The eBay pandemic & Red Flags

It’s no secret that eBay affects a lot of purchase decisions to many buyers. It is after all one of the largest online market places. I’m also no stranger to it as I manage many of the items that my store sells on eBay. I do however get a lot of people coming in exclaiming that they can get something on eBay for X or Y amount without taking major factors into consideration, such as most prices they quote are only starting prices and may not actually be sold for that price, or the conditions of the actual items.

In any case the eBay market place is not a place to just simply pass over when looking for new and used equipment alike. If you are not one to play the game of bids and waiting there are many eBay stores such as my employers have that offer items for immediate purchase. However in the midst of all the deals out there, one must be cautious because just as scammers followed many of us onto the web eBay is no exception.

Feedback

Feedback can be a quick indication of a seller’s credibility to do business with. However just the number alone may not be a good indicator. It is important to check the actual feedback themselves. Sometimes you might see a seller with upward to 10 to 20 positive feedback, but if you notice that a majority of the feedback is from the same person this is a definite red flag. Another thing to watch for is recent items either sold or purchased. If a seller has sold many items not going for more than a few dollars, then all the sudden they put up a three thousand dollar digital camera, this may also be a red flag to consider with extreme caution. Many scammers will sell or buy very cheap items in order to drive up their feedback then list a number of expensive items to cash in on their perceived credibility.

Location and Communication

While it is possible for major retailers (i.e., the kind that have well over several thousand positive feedbacks) to list items that are located in countries other than the seller's own profile, it is something to keep in consideration. Many smaller sellers are going to list items as being located in the same general vicinity not overseas. But a clear red flag is the communication method desired. If the auction explicitly tells you to email off-site for communication (i.e.: they list a general free web email in the auction such as @aol.com, @yahoo.com, and so forth) as opposed to contacting the buyer thru eBay it may be signs that it is a scammer or a possible hi-jacked account. This is especially noted if the account has not been active or had any feedbacks for over six months to a year.

Payment Types

Most of the eBay sellers take Paypal, Money Orders, Cashiers Checks and so forth. However there are least three payment types to be wary of. The first of such is a direct bank wire transfer, It is never a good idea to wire seller money directly from your bank account. If the seller were a scammer not only would they taken the money but they would then have access to the bank account in one fashion or another. It is absolutely not recommended to send cash to a seller, if they request it avoid the seller. The last payment type which is likely to be 99.99% a scam is Western Union Wire Transfer/Money Order. It does not matter what WU Agent says, if the seller is a scammer it is next to impossible to get the money back. It is best only to use Western Union to send money to a trusted source, such as friends or family memebers.

Suspicious Requests

There are situations where sellers (or buyers if you happen to be selling off your old gear) may email or contact you with a strange request. Some may simply offer you a specific sum to end an auction early if you are a seller. Other than being strange that they do not just bid to that amount, it is also against eBay’s policy to do so. There may also be sellers who specifically request that you send payment to an address or account not specifically shown on the eBay profile of that seller. Also if you happen to be a seller and you are selling off your old gear in order to get new gear, you may also come across this particular request. You may have a buyer contact you in regards of giving you an excess amount for the item at the request that you send back the difference. This is a most likely a scam as in most cases you receive the check, and go cash it at the bank. If the check is a fake or bounces you may be held liable for the amount well after you’ve already sent the buyer the goods and the difference.

When is Paypal not secure

While for the most part Paypal is a secure method of payment there are some things to keep in mind. At the time of writing this article Paypal does not protect buyers who send payments to unconfirmed addresses, or to sellers outside of the United States. While this is not usually related to scammers it is something to keep in mind when making a purchase decision. It is the same for sellers, due to abuses by overseas buyers the store I work at has adopted a no Paypal acceptance for buyers outside of the united states. This is due that Paypal does not offer seller protection for items that are sold to buyers outside of the United States or to unconfirmed addresses. As a store this may limit our consumer base, but as a retailer its best to be safe than sorry. But as said above if you wish to pay with Paypal, it would not be a bad idea to check to see if the account is both verified and the address confirmed.