Topics
Guide topics
The guide's materials are split into four topics. Two deal with buying and selling things, from the seller's and the buyer's point of view; the third covers job ads; and the fourth gathers rules everyone needs: how not to lose money and how to meet a stranger calmly.
Seller and buyer want the same thing: a fair deal with no surprises. If you keep that in mind, reaching an agreement is usually easy.
The topics cover questions an ordinary person faces when selling, buying or looking for work privately. We do not cover commercial trade, how platforms work internally or how scams are built, only what helps you act for yourself.
Selling
Pricing from similar ads, photos, describing defects honestly, messaging buyers and handing the item over.
- "First sale" collection
A reading path for anyone selling something second-hand for the first time: from the description to getting paid.
- How to sell something second-hand (in Russian)
Six steps to a for-sale ad and a list of things a seller should not do.
- Answers on selling and buying
Do you need a receipt, what to do if a buyer asks you to send the item without meeting, and other questions.
Buying
What to ask the seller in advance, how to inspect the item at the meeting, documents and what is included, saying no to advance payments to strangers.
- How to buy second-hand without regrets
A step-by-step article with hypothetical examples, common mistakes and a final checklist.
- Five steps before a meeting
A short memo on the home page: what to do before you leave the house.
- Completeness and advance payment
Terms from the guide's glossary that are useful for a buyer to understand.
Jobs and side work
How to read a job ad, which conditions should raise a red flag, what an employment contract is and how to write your own job-search ad.
- How to read job ads (in Russian)
Warning signs in an ad and five steps to check an employer before the interview.
- "Looking for side work" collection
Materials for anyone looking for temporary or extra work through ads.
- Employment contract vs civil-law contract
How they differ and why it matters to understand exactly what you are signing.
Safety and money
Meeting in a busy place, paying at the handover, links in messages, SMS codes and what to do if you have been scammed.
- Answers on money and safety
What to do if someone sends you a link or asks for a code in messages, and who to contact if you have been cheated.
- Phishing links and SMS codes
Short definitions in the glossary and one rule worth remembering.
- New publications
A feed of the guide's materials with preparation dates.
Read next
- Guides
How to buy second-hand without regrets: steps, mistakes, a checklist. Plus the article catalogue.
- Questions
Short answers on selling and buying, job ads, money and safety.
- Collections
Reading paths: your first sale, looking for side work, giving things away or swapping them.
Sources
- Civil Code of the Russian Federation (arts. 159, 161)
- Labour Code of the Russian Federation (art. 67)
- Bank of Russia: financial literacy materials
Information is correct as of the date the material was prepared. Laws and official guidance change: check current wording of the Russian Civil and Labour Codes in official publications, ask your own bank about its rules, and if you live outside Russia, check the rules that apply in your country.