Are you part of the "Guitar Hero" craze going on right now?  

Are you planning to buy Guitar Hero 3 as soon as it comes out? 

Then you NEED to read this.

 With the launch of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock announced, there has been a lot of "buzz" about it in the video game community.  I'm a hardcore "Guitar Hero" gamer and enjoy the video game series as much as the next guy.  But, as I've watched as it's evolve from an ordinary game to a worldwide obsession, I've seen more and more scams in the online community.

I've written this guide for anyone planning to buy Guitar Hero games, controllers, and accesories from eBay.  If you are taking the time to browse on eBay and spend YOUR money, then you deserve to know what signs to watch for.  As the Guitar Hero franchise continues to grow, it's a given that there will be more and more fraud sellers appearing online. 

With the release of Guitar Hero 3 you know there will be literally THOUSANDS of auction listings popping up on eBay from anonymous sellers.  How do you know who to trust?  Who should you buy from?  For all you know, you could be paying $100 to your 10 year old next door neighbor!

I will try to keep it brief, but I've compiled a list of ten things that I believe to be the most important when buying on eBay.  Remember, you need to ALWAYS be on the lookout for suspicious sellers. 

 

 

1.  First things first, if you're buying from a real and authentic seller, he will try to accomodate all of your questions.  Send all the questions you have ONLY through the "ask seller a question" link.  A good seller will respond promptly and politely.  Just send the seller a message about the item (something simple as the shipping costs, payment types, etc.) and see if he responds.  If you don't get any response, that is a warning sign right there.  Yes, some sellers may be busy, but the best sellers will prioritize their customers and answer any questions.

 

2.  Be cautious of short duration sales.  Why is it only a 1-day listing?  There's nothing better for a scammer than to quickly trick a buyer, take the money, and instantly disappear without a trace.  The shorter the auction duration, the harder it will be to track down seller.  Keep in mind that SOME short day auctions are good - sellers want to quickly get their item on the market.  But, if you're not sure, do not hesitate to click away.

 

3.  Where is the seller from?  Check the item location and double-check it while you're at it.  For example, I had a friend that wanted new headphones for his iPod.  Sounds simple, right?  Well, he searched eBay > found an BIN (Buy It Now) listing > paid with Paypal.  What's wrong with this equation?  His headphones were from Hong Kong!  In addition, they weren't in working order when they arrived and it wasn't worth it to return because of the shipping costs.  Rule of thumb - if you live in the U.S. you should try to always buy items from the U.S.

    

4.  Is the bid amount in American dollars?  American laws do not apply anywhere but in America - eBay scammers know this and take advantage of naive buyers!  If the sale is located in the United States, the bid amount should also be in U.S. currency.  If the bid amount isn't in U.S. currency, the price will be italicized.    Why would somebody living in Montana need you to pay in Euros?

 

5.  What is the return policy? The best sellers NEVER hesitate to give 100% money back guarantee offers.  Will you have to pay the return shipping costs?  If the return policy is too "vague", immediately contact the seller and ask what you need to know.  Be wary of sellers that have low feedback and who offer ridiculous guarantees.  After all, if it is a scam, they don't need to worry about any kind of return policy.

 

6.  In essence, eBay revolves around the feedback system.  It's crucial to a seller's success, and that's why eBay is cracking down on any suspicious sellers.  If you're looking to buy from a seller, you NEED to carefully look at his feedback.  Don't just be impressed by 100% positive feedback because it could be based on just 1 transaction.  Do the following steps to get a good picture of who you're dealing with:

 

- Check the seller's recent activity.  Has he had any recent activity within the past few days?  Or months?  Or years?  Accounts that have no recent activity have trouble written all over them. 

 

 

-  Next check the "detailed sellers ratings" and get a general feel of how others have rated his service.  This is fairly new to the eBay system, but provides a more accurate description of the seller's service. 

 

 

- Is there a consistent price in his completed auction listings?  If a buyer of $1 eBooks is suddenly selling a guitar hero bundle for $250, make a mental note.  Does this seller have any experience with higher priced items?

 

- How long has the seller been a member?  Did they just join or have they been a part of the eBay community for a couple of years?  Also, look at everything beside the username.  Here's a brief run down of some of the various icons:

 

 - The About Me icon means that the member has created an About Me page to tell you more about themselves. Click on this icon and find out more about the seller.  Right away you'll be able to tell if the about me page if phony or the real deal. 

 - The eBay Stores icon means that the seller has an eBay Store.  Click on the door so that you can browse to see the seller's similiar items. 

 -  The Power Seller icon means that this seller has sustained a consistent high volume of monthly sales and has a high level of feedback   (98% positive or better).

 - The reviewer icon shows how eBay ranks reviewers based on the number and quality of helpfulness votes received.  You can range anywhere between #1 and #10,000.  In most cases, top reviewers are very credible sellers and respected by the eBay community.   

 - ID Verify establishes an eBay member’s proof of identity, helping both buyers and sellers trust each other.  You have to pay a $5.00 to become verified. 

 - This icon will appear next to a seller who has changed his username recently.  It stays on display for 30 days and disappears after that.

 

8.  Check the other current listings of the seller.  Usually there is a scrolling bar at the bottom of the auction listing.  Are the products similar?  Or does he have a large amount of unrelated big-name items currently for sale?  For example, be suspicious of a seller listing iPods, Guitar Hero, Dell computers, iPhones, and plasma televisions all at the same time - especially if he isn't a powerseller.

 

9.  Does the auction look professional?  What does your gut instinct tell you about this listing?  Time and time again I see stupid pictures about sex, women, and dating listed in the wrong categories.  Scammers use keyword spamming and use revealing pictures to try and get people to click. Simply look at the photos and see if they are authentic and showing the item itself.  Scammers grab any pictures from the web, including images from other eBay auctions.  It's not hard to find a picture and supposedly "claim" you own it.  Does it look like this is their own work?  If you're buying a used Guitar Hero controller, do they have a real picture of it?  If it is a used item, they shouldn't have brand-new stock photos as their main pictures.

 

10.  Don't "IMPULSE BUY" on items you're visiting for the first time!  Yes, this may be hard to hear for some people, but do you know how scammers are able to still succeed?  They pull in visitors at the last minute that don't take the time to read the fine print.  Plain and simple, you can avoid costly mistakes by just taking a minute to read through the details.

 

 

Remember, you are doing business with people that you don't know on eBay.  That's why building a credible reputation with customers is the number one priority of the best sellers.  In general, most people on eBay are "good", but keep an eye out for those others that aren't so "good".  I'm confident that if you abide by the rules above, you'll have no problem with scams online. 

 

If you found this helpful, feel free to paste a link to it in your eBay postings!

http://reviews.ebay.com/GUITAR-HERO-3-PRE-SALE-SCAM_W0QQugidZ10000000004066626

 

Also, please take a  moment to vote for it if you find it helpful.  And thank you for taking the time to read this guide.

 

Best Regards,

Brock G.