It usually arrives as a favour. Pay me directly and I will knock something off.
Here is what you are actually agreeing to.
What you give up
The money is no longer held. On Metzee it sits with us until the item reaches you. Paid directly, it is gone the moment you send it.
There is no dispute route. Nothing arrives, or the wrong thing arrives, and there is no one to raise it with.
There is no record. No order, no description, no evidence of what was promised.
We cannot help. Not because of a rule, but because nothing passed through us. There is no payment to reverse.
What the seller gives up
This is the part that is less obvious, and it is why a good seller will not ask.
They lose their own protection. No record that they sent it, no proof of what was agreed, and no standing if you later claim you never got it. They have swapped a small fee for carrying the entire risk themselves.
A seller who understands the trade does not offer it. A seller who offers it either has not thought about it or is not planning to send anything.
The specific scam
The most common version is a fake second chance offer — a message saying the winner did not pay and you can have the item if you transfer the money now.
A real one appears inside Metzee, on the order, with the item and your own bid shown. What a genuine one looks like.
Questions people ask
What if I know the seller?
Then you are not a stranger taking a risk, and that is your call. Everything above still applies if it goes wrong.
Is it against the rules?
Pushing buyers off the platform is, and it is reportable.
Somebody asked me. What do I do?
Say no and report it.
More: is Metzee safe.