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eBay has become a household name for shoppers, but many are not regular internet shoppers. They are often unaware of basic online safety practices.
From time to time, there are cases of fraud on eBay, generally in the more expensive items. While eBay does its best to prevent and resolve such disputes, it is better if you side-step them altogether with a little knowledge. The following safety tips will help.
Quick Checks:
1. All physical items sold on eBay should have pictures. If there is no picture, then either the item is not there or the seller is lazy. In neither case should you deal with them.
2. Sellers with a recognition seal like Paypal verified, Square trade or Powerseller are more reliable.
3. Look for a clear description of their refund policy. If it is not there, then ask the seller. If he has no refund policy, then move on.
4 Check for any shipping and handling terms before bidding. Unscrupulous sellers can and probably will gouge you an extra 10-20%.
Detailed Checks:
5. Check other websites such as shopping.yahoo.com or shopping.msn.com for the same item. The product descriptions should match and the prices will indicate if you are getting a good deal or an impossible one.
6. Check the seller's feedback. Positive feedback rating of over 95% is good, unless there are many recent negative reports. Read the negative feedbacks carefully. Does the seller have a good response?
7. Do a search for the sellers past items on eBay. Check to see if the seller has sold similar items in the past.
8. Ask a question of the seller before bidding. Good sellers reply promptly and accurately. | 