I found a phone on the marketplace with a price that seemed too good to be true, but it was Japan carrier-locked, so I understood why the price was relatively low. I kept asking for the serial number, IMEI, and other details to verify if the phone was legitimate, and everything checked out. Because of that, I trusted the seller to be genuine.

The problem came with the delivery. The seller was in Luzon, while I’m in Cebu. I suggested using LBC for delivery, but he seemed hesitant and said things like, 'What if this is a scam?' or 'What if you don’t pay the other half?' and 'I can’t get the package back after they’ve sealed it.' To ease his concerns, I sent half of the agreed price, which was about ₱2,950, and then he blocked me and left the marketplace.

Although it seemed small, it’s still nearly half of my monthly salary, and losing that much really hurts and it really made me felt stupid and dumb. i don't know who else to talk to about this because if i tell my parents i would just get scolded if i tell my girlfriend i would just get pity.