Piston Marketplace Safety Center

Piston Marketplace is a listing platform. Sellers post their own ads, and buyers and sellers deal with each other directly. We do not own, inspect, or sell any aircraft listed here, and we’re not a party to any transaction between a buyer and seller.

Piston Marketplace will never

Ask for your password or PIN
Offer escrow, “buyer protection,” or aircraft certification services
Give instructions on where or how to send payment
Arrange aircraft shipping, storage, or delivery
Ask for financial information over email

Fraud awareness

Most people on here are exactly who they say they are. A small number aren’t. A few habits go a long way:

If a price is well below what similar aircraft are selling for, be skeptical
Never wire money to someone you haven’t verified. Look for a name, a phone number that answers, and (where possible) a meeting in person or on a video call
Be wary of a “buyer” or “seller” who is unusually eager to skip a pre-buy inspection, insists on dealing entirely through email, or claims to be overseas or traveling with no way to verify their identity
A cashier’s check or wire transfer can still be reversed or fraudulent, so confirm funds have actually cleared with your bank before releasing an aircraft or its logbooks

For buyers

Get a pre-buy inspection from an independent A&P/IA mechanic, not one recommended by the seller
Verify the aircraft’s registration and any liens directly through the FAA Aircraft Registry (registry.faa.gov). Don’t rely on the seller’s word alone
Cross-check the logbooks against the actual airframe, engine, and prop serial numbers, and check for open Airworthiness Directives (ADs)
Use our Verified Seller badge as one data point, not a guarantee. It confirms the seller’s name matches FAA registry records for that N-number, but it doesn’t verify the aircraft’s condition or history
For a high-value purchase, consider a licensed aircraft title/escrow company (several specialize in aviation) rather than a generic online escrow service

For sellers

Don’t hand over logbooks, keys, or the aircraft itself until payment has actually cleared your bank. A “cleared” cashier’s check can still come back
Be cautious of a buyer who sends payment for more than your asking price and asks you to refund or forward the difference. This is a classic scam
Verify a buyer’s identity the same way you’d want them to verify yours
If something about a deal feels rushed or off, it’s fine to slow down or walk away

Staying safe online

Never share your Piston Marketplace password with anyone, including someone claiming to be from our team
Don’t click links in unsolicited emails claiming to be from a buyer, seller, or payment service. Go to the site directly by typing the address yourself
Keep your browser and antivirus software up to date

Report something

If you run into a suspicious listing, message, or user, use our Contact page or the “Report this listing” box at the bottom of the listing itself. We review every report.