How to avoid being ripped off at eBay®

We have to agree that internet has become one of the most common way people nowadays shop due to the ease, variety and flexibility. A few decades ago this would have been a legend. Anyway that is beside the point. I must say that in this kind of a scenario there are always guys hiding behind the curtain and trying to sell you something you wouldn’t touch. I want to use EBay® as the case example here. The hardest thing is that it is very difficult to spot these crooks unless you follow these 10 steps:-

1. If it sounds so good to be true, which might probably be – the cheapest deals are always so for a reason, it might be because the item is of poor quality or it is a rip off altogether. And this applies to all aspect of life by the way. It is vital that you do further investigations.

2. Know the value of the item you are looking for – sometimes people bid for a second hand item like a laptop until the price inflate to a point that you can buy a new item for the same amount. The option here is to do some more research on price of the item first.

3. Bid on real items – No matter how cheap an item is, it is not worth bidding on it. It is important to note that EBay® hubs some scammers and schemes.

4. Do not do business outside EBay® – Occasionally some will even ask you to send them money in the name of avoiding fees that EBay® charges sellers. It is insecure to send money this way – Please don’t do it.

5. Be cautious where you send payments – There’s a possibility of one’s account being hacked and the buyer may be contacted to send money into an account that has not been confirmed by EBay®. This is a situation where you might pay and get nothing in return.

6. Stay clear of sellers who keep changing what they are selling- They may seem like they are having too much transactions, but have never sold anything of any worth. If they start selling something expensive, avoid. All they are trying to do is run off with your money.

7. Buy from trusted sellers - each seller has a rating after their name and this is something that you should be looking out for. The higher the feedback rating the better the reputation.

8. Pay “plastically” – It would be easier to recover money that has been paid using a credit card unlike money paid using a money order or check. The plastic mode of payment is easily tracked as compared to these medieval modes.

9. Avoid purchasing from a seller’s escrow service – The escrow service is most probably one owned by the seller which he/she primarily run and is most likely to receive your money and not send you anything.

10. Beware of “shill bidding” – This is a situation whereby someone doesn’t seem to have bought anything but keeps outbidding you, he might be the seller who is trying to force his item price.

Lastly, I must mention that eBay® is a great place to shop and the best way that buyers and sellers can protect themselves is by using feedback ratings. And you as a buyer have a role of not ripping others off. That is your rating!