I love eBay.  There are many other site similar to eBay but nothing as big and offers such a selection of different products.  This is a great place to get great deals on great items.  Whatever you are looking for, you can pretty much find it here on eBay.  Lets be honest this is the real world and no matter how great something is there is always going to be people that thrive to make money by scamming and ripping off people, which makes a seemingly safe buying enviroment not as safe as you thought.  The reason I am writing this guide is to make ebay buyers aware.  There are many scams be used here on eBay and hopefully this guide will help you avoid these scam auctions and save you some money as well.  This guide will outline all the scams that I am aware of.

1. Shipping Cost Scam:  Shipping scams are probably the most common scam you are going to see.  It is very important you always check the listing for shipping cost.  For example you see a listing for an Xbox 360 game that you know retails for 59.99 and the Buy It Now is 29.99, of course thinking your getting a sweet deal you commit to purchase the game.  Then you get an invoice will a shipping charge of 45 dollars.  You have just been scammed, it would cost 2-5 dollars to ship this item and you just paid more than retail.  Excessive shipping is a big problem on eBay because it says sellers on there fees to sell and it violate eBay policy.  Also as a buyer you need to be aware of listing that utilize the shipping calculator.  The shipping calculator wil give you a shipping estimate based on shipping service used and the buyers zip code.  Now what you dont know unless you have sold on eBay is that sellers can add a hidden handling fee.  For example you are looking to bid on a rare book and in the item description it clearly states shipping will be 6 dollars(maybe a little high but not too bad) you as the buyer would never know there is a hidden 8 dollar handling fee unless you have clicked on the shipping calculator.  How to avoid this scam?  Always check shipping costs and use the shipping calculator before you commit to bid.  If you are not clear with the shipping cost, talk with the seller first, honest sellers will always be open and honest.  Also if you think the shipping cost may be too high, you can always check with the carrier .  They all offer free zip code to zip code quotes.  Both of these scams violate eBay policy and you may take action and report the listing, at the bottom of each listing page you will see the link.

2. Wholesale Lists:  This is a very popular scam.  There are a couple of different ways this scam is presented.  The first being that the promise of information teaching you and directing you where it get these items wholesale at a fraction of the retail cost.  So this interests you and you put up the 10 dollars and you receive an email with a list of  suppliers, most of which are probably not even working links.  As for the rest of them that might actually be valid wholesale suppliers are not open the the public thats why there is retail.  In order to purchase from a wholesale supplier you will need a tax id which you must apply for through your state.  Now in order to get a tax id you must own a valid working business.  So dont quit your day job thinking a 10 dollar list of dealers is gonna make you rich.  This next scam I have been seeing a lot lately, you run a search for Xbox 360, you see a picture of the system and it tells you right in the title Xbox 360 new in box and it is only 250 dollars, that is a amazing deal so you bid and win.  You just got a 360 for 250 dollars.  then you receive an email with a bunch of web sites that sell various different game consoles.  What happened?  Well reading the fine print you will see that all you bought is a wholesale supplier list about where you can obtain game systems.  The pictures and descriptions are very deceiving.  Always read the entire item description and contact the seller if you are unclear about anything.  This scam is another very deceiving one.  For example am looking at a listing right now for a Pink Nintendo Ds Lite with a Buy it Now for 119 with free shipping.  That description is very enticing and a great price, so you buy it, pay and a week later you receive the Pink Nintendo Ds Lite box with all the original manuals, but yes thats right no Nintendo Ds Lite.  You go back to the listing a read and you see that it says in the small print what you will receive which is very deceiving but does not really violate policy so this just goes to show how important it is to read the entire item description, make sure you know what you are buying.

3. Fake Buy It Now:  This is a an easy one to spot if you are aware.  For example you are bidding on a Fender Strat guitar.  There are pictures of the guitar and a great description and it will be followed with a buy it now option and to contact seller but you dont see a buy it now button on the listing.  If you see this do not bid or contact the seller, this is a scam.  The second you contact him he will make up a tall tale why you are getting such a great deal and will ask you to use a check or money order.  If it is a real Buy it Now there will always be a link on the listing and will be done through eBay.  Sales outside of eBay you are asking for trouble.

4. Second Chance Offers:  This scam is a very big problem on eBay and everyone needs to be aware of this.  First off, All second chance offers will come to you directly through your eBay message center and will be from eBay not the seller.  If you get a second chance offer in your email from the seller sent to your email address forward it to ebay right away, DO NOT use any links on the email.  If you follow the links you will be you will be redirected to the scammer's website which will usually look very similar to eBay but when you re-enter your password and any other information that is requested it is all recorded for the scammer's pleasure.  Any messages regarding purchase or offers will always be sent to your message center on your eBay account.  

5. Hacked Accounts:  This scam is sometimes hard to pick up on, but there are some good ways to identify and avoid this one.  A scammer has access to a hacked account and has proceeded to listing hundreds of fake listings and the person the account belongs to has no idea. Usually this auctions will be 1 or 3 day auctions and will offer amazing deals why under what the item would normally sell for.  The worse part is you see a great feedback score so you have no idea.  It is always a good idea to click on "see other items for sale by this seller", if there is a mass amount of the same item, especially if it is not consistent with what they normally sell, then the listing is probably bogus.

6. Shill Bidding:   In this scam the seller will have another id or another member bumping up the bids.  So everytime you hold the high bid the shill bidder will bump it up again, enticing you to keep going and then after the price it at or above where the seller whats it you are stuck paying maor than you expected.  A good way to spot this, is if you a bid battling with another bidder check the sellers other listings and look for the same id.

7. Bootleg Products:  Sometimes this one is tough and you never know till you get the item in your hands.  You have to remember if something is a hot seller than someone is gonna make reproductions for cheap.   Always make sure the picture you are looking at is the actual item you are bidding on.  Check out the sellers feedback.  Even positive feedback may contain info on bootlegs sold by that seller.  Whatever you are buying; video games, jewelry, fabric, clothes, or movies, these are all highly bootlegged items.  Check out eBay guides for great advice on avoiding these listings.  I have wrote a guide on identifying bootleg GameBoy Advance games.

8. Bid Shielding:  Any new sellers need be aware of this one.  There are 2 ways this will happen.  The first is where the first buyer enters the bid they want your item for, then that bidders friends will bid up your item so no prospective buyers will consider it.  Shortly before your listing is over the high bidders retract there bids and the first bidder is left with your item and the price they wanted it for.  The second version is where you have a reserve set and they will bid up your item to uncover your reserve price and then proceed just like the other way.  If this happens to you do not complete the sale contact eBay first, this is a major violation, so let eBay make the call if you should complete the sake or not.

How Do You Avoid These Scams?

1. Make sure you read the entire title and item description, make sure you know what you are bidding on or buying.
2. Ask for pictures, pictures of the item that you are purchasing.
3. Check the sellers feedback and if something is in question contact the member that wrote it, ask what happened.
4. Always check the shipping costs, use the calculator within the listing or contact the seller for an exact total.
5. Be wary of members that have private listing unless it is porn there is no reason to hide it.
6. NEVER response to any links or emails outside of eBay's message center(you will be inviting trouble)
7. Use Paypal whenever possible, it greatly improves financial security.
8. Link your eBay account to a credit card rather than your bank account.  With credit cards most offer zero liability with unauthorized transaction as with most banks you will be SOL.

What To Do If You Think You Have Been Scammed?

1. Change all your passwords right away
2. Contact eBay and/or Paypal.
3. If USPS was used to send or return packages you may file a claim and USPS will investigate(mail crimes are taken very seriously).
4. Contact the Internet Crime Complaint Center(Google it for the website).  They are pretty much a branch of the FBI.

I will update this guide as needed, any suggestions are welcomed please feel free to contact me.  I really hope this guide has helped inform you of the current scams on eBay.  Please remember most sellers are very honest people, but there are always the few that will ruin a good thing to make a few bucks.  I would like as many people to have the chance to read this guide please remember to vote for my guide before you leave and remember to check back for updates.  Thank you