The vast majority of eBay sellers are honorable, but like any community, there is a very small group of bad apples that try to rip people off.  These scammers are very sophisticated, but you can keep yourself safe if you know how to use eBay's  tools and protections.

Detect Spoof / Phishing e-mails using My Messages

Spoof or phishing e-mails are e-mails that look like authentic messages from eBay, but which actually are fake e-mails sent by scammers to try to trick you into revealing your eBay password or other sensitive information.  A spoof e-mail will have eBay logos, copyright notices, legal disclaimers, etc that an actual eBay e-mail might have, so it is difficult to know for sure whether the e-mail is authentic.  If you click on a link from a phishing e-mail, it will take you to a site that looks like the eBay site, but is really operated by the scammers.  Any information you enter into such a spoof site will go directly into the scammer's hands.

eBay's My Messages is the way you can tell for sure whether an e-mail is real or fake.  If you receive an e-mail from eBay, simply go to http://my.ebay.com and click on My Messages.  If you do not see the same e-mail listed there, then the e-mail is a fake and should be deleted.  All e-mails from eBay will also be placed in My Messages.

It's all about the e-mail address -- make sure you protect yours

Scammers need ways to communicate with potential buyers looking for a "great deal."  One of their main goals is to get your e-mail address so that they can spam you with fraudulent offers.  eBay's latest My Messages feature helps you protect your e-mail address. 

• If you send an e-mail to another eBay member (for example to ask a question, respond to question, or contact eBay member), make sure you check the box that says Hide my email address.  The other person will still be able to reply to your message, but only through the eBay My Messages system, and not directly to your e-mail address.
  
• When you respond to a message you receive in My Messages, always do so by hitting the "reply" button, not by sending an e-mail directly to their e-mail address.  If you send the messages through the eBay My Messages system, you will continue to keep your real e-mail address secret.
  

Why is it important to communicate through My Messages and not directly via e-mail? 

1. E-mails you receive to your regular inbox may be spoof e-mails, which can trick you with links and buttons leading you to spoof sites.  Messages you receive in My Messages are text only.  Although the text of the message may still be fraudulent, they can not trick you with fake links or buttons.
2. eBay's Trust & Safety team suspends fraudulent accounts every hour of every day.  If you communicate with the scammer only via My Messages, they will no longer be able to contact you once they are suspended.  But once they have your e-mail address, the can keep trying to scam you forever.
   

A scam exposed

Scammers want to find buyers who very much want a certain item and are looking for a "great deal" -- these are the users most likely to fall for a scam.  When you bid on a high-price item, they may contact you using the "Contact eBay Member" function.  In the message, they will put a lot of wording like "In compliance with eBay's policies" and "you are being made this second-chance offer" to make their message sound official.  Most importantly, they will ask you to e-mail them directly at an outside e-mail address.  In fact, they will be so desperate to make sure you do not respond using My Messages that they will put text like "DO NOT HIT THE RESPOND BUTTON.  E-MAIL ME AT XYZ@ABC.COM" in capital letters.  This is a sure-fire indication of fraud.  Any valid seller will be happy to receive a response in My Messages.  Only a scammer will insist on communicating with you outside of the eBay system.

Use the eBay Toolbar to detect spoof sites

The eBay Toolbar  is a powerful tool to help you detect whether you are on a spoof site.  The toolbar installs in your browser and has access to a constantly updated database of known spoof sites.  It also has a list of all valid eBay domain names.  If it detects that you are browsing to a spoof site, its danger indicator will turn red.  If it detects that you are on a valid eBay site, its indicator will turn green.  It can also warn you if you are about to enter your eBay password on any site other than eBay.

Always purchase items on the eBay site

I am sure you have seen the warnings saying that "outside of eBay" transactions may be unsafe.  Have you ever thought that eBay is just protecting its own fee revenue?  Thoughts like that can lead you to unsafe purchases.  eBay will often find and end fraudulent listings.  When eBay ends a fraudulent listing, they will warn all the bidders of that item so that the bidder does not go through with the transaction.  But if you take the transaction "outside of eBay" and don't place an official bid, eBay has no way of alerting you.  The scammers all know this, and that is why they always prefer to transact "off eBay".

Never purchase an item using Western Union

Western Union is a great way to send money to someone you know personally (like a relative in a foreign country).  It is not a safe way to purchase items from a stranger.  It is the 100% preferred payment method of scammers.  So even the seller says "my Paypal account is down", do not pay using Western Union. 

That's it for now.  By following these simple guidelines, you can enjoy a very positive, safe, and fun trading experience on eBay!