10 WAYS TO AVOID BEING RIPPED OFF ON EBAY

10 WAYS TO AVOID BEING RIPPED OFF ON EBAY
BY: KAREN WALKER
it is important to remember that ebay is a lot
like a marketplace. there will always be a dodgy
GUY IN THE CORNER, SELLING THINGS THAT MOST
people wouldn't touch. the trouble is that, on
the internet, these people can be a little
HARDER TO SPOT. HERE ARE TEN TIPS TO HELP YOU
keep an eye out for the rip-off merchants.

1. IF IT SEEMS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT PROBABLY
is: this holds for everything in life, but
especially for ebay. things that seem too cheap
ARE USUALLY TOO CHEAP FOR A REASON - IT MIGHT BE
a complete scam, or the items might just be of
extremely poor quality. investigate before you
GO FURTHER.

2. know the value of what you want to buy: there
ARE PEOPLE ON EBAY WHO REGULARLY BID SUCH HIGH
prices for used cameras that they might as well
have gone out and bought them brand new. check
AROUND FOR PRICES FIRST.

3. only bid on real things: ebay has plenty of
PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO SELL ALL SORTS OF
schemes and scams. it is never worth bidding for
these, no matter how cheap they might be.

4. don't do anything outside ebay: occasionally
people will ask you to send them money outside
EBAY, TO AVOID THE FEES EBAY CHARGES SELLERS.
any money you send this way is entirely insecure
- don't do it.

5. be careful where you send payment: people may
hack into others' accounts, and ask you to send
PAYMENT TO ADDRESSES THAT EBAY HAS NOT CONFIRMED
as belonging to that account - you might send
your money and receive nothing in return.

6. look out for sellers who suddenly change what
they sell: sellers can look like they've made
LOTS OF TRANSACTIONS, WHEN REALLY THEY'VE NEVER
sold anything of worth. if they suddenly start
selling $1,000 televisions, steer clear - the
CHANCES ARE THEY'RE PLANNING TO RUN OFF WITH THE
money.

7. BEWARE THE SHILL BIDDER: IF SOMEONE WHO
doesn't seem to have bought anything before is
constantly outbidding you on a certain item, be
SUSPICIOUS. IT MIGHT BE A SELLER `SHILL BIDDING'
to force up his item's price.

8. DON'T USE THE SELLER'S ESCROW SERVICE: IF AN
escrow service is recommended to you by a
seller, it could well be owned and run by them -
AND THEY'RE QUITE LIKELY TO KEEP YOUR MONEY AND
send you nothing.

9. PAY ELECTRONICALLY: YOU ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE
able to recover any losses if you pay using a
credit card instead of sending out cheques and
MONEY ORDERS - THESE LOW-TECH PAYMENT METHODS
can't be tracked as easily.

10. BUY FROM REPUTABLE SELLERS: EACH SELLER HAS
a number next to their name, which is their
feedback rating. the higher this rating, the
MORE YOU CAN TRUST THEM.

on that last point, feedback ratings are the
MOST IMPORTANT WAY THAT BUYERS AND SELLERS CAN
protect themselves on ebay - and you, as a
buyer, have a rating too! now that you won't get
RIPPED OFF, THE NEXT EMAIL WILL BE ALL ABOUT
your rating, and what you can do to make sure
people know that you're not going to rip them
OFF EITHER.

about the author:
KAREN WALKER IS A PROFESSIONAL LIFE AND BUSINESS
coach who specializes in helping others discover
their passions, and realise their goals and
DREAMS. CASH FLOW QUEST [2] |
work at home directory [3]

circulated by article emporium [4]
------------------------------------------------