how to deal with a possible scammer?

[ApacheSunkings]

Hello, I bought a knife a week 8 days ago with a a money order, the seller did not ship the knife and he is not replying to my messages, what should I do?

 

[RevDevil]

I wrote a blog entry regarding trading, the last portion of it deals with what to do when things go wrong, have a look:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/entry.php/90-How-To-Trade-Knives-and-Gear-Successfully
Tis is an excerpt:

On a final note, if something goes wrong with your trade, you have to make some sort of effort to resolve the situation. Do not let things sit. Send emails, make contact with the other person and let them know things are not to your liking. Be patient in waiting for your replies. Many people have jobs, families, and things happen sometimes. Give them the benefit of the doubt, until there is no doubt.

There are too many people that are starting threads in the FEEDBACK section complaining about things that can be easily remedied with some communication. What ends up happening in these threads is more emotion than fact. I can guarantee you that the community more than likely does not want to read a thread with rant-like overreactions and unorganized, half way accurate information.

A negative thread about a person is the last thing you should do, until after you've exhausted all other avenues of communication. Make sure that you have your thoughts organized and can present facts without getting personal. If you have no proof of your claims, you can kiss your own reputation goodbye.

If you feel that there is no doubt that you got ripped off, you need to start a thread in the Feedback section. Post a link to the original sales thread and be clear in your explanation of events. Be as accurate as possible, dates, times, etc. do not embellish events to strengthen your argument. There has been a lot of passion and too little facts in these events.