PROTECT YOURSELF! A BUYERS GUIDE TO EBAY

Many buyers wonder how to shop on eBay, with good reason. How can you tell a good seller from a one who may try to take advantage of you? How can you protect yourself, and your hard-earned money, from fraudulent sellers and scams? Here are some ways to reduce the chances of becoming a victim on eBay.

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 1. CHECK THE SELLERS FEEDBACK HISTORY - If you are planning on buying an item from a seller you've never dealt with before, check out their feedback history. Don't just look at the numbers; scroll through and see exactly what people are saying about their experiences with the seller. A seller's faults will almost always come back to haunt him. If, for example, the seller tends to wait a long time before shipping items he will probably have quite a few negatives from buyers alerting you to this. If a seller has no prior sales history, you have no way of knowing what kind of service to expect.

{UPDATE} Now that eBay's feedback policy has undergone dramatic changes, it is now difficult to ascertain a seller's true history. The new DSR profile can be helpful in determining buyer's opinions on factors such as communication, item description, shipping time, and shipping costs. However, eBay will now only report a seller's feedback history for the past year on the Feedback Profile page. You can always scroll back through the seller's history to look for trends in negative or neutral feedback, or you can go to toolhous.org. Enter the seller's eBay name and it will show you all neutral and negative feedback as well as feedback withdrawals in the seller's entire history with eBay. It also lists all neutral and negative feedback that the seller has left, which also gives you some insight into their character.

2. CHECK THE SELLER'S CUSTOMER SERVICE AND RETURN POLICIES - This is a very important part of shopping on eBay. Make sure you know exactly what a seller's return policy entails. Many times this is not outlined, so question the seller BEFORE placing your bid on an item. If a seller does not accept returns, you will be left high and dry if the item you purchased is not what you expected. The return policy should indicate:
- under what circumstances they will accept a return
- the time limit on requesting a refund
- the steps the buyer must complete in order to process the return
- how the payment will be refunded and when
- what fees may be deducted from the original price (ex. restocking fees, shipping fees, etc.)
- how the item should be returned (carrier choice; insurance and tracking).
Some sellers will not refund the shipping fees under any circumstances. This means that if they ship you the wrong item, you will be expected to pay the shipping fees to return it!

3. ASK ALL QUESTIONS BEFORE PLACING A BID - Make sure to read the entire ad to find out as much as possible about the purchase you wish to make. This is absolutely vital. If an auction ad has only one small photograph or a scanty description of an item and you would like to know more about it, question the seller before you place a bid. Many times an ad is full of "filler", such as "ONLY ONE ON EBAY", "LAST ONE IN STOCK SO BID NOW!", "VERY RARE ITEM", etc etc without any real information to back up these claims or actual information on the item itself. Don't let tactics like these pressure you with a sense of urgency into placing a hasty bid. Make sure to ask for dimensions, measurements, additional photos, and any other information that will help you determine exactly what it is that you are buying. If the answers are vague or if the seller does not answer, you may be setting yourself up for a disappointment if you do place that bid.

4. CHECK THE SHIPPING COST FOR THE ITEM - Many eBay ads display the cost of shipping their item within the description or elsewhere in the ad, or may have a shipping calculator available for you to figure out the shipping to your area. If not, make sure that you inquire into the shipping cost before bidding to avoid any unpleasant surprises. When emailing the seller, make sure to ask what carrier will be used, if insurance or tracking is included in the cost or if it is a separate charge, and whether or not there are any mandatory shipping options that will be added to the shipping cost and what that cost will be. If you ask what the "shipping" will cost and the seller informs you that it is $6.00, for example, after the auction you may receive an invoice for the shipping plus mandatory insurance, tracking, and handling for a total cost of $15.00.

 Familiarize yourself with different shipping options; for example, UPS charges usually includes insurance up to $100 in their shipping charges, so question an additional insurance fee in this instance. Also, ask about handling fees and how your item will be shipped. Good shipping practices include the use of bubble wrap, packing peanuts, quality packing tape, ship-quality labels, sturdy and durable shipping boxes, and other costs including gas for trips to the Post Office. If a seller is charging only the shipping fee, ask how your item will be packaged and shipped. Your item may be sent poorly packaged in an envelope that offers no protection for your item, or wrapped in a thin layer of newspaper that may soil your item. The Post Office and other shippers do NOT reimburse you for items damaged in shipping due to inadequate packaging!

Some sellers post inappropriately high shipping rates for their items. You can now report these sellers to eBay. One of the problems with a seller posting an item with an opening bid of $0.99 and a shipping rate of $25.00 for a watch, for example, is that if you wish to return the item you will only get a refund on what you paid for the item. Shipping fees are generally not refundable. While many sellers rightly add a handling fee to the shipping rate (which includes the cost of packaging materials, the high cost of gas for a trip to the Post Office, boxes, tape, labels, etc.), you can use your own discretion to determine if the seller is charging an inappropriate amount.

5. REVIEW THE SELLER'S AFFILIATIONS - Paypal provides Buyer Protection for qualified sellers, which can help you in recovering costs if there is a problem with your transaction. Square Trade offers validation of a seller's identity and clarifies the seller's listing policies. eBay Powersellers are experienced sellers committed to customer satisfaction. Buying from sellers who participate in these programs lessens the chances of an unsatisfactory transaction, or your becoming a victim of fraud.

                          

6. USE APPROPRIATE PAYMENT METHODS TO PURCHASE YOUR ITEM - Paypal and many credit card companies offer buyer protection against many purchases, so look for sellers who offer Paypal Buyer Protection and other protective services such as bonding. Sending a check or money order limits your protection as a buyer, and using these methods can entail a much longer wait for your item. NEVER use cash when paying for an item on eBay. You always take a risk in losing that payment, and in addition cash is no longer an acceptable form of payment on eBay.

7. CHECK EBAY GUIDES FOR INFORMATION ON SPECIFIC SCAMS FOUND ON EBAY - There are scammers on eBay, and the number of scams on the different items posted are too numerous to list here. However, if you are planning to purchase a specific item such as a Kate Spade handbag, run a search through eBay guides first. You may find information on how to identify genuine designer items, as well as how to spot scammers at work.

Buying on eBay can be safe, fun, and economical. Practice these safety measure to make your eBay experience safe and fun for everyone!

We hope this article has been useful to you! Please take a moment to vote by checking the YES box below. Thank you for viewing, and for voting! 

Check out our other guides for more information on how to protect yourself on eBay!

eBay Guides - PROTECT YOURSELF EBAY PHISHING SCAMS IDENTITY THEFT

eBay Guides - PROTECT YOURSELF - REVIEW EBAYS NEW FEEDBACK POLICIES

eBay Guides - SAVE MONEY ON EBAY FEES FOR BUYERS AND SELLERS