Buying children's clothing, baby items, a dress , sweater , or something special for your little girl ? Are you buying jewelry , or even more expensive items like cars or collectibles on ebay ? Buyer beware!

Ebay is an incredible marketplace.  No other auction website has been able to compare in terms of traffic for sellers and options for buyers.  However, buyers need to make informed, educated decisions from whom they would like to purchase their items, so that you can be certain to receive the item you expected, in the condition stated in the seller's auction.  We have compiled a short list of options to consider, as follows:

1. Read feedback comments from the company and/or individual from you are purchasing.  While 100% positive feedback is not always indicative of receipt of a quality product, negative feedback can be quite telling. When reading negative feedback comments, weigh them according to the person who posted it vs. the recipient.  Does the posting person have a good feedback rating?  Has the posting person been a member of ebay for a long time?  Has the posting person purchased from other sellers, and left them negative feedback?  Has the recipient of the negative feedback posted a response below the comment?  Does the recipient have other negative feedback comments similar in nature to this one?

2. Is the seller Square Trade verified?  You will be able to tell by looking for the Square Trade seal on the seller's auctions. All Square Trade
verified seal members have to meet certain strict membership criteria, including continued good selling practices.  Square Trade members are monitored by a dedicated compliance group to ensure that they continually meet the Square Trade standards for online selling. Buyers who see the Square Trade seal know the seller is committed to participating in online dispute resolution should the need arise. 

3. Read the item description.  Although this may seem like a no-brainer, many buyers do not thoroughly read item descriptions.  If you are a seller, you know this by the amount of questions you receive of which the answers lie in plain sight on the auction page.  Take the time to read the auction completely, including the item description, the shipping and insurance options, and any ABOUT ME information which can shed light on the seller's practices.  We suggest NOT purchasing from sellers who do not clearly state shipping costs, expected delivery time from the time payment clears, payment methods accepted, condition of the item, and any other information that is pertinent to your expectations of the product.

4. Don't believe everything you read! Many sellers state things in their auctions such as...I purchased this for my daughter, but she outgrew it before it was worn..., or ...Divorce sale..., or ...Need the money to support my children...  These statements MAY have validity, and MAY come from honest ebayers, but do not allow these statements to sway your buying decisions!  In other words, if you are purchasing a piece of jewelry online, do you find it makes a difference to you if the piece was ever worn, who owned it before you, or how someone came to own it in the first place?  If it DOES matter to you, we suggest you consider purchasing your items from a reputable company on ebay rather than an individual, as the statements you read in an auction regarding how a person came to own an item may not always be true.  Please note that we DO strongly support and purchase from individual ebayers that list FACTUAL auctions, avoiding the influence of personal statements on our buying decisions.

5. Ask the seller a question about the item you'd like to purchase.  The amount of time it takes a seller to respond, along with the level of detail with which the seller answers can be indicative of the level of customer service you will receive once you've purchased the item.

6. Does the seller have an ebay store?  Maintining an ebay store does NOT mean a seller is honest.  What is does mean is that the seller is dedicated to spending time and money marketing their products, and must earn a living in order to support this marketing.  If a seller with an ebay store did not have happy customers (as a whole), it is unlikely that the seller would be able to maintain his/her business for any length of time.

We'd love to hear from you!  Please email us with your comments or suggestions!ZooAvenue