optional while the primary contact must be BHW DM — not Telegram-first.
2. If a Telegram link is posted in the thread, then Telegram chat should be accepted as proof for disputes
   (because the seller themselves routed the buyer off BHW intentionally).
3. Add a large warning banner on marketplace threads like:
   
   

   DO NOT CONTACT VIA TELEGRAM / WHATSAPP
   BHW dispute support is only valid for deals done through BHW inbox.
   If a seller insists on Telegram-only contact, it is at your own risk.

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Why this is necessary​

Right now scammers are using a loophole:
They appear “clean” on BHW but scam offsite → BHW cannot do anything → newbies lose money → scammers repeat.
Closing this loophole will make the marketplace safer and increase trust in legitimate sellers who conduct business properly through BHW.

Thank you for considering this suggestion.

 

[SettingSun77]

The flaw with your suggestion is that nobody is forcing anybody to do deals on Telegram or off BHW.

We know that newcomers can't DM anybody until they reach the 15 post threshold. But there is also nothing stopping them from saying to a seller "Hey, I'd prefer to deal on BHW because if someone goes wrong we're both protected. DM me." If the seller insists on Telegram then you don't deal with them.

We have stated time and time and time again that people should always seek to do all their deals on BHW. We all know what Telegram's reputation is like. I've never used the thing and even I know it's a hell-hole. Unfortunately, many people on here are attached to Telegram like it's a limb. They can't see beyond it even though we have a perfectly good messaging service right here on BHW.

We are not in the business of policing off-site platforms that our members choose to use. Ultimately, if you choose to do business outside of the protection that BHW offers all parties, then you are opening yourself up to issues that we cannot legally help you with.

 

[heysmmreseller]

The flaw with your suggestion is that nobody is forcing anybody to do deals on Telegram or off BHW.

We know that newcomers can't DM anybody until they reach the 15 post threshold. But there is also nothing stopping them from saying to a seller "Hey, I'd prefer to deal on BHW because if someone goes wrong we're both protected. DM me." If the seller insists on Telegram then you don't deal with them.

We have stated time and time and time again that people should always seek to do all their deals on BHW. We all know what Telegram's reputation is like. I've never used the thing and even I know it's a hell-hole. Unfortunately, many people on here are attached to Telegram like it's a limb. They can't see beyond it even though we have a perfectly good messaging service right here on BHW.

We are not in the business of policing off-site platforms that our members choose to use. Ultimately, if you choose to do business outside of the protection that BHW offers all parties, then you are opening yourself up to issues that we cannot legally help you with.

with my full respect, I want to ask with a spesific example here;
https://www.blackhatworld.com/seo/g...-without-any-suspension.1597924/post-20024372

Buyer says; seller is refusing to communicate DM.
In this case, this buyer is smart and knows the rules.
But; BHW has a huge google ranking and when normal users search this topic on google, they see BHW (I assume)
and they see this seller's TG link and this scammer seller is very very careful to fit to the rules. (If I am wrong please correct me.)

If there is a rule to communicate on BHW for dispute, atleast cant you add a new rule and say: 'Can not refuse communication on BHW if buyer request'
because otherwise, this post will stick here and newbies or non-bhw users (who come from google search) will be scammed.


also I have some doubts about specifically this seller, I afraid he has some connections on BHW stuff because I dont know how but he sends fake comments to this thread and all new accounts and all %100 fake, I report maybe 50 comment today and all removed by some moderators.

But I realize now, if you are new, mods have to approve your comments right? Is it possible to investigate who approved this thread's fake comments? Because literally they were very clear fake comments.

As I said, I report those fake comments and they removed, it means they are fake and approved.

I dont want to offense no one, if I cross the line, I am truly sorry and I just want to try to help to make BHW safe for everyone like all admins and mods.

 

[MintyGreenTea]

Thanks @heysmmreseller
Buyers have to take some responsibility. If something indicates a red flag or a buyer isn't comfortable with any part of the process e.g. external communication, payment method, etc, they should find another provider/seller.

The welcome message that every member receives directs to our Newbie Guide section. There's a lot of information here on how to carry out due diligence e.g. https://www.blackhatworld.com/seo/researching-black-hat-world-sellers.1374607/

We continually review and improve our processes, so your feedback is appreciated.

However, if you have concerns regarding any specific member, which is what we think this thread has developed into, please continue to hit the Report button or Contact Support
Results may not appear immediate, but be reassured, we review carefully and act when there is evidence to do so.

if you are new, mods have to approve your comments right?

- This is not correct. Some posts may require moderator approval.

As there has been no further input to this thread, we'll close it now.

If you have further questions, please visit our newbie guide summary here https://www.blackhatworld.com/seo/s...ter-list-of-all-newbie-guide-threads.1389081/

If that doesn’t answer your question, please reach out to support.blackhatworld.com for further guidance.

Answer supplied - thread closed.