Unfortunately There are criminals and they ruin the eBay experience for many innocent buyers and sellers. I hope these tips will stop some of you from getting conned on the internet. I have used some examples that I have experienced or heard of.
For Buyers
General things to concider
1) Is it the actual item?
Beware what you are bidding on is is the actual item. In many auctions on eBay the auction is for a link, not for the actual product. I have already produced a guide on links and pyramid schemes. In many other auctions the item is not genuine. Examples are Oakley sunglasses and Gucci bags etc. I have also produced a guide on spotting fake Oakleys. Other things to look out for are copied DVDs or CDs. You know when they are fake when it says in the description that they are 'back-up files' and 'you should only buy them if you have the origional'. Don't buy them, you will be helping fraudsters!
2) Is there a photo?
If there is a photo is it one taken from the internet or is it one the seller as actually taken? If the seller has taken the photo himself/herself then the sale is more likely to be genuine.
3) Feedback
A mistake I made and it cost me £171.00, don't buy from sellers with a low feedback rating and lots of negative comments. I bought a phone from someone with two comments, one being negative. It prooved costly. You can usually trust shops, people with high feedback and when the seller is signed up with square trade.
4) Payment
When paying with PayPal you have some fall back if thing sgo wrong. There are fraud protection policies etc. However if you pay with other methods you may not be covered. If you don't have PayPal I would advise you get it. If you pay by other payment methods send it with insured delivery. Never send cash! Don't use any money transfer systems, it is the easiest way for fraudsters to get your details.
e.g. If you ring up and pay with credit card how do you know the person on the other end isn't going to use your details. The same applies for bank transfers.
5) Know what you are bidding on.
When you know what you want you should research it. Know you are not getting a fake. Read eBay's safety policies and ask questions. Genuine sellers won't be afraid to answer questions.
Orignal From: A Guide To Safe Trading - Avoid Getting Conned
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