There are not many fraudsters on eBay - but those who do are often selfish. This means that they will always try to pull their scams out of expensive things like cars and computers, in order to make more money faster. As consumers usually buy these items rarely, they may be unaware of the various scams that exist.
Car Scams.
With cars, you will often find that fraudsters are trying to get you to send them money early, for whatever reason. For some reason, some people are not all reluctant to pay 50% or 25% of the money before delivery using a less secure payment method, especially in a car. They think the seller will bring it in, as they will demand another portion of the money.
But there has never been a car! Pictures of cars are not difficult to find, and experienced scammers will have a library of various car pictures. The seller has just received your $5,000 free cash, and you can leave them all the wrong feedback you like. They will just go and open another eBay account and find their next sucker.
Although it is not a direct scam, you may find that the car turns, but it does not fit the description - it has been overused, according to the tradition of used car dealers over the years. If this happens, you should open an eBay dispute and say your item did not exist as described - you may receive a partial refund.
Computer scams.
If you are bidding on a computer auction but do not win, the seller may email you, l asking you if you would like to buy a computer similar to the one he recently sold on his website.
What a horrible sight! You’re not sure if something will ever come, and you haven’t just given them your money - give them your credit card details.
There are sellers who have nothing but positive feedback who regularly use this scam - and since you can't leave them any feedback about the job, their reputation will remain the same. If you complain to eBay that you bought something off-site and were cheated, they will tell you to get lost and not do it again.
How to Conquer Scams.
There are many ways to overcome fraud. First, whenever you buy anything expensive, be sure to check the reputation of your seller carefully. Make sure they sell items of the same high value before and simply sell a series of $10 items to get their response rate higher. If you want to be more careful, emphasize that money is invested in an escrow service (eBay recommends escrow.com - do not use any other service unless you are sure of it).
Honestly, it is usually a bad idea to use eBay to buy things like cars and computers to get started with - you can get them anywhere, and the discounts are no longer that great. It is best to use eBay for those rare, special items you will not find anywhere else. The following email will give you tips for buying a collection.
You must be logged in to post a comment.