Some sellers resort to ripoff tactics to make a few extra bucks on eBay. Please beware of these jerks. Mind you, they are purely a minority, however they will try to steal you "blind".

Here's how it works: You innocently win an auction for an item with a value of $15.00 for example. The auction had no postage mentioned in the description. You receive an invoice for $25.00 of which $10.00 is for shipping. That $10.00 is way "out of line" if it is going to the domestic USA either via First Class Mail or Priority. First class mail is for packages up to 13 ounces and is under $4.00. USPS Priority is only $4.05 for a 1 pound package. Clearly $10.00 was too much.

The unscrupulous seller made out like a bandit since she doesn't have to share this amount with eBay. eBay only charges a percentage of the final value and the listing, Not the postage.

What can you do? 1) read the auction again, to see if a postage or calculation method was mentioned, 2) Contact Trust & Safety.

eBay has been cracking down on unscrupulous sellers charging exhorbitant shipping charges, who actually discourage buying on the eBay site due to their dishonesty.

Ask a seller a question before you bid, if you want an item badly enough, but no shipping information is given.

Finally, look out for a significant increase in shipping charges, what I call the  "switcheroo", that is, when a price is published on the auction description and your invoice postage is significantly different. This is another common ploy by the fraudsters.

Thanks for your time in reading this guide and I hope it was helpful. LOASS