***Let me start off by saying that I have nothing against our Asian brothers and sisters and I do not sell cell phones or cell phone accessories.***

I am writing as a consumer that has been stung not once but twice by overseas "brokers", there are some serious scams coming out of the Asian continent and we all need to be aware.

First let me give you some helpful tips on spotting the scammers that I learned the hard way. When you look at a listing pay attention to the following details:

• Did the seller use stock pictures or photos lifted from other sellers?

• Is the sellers' feedback mostly from other sellers? The seller has no sales track record?

• Is the auction format and description similar to some other sellers, maybe stolen from a power seller?

• Is the phone manufactured domestically but shipped overseas only to be turned around and sold back to us?

• Does the seller request any from of payment that is NOT PayPal?

• THIS IS THE BIG ONE, Is the seller Buy it Now price absurdly cheap? Cheaper than anyone else's by several dollars?

If you answered yes to most of the above especially the latter then you have what we call in the eBay world a BS artist trying to scam you and your family out your hard earned cash.

These scams encompass all makes and models of cell phones, the Iphone is hot today but tomorrow it will be another brand they are using to victimize you.

The best advice I can give you is the same advice my immigrant father gave me when I was old enough to spend my own cash, BUY AMERICAN!  If you are a savvy shopper like I am you will see that many times the American dealers are just as good as in price in service. Many offer bundled packages to offset the price when the US dealer is slightly higher. US Sellers have the home field advantage in the sense that they can offer the seller protections that overseas competitors can get away without paying.

If you found this guide helpful please take a second to click the yes button below, the more you click this button the more we can warn others about this hidden danger.

God bless and Happy Bidding!