HOW TO AVOID SCAMMING WHEN BUYING ON eBay

Five important tips for buying on eBay

Online auctions and business like eBay can be a great way to buy products, but they can also be very risky. You can shop conveniently from your home or office any time day or night. There's a huge selection, and though the selection is skewed toward the bargain priced and aimed at bargain hunters. But you can easily get scammed, particularly for any item that can be counterfeited. These important points should always be kept in mind whenever you go to shop online or bid on products on eBay or any other online auction or shopping site.

FEEDBACK

One protection against eBay fraud is "feedback" -- a way for participants in a transaction to rate one another and for others to see those ratings. A large percentage of negative feedbacks is a clear signal to stay away from a particular seller. Even if there is 2% negative feedback then read it carefully before buying.

 You can discount negatives when they appear to be unreasonable. A negative feedback appears to be positive as buyer wrongfully commented in negative feedback box instead of positive. ;

Don’t buy expensive item from a seller with few feedbacks. It's too easy for a scammer to create new eBay IDs.

PRICING

Search and compare price of similar items on internet and through other resources you want to buy on eBay. Beware If there is big difference between prices. This may indicate that the item is not original or branded or there is something wrong with the item. Always ask the seller for such difference or obtain maximum guarantee and insurance from the seller. Always be aware of “Too good to be true to buy it” prices.

PAYMENT METHODS

A large amount of frauds happen there. Don’t ever use Western Union, Money Gram and other money transfers as a payment method .There is no security in this, no matter what the seller says.

PayPal: Use PayPal only for small transaction. They instantly transfer the money into the seller's checking account. Once the scammer seller gets the money, the scammers close the checking account, so PayPal could not get the money back even if they claim Buyer’s protection.

Direct banking transactions: There is also great risk involves in direct bank transactions especially if seller has little or no history as a seller on online auction site.

The best method for wire funds is to use an escrow service, such as Escrow.com. The way it works is that upon the completion of the auction, the buyer sends payment to the escrow service. When this payment clears, the escrow service notifies the seller to ship the product. When the buyer receives product and notifies the escrow service that it is as it was described, the escrow service forwards the buyer's payment to the seller. In this way both Buyer and seller prevents from payment frauds from either side.

Credit cards and online payment services (they often accept credit card payments) are safest. Other options include debit cards, personal checks, cashier’s checks and money orders.

GUARANTEES

Always refuse to buy any product through online auctions in which the seller doesn't offer the option of returning it if you're not happy with it. If the seller doesn't specify a return policy, email him and ask.

Don’t buy from sellers who claim they're liquidating estates and that therefore all sales are final. They may not accept returns. When you are buying expensive products ask seller for insurance of the product if seller doesn’t offer it.

SHIPPING AND DELIVERY 

If you want to receive your product safely and in a timely fashion, read carefully for the seller's location (shown near the top of the item listing under "Item location"). Also call the seller to see if the phone number is correct and working. Send them e-mail to see if they have an active e-mail address. Be cautious of sellers who use free e-mail services where a credit card wasn’t required to open the account.

Shipping method(s) offered are shown near the bottom of the listing under "Shipping, payment details and return policy". Be cautious when dealing with individuals/companies from outside your own country. Remember the laws of different countries might pose issues if a problem arises with your transaction.

 Beware of  scam involving shipping is the creation of fake shipping sites, such as KLM Express and Prompt Express. Scammers have used these sites to "prove" that they sent the item and that you can send them payment for it. After they receive your payment, the sites disappear along with your money.

Buyers in the United States should prefer the United States Postal Service over UPS or FedEx if they have an APO, FPO, or PO Box address.;

Sellers sometimes charge artificially high shipping and handling fees for low price items. Be sure you know what the charges will be before bidding or buying -- if the charges aren't specified, ask the seller.

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