i work for ebay in the fraud department, so naturally i'm a little skeptical about everything i buy on ebay. one big thing to look out for is solicitation outside of ebay, and fake buy it now prices in the listing. short listing durations, and generic pictures are things to be skeptical of as well(but that goes without saying).
Did I get shafted?
- Thread starter mrjad
- Start date
ullanta
Veteran
Actually, I find that eBay restores my faith in humanity. I'm fairly cautiouis, but have bought a LOT of stuff on eBay and have had only one problem, which was handled well and satisfactorially resolved by eBay's dispute resolution center. It's a system that depends to a great extent on people's good-faith action, and (again, perhaps with a little caution) overwhelmingly works. In a cynical world, it's sort of a beacon of respectable interaction.
With a little caution.
With a little caution.
dotconnproductions
Well-known member
Oh, I stand corrected on the posts counter. Thanks for the info.
pmgmedia
Well-known member
I bought hundreds of things on ebay, including my dvx100a, wide angle and glidecam 2000 pro. I have been lucky. Never had a problem - but I have seen a few bogus listings and lots of dirtbags, too.
Some advice:
- Always check out the feedback. Make sure the person has a decent reputation on ebay for selling SIMILAR things. (If they have good feedback, but up until now have been selling knitting supplies, this could be a hijacked seller account.)
- Never follow someone's direction in their listing to email them directly for more info. This is a tipoff its a scam. You know those fake emails you get that go "phishing" for your ebay password? The scammers use these cracked ebay accounts to make fake listings for expensive equipment and then say in the listing "Email me for more info." You email them and they say they will sell it to you direct if you Western Union them the money. Many times they are in Europe. Bye bye money.
- Never click on a link in an email - especially one alleging to be from a credit card, ebay or paypal. That link in the "Second Chance Auction" email may well go directly to the bad guys. Instead go to the main website and log-in to find if you have a similar message.
- Be suspicious of prices that are too good, or buyers willing to overpay for an item if you ship to Nigeria or some distant land. They will send you a fraudulent bank check for more than the shipping would ever cost, then ask you to wire them the difference once you ship the item. They get your money AND the item too! You get a fake check that bounces in a few days.
Some advice:
- Always check out the feedback. Make sure the person has a decent reputation on ebay for selling SIMILAR things. (If they have good feedback, but up until now have been selling knitting supplies, this could be a hijacked seller account.)
- Never follow someone's direction in their listing to email them directly for more info. This is a tipoff its a scam. You know those fake emails you get that go "phishing" for your ebay password? The scammers use these cracked ebay accounts to make fake listings for expensive equipment and then say in the listing "Email me for more info." You email them and they say they will sell it to you direct if you Western Union them the money. Many times they are in Europe. Bye bye money.
- Never click on a link in an email - especially one alleging to be from a credit card, ebay or paypal. That link in the "Second Chance Auction" email may well go directly to the bad guys. Instead go to the main website and log-in to find if you have a similar message.
- Be suspicious of prices that are too good, or buyers willing to overpay for an item if you ship to Nigeria or some distant land. They will send you a fraudulent bank check for more than the shipping would ever cost, then ask you to wire them the difference once you ship the item. They get your money AND the item too! You get a fake check that bounces in a few days.
lifewriter
Carbonite Member
Gee all that name trashing and threats, etc. and NOW you say it was a BIG misunderstanding? Man, what a whack job from a fellow forum member. You know you should really wait and exhaust all avenues before trashing someone's name publicly. What you did was unethical man.
lifewriter
Carbonite Member
mickd22 said:
You work for Ebay? And in the next breath you you say you are "a little skeptical about everything you buy on Ebay?" Man, if you are really telling the truth then why buy on Ebay at all? Seems like a whack job.
lifewriter
Carbonite Member
bump
DerrickTempleton
Well-known member
I've done 20 transactions on ebay and only had one small issue where the person sent me something in worse condition than described. She refunded my money after I mentioned a possible negative feedback score. In my experience it's been safe if you play it smart.
I've had almost entirely good experiences on eBay. Buyer beware is always on-order.
1. Check feedback - not just positives, but frequency of transactions and the amount of the transactions. If your bid will be the first major transaction against dozens of smaller ones, then you should be wary.
2. Never approach a seller to negotiate a deal outside of eBay. First and foremost, it violates your express agreement with eBay and, as has been stated above, greatly diminishes or eliminates protections they've put into place for your benefit.
3. Using PayPal, when you follow 1 and 2 as prescribed above, is almost always a guarantee that you'll be eligible for reparations in the event of a fraudulent buyer or seller.
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1. Check feedback - not just positives, but frequency of transactions and the amount of the transactions. If your bid will be the first major transaction against dozens of smaller ones, then you should be wary.
2. Never approach a seller to negotiate a deal outside of eBay. First and foremost, it violates your express agreement with eBay and, as has been stated above, greatly diminishes or eliminates protections they've put into place for your benefit.
3. Using PayPal, when you follow 1 and 2 as prescribed above, is almost always a guarantee that you'll be eligible for reparations in the event of a fraudulent buyer or seller.
e