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Home::ECommerce
Warning: EBay Scams To Watch Out For
Author : Jason Cooper
There are many eBay scams out there to keep an eye out for when
you are buying or selling on eBay. This article will cover some
of the known and not so well known scams to be aware of. Whether
you're a causal buyer or seller, or a professional on eBay, you
need to know about these scams so that you can take measures to
prevent or recognize if it's happening to you.
Bid Shielding This scam is something you need to watch out for
as a seller on eBay. Basically the scam is run using two
separate eBay accounts. The scam works like this. You put your
item up for auction. Let's say your item is worth $100 and you
have no reserve. The first bidder (scammer) comes along and bids
$5 on your item. Right after that, another bidder working with
the first bidder comes along and bids $200 on your item. Since
your item is only worth $100, you receive no more bids for the
duration of your auction. Right before your auction ends, the
first bidder backs out and cancels their bid, leaving the $5
bidder the winner, effectively shielding all other potential
bidders because of the $200 bid.
Because of the potential for this scam it is always good to have
a reserve on your auction. Also, I would put some sort of
disclaimer on your auction stating that if you suspect bid
shielding on your auction, you reserve the right to back out of
the sale. It's always a good idea to keep an eye on your
auctions and watch for this type of behavior. If you suspect
this is happening to you, be sure to report the parties involved
to eBay right away.
Wholesale List Scam This scam takes advantage of the fact that
many people don't pay close attention or read the fine print on
an auction. This scam is targeted at buyers who are looking for
deals on electronics and technological items on eBay. The
wholesale list scam is basically an auction that looks like the
seller is offering a great deal on a product like an iPod for
example. They may have a buy now price of $40 for an iPod that
is worth $150. However, if you actually read the fine print on
the auction, you will find that you are not really buying the
iPod. In fact you are purchasing a wholesale list.
To avoid this scam, just be sure that you read the entire
details of the auction before making a bid or a purchase.
Basically, just use common sense. If it looks too good to be
true, it probably is, so read the auction carefully.
Bad Check Scam This eBay scam is exactly what it sounds like.
The bad check scam is simple. Someone purchases your item and
sends you a check as payment. You receive the check, and send
out the item. However, 2 weeks later you find out the check
bounces and now you are out your item and the money.
To avoid this, simply do not send out any products until the
check has cleared.
Spoof eBay Emails This eBay scam is an attempt to get your
personal information and/or eBay account information. Basically
the scammer sends you an email that looks like it's from eBay.
The email may direct you to a website (that also looks like
eBay) where it asks to you verify your information. In reality,
the website is created by the scammer to collect your personal
information and use it for identity theft. The scammers can be
very tricky and make everything look very official.
To avoid this scam, you need to be wary of any emails that you
get. The first thing you need to check is the email header.
Emails from eBay, will have "@ebay.com" as the last part of the
senders email. Also any links that are in the email may be
directing you somewhere other than where they say they are. Also
copy and paste the links into your browser, and only visit
official links that start with "www.ebay.com". If anything seems
suspicious to you, forward the email to eBay and wait for their
response. They will let you know if it's legitimate or not.
In conclusion, most people you run into on eBay are good honest
people and not out to scam you. You may do business on eBay for
years and never run into any of this. However, occasionally
these things do happen so it's important to use common sense and
use your best judgment when it comes to this stuff. Just be
aware that it can happen, and take the necessary precautions and
you will be fine. There's a lot of money to be made on eBay, so
don't let anything scare you off. Keep yourself armed with
knowledge and information and you will be successful out there
in the auction world!
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