Since Nintendo unveiled the Wii, I’ve purchased several on eBay for friends, customers, family, or for resale.  At any rate, I’ve bought dozens of these on eBay.  Some have been flawless sales, but I’ve been robbed a few times.  Hopefully, this guide will help reduce the number of people this happens to.

Finding The Best Price:

• When searching auction-style listings, you can find some great bargains.  But with a hot item like this, the best time to buy is late at night.  There seems to be fewer bidders bidding against me after midnight.
• Search for systems bundled with accessories or games.  Often times, if you search just above what you are willing to pay, you can find systems that include games or accessories.  This might make the total cost higher but if you subtract the what the games are worth, the system many times is cheaper than what you would have paid for it alone.  BEWARE: Some sellers are aware of this buying strategy and try to confuse you by offering promises that aren’t entirely true like “includes five free games!”   Some sellers count certain games as more than one like Wii Sports will count as 5 games.  Wii Play is another one counted multiple times.  You just have to read or ask what the free games are.
• Set a search and save your search terms.  You can make the search for the system you want with the games you want and save it.  EBay will email you anytime it is listed within  a year.

 
Avoiding Scams:

• The first thing to look for to avoid a scam is a picture.  EBay requires all Wii listings to include a picture with the original receipt.  If the only picture shown is a generic stock photo, the listing is in violation of ebay policy and is probably a scam.  Don’t be afraid to report listings like this to eBay.  Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on REPORT THIS LISTING.
• Check shipping rates.  It seems that most sellers charge between $30 and $40 shipping for the Wii.  Some sellers will sell them cheap but charge anywhere from $75 to $150 in shipping.  This would make your bargain game system become rather pricey!
• Before you buy, check the seller’s feedback.  Look deeper than just the total score.  How many feedbacks were given to the seller as a seller?  Most scam artists will buy three or four items to build a 100% positive feedback score but have never sold on eBay before.  Other scam artists will sell unrelated and inexpensive items to build a score.  I had a bad experience with a seller who had sold four rabbit cages on ebay and then had twenty Wiis listed.  It appeared he was an honest seller, but the Wii never arrived.  Trust your gut.  If you look at the feedback and if it seems fishy, it probably is.
  

Payment:

• Before you buy, make sure the seller accepts PAYPAL.  Sure PayPal has its flaws, but if the seller cannot prove delivery, PayPal will recover your money.  If you agree to buy the item and if the auction specifically says the seller will not accept PayPal, you don’t have to pay for it, but eBay will side with the seller.  And most likely, you will receive an unpaid item strike.
• Then, when you pay through PayPal, do not use your balance or checking account.  Only use your credit card through PayPal on high dollar items or things you find questionable.  This will provide you with a second line of defense.
  

Contacting The Seller:

• When you make your payment, send an email to the seller stating that you would like the tracking number as soon as it has been sent.  Also ask for an estimate as to when the item will be shipped.
• Don’t be afraid to keep in contact with the seller.  You’ve just sent a large amount of money to him or her.  You don’t need to be shy.  But you also must still be friendly.  No one likes getting nasty emails out of the blue.  And most of the sellers on eBay are on the up and up.  We’re just trying to find them and not get tangled up with the bad ones.
• If the seller doesn’t respond to any emails or tracking number requests within a couple days, it might be time to let the seller know that you plan on filing a claim with PayPal if tracking information isn’t received promptly.
  

Getting Your Money Back:

• If nothing ever arrived from the seller, file a claim with PayPal and immediately escalate it to a claim and not a dispute.  You’ve been trying to make contact with the seller right along and in good faith can say that you don’t believe you can work out an agreement with the seller.  The seller must then provide tracking information or else the money will be refunded to you.  Sometimes this is enough to get the seller to ship the item, and you can have a happy ending.  Sometimes this is not the case.  I had an experience where after I filed the claim, the seller sent PayPal a tracking number for a box that he sent to me.  However he did not send me a Wii, he sent me a box full of broken controllers.  PayPal only allows one claim to be filed per transaction.  So, I knew that I would not be able to file an item not described claim.  Instead, I sealed the package back up just the way he had it and wrote refused on it.  This way, the tracking number shows it was not delivered but returned to the seller.
• If the item arrived broken, you can file an item not as described claim with PayPal.  Most likely they will refund your money but require you to return the item at your own expense.
• If the PayPal claim process does not work for you, call your credit card company.  They will take care of the problem.  Most likely they will want to see proof of everything.  This isn’t a problem though because all your emails to the seller have been save in your “MY MESSAGES” section of eBay, and the original auction is save in your “MY EBAY.”  If you’ve followed this guide, you’ve done absolutely everything right.  And your credit card company will make it right, even if PayPal did not find in your favor.  This is why it is so important that you paid with a credit card.
  

Looking out for your fellow eBayers:

• So, you’ve got your money back, and you’ve found an honest seller and got the Wii you wanted to begin with.  Happy happy happy…But you discover the scam artist that took you for a ride is still scamming on eBay.  The first thing you should do is call eBay.  Email works but most likely you’ll get a form letter back that really says nothing.  If you look in the CONTACT US section of help, you can find a phone number.  Talk to someone and tell them about the fraudulent seller you dealt with that is still scamming others.  They shouldn’t be selling on eBay.
• Don’t be afraid to alert the police.  The person you dealt with committed fraud, which is a crime.  Some police departments are more concerned about this than others.  You can request the seller’s information and get their home address through eBay.  Once you know this, call the seller’s local police department