eBay scams...........what can you do?

[Endarkened]

No, I haven't been scammed, I'm just wondering what procedures are available for you to go through if you did get scammed. I'm thinking of buying some of the hardware for my new computer through eBay, but I want to make sure I know what to do if someone did just take my PayPal money and run. Are there any safegaurds out there? Or do you buy at your own risk?

Thanks,

Endarkened

 

[LukFilm]

Always check feedback. I'd never buy anything computer-related there, most of the time I can always find the item cheaper through deals in Hot Deals forum

 

[Jiggz]

Talking from experience, you need to make sure you have at least two layers of protection to even think about dealing on e-bay. First, always use a credit card. Then use Paypal. Paypal is not very helpful but at least they will try as long as you are withing the protection period. And then there is your credit card! This is about the best protection you have. E-bay have some kind of protection but believe me it ain't worth a sh!te! But to avoid all of these, I'll say either go to Ubid or just find good bargain from the Hot deal section. Believe me the headache and time spent is not worth the few $$$ you save on e-bay.

 

[Conroy9]

paypal and your credit card should be fine

i've bought from ebay many times, and i haven't had any headaches yet..

 

[LuciferHaze]

Just for that reason I prefer Brick and Mortar stores. It's never a good idea to give out personal info like your credit card number over the Internet no matter how trustworthy the site claims to be. That's why buying and selling on the Internet is stagnating. People don't trust it and for good reason.

'Caveat Emptor'-Let the buyer beware.

 

[MrCodeDude]

Never buy computer stuff over eBay unless the guy has a great amount of feedback. Usually the seller will leave out a detail like selling the Nomad Jukebox II vs. selling the Nomad Jukebox IIc. The IIc is $50 cheaper, but you could easily pass off the IIc as an II for they look the same.
-- mrcodedude

 

[sohcrates]

my friend won a laptop 2 weeks ago...the guy wrote her an e-mail saying "congratulations, call this number"

it was his cell phone number....by the end of the conversation, he basically told her that if she didn't give him more money he wouldn't sell it.

so she just gave him negative feedback. is there ANYTHING else she could do?

 

[subxeon]

watch out though, i've heard of people that hack ebay accounts with good feedback.


its been done lots

 

[rommel]

friend of mine wanted me to build a system for his brother...went on ebay to get a case price.....lian li case...well signed up for him entered a bid...then like 1 day before auction end i get a notce i had been out bid....so i up the bid price...i immediately get notice i have been out bid..again i up the bid price and again immediately get a notice i have been out bid...so i up my bid yet again...well you know what happened..so i entered in the an amount i was willing to go to and i heard nothing till i get a e mail saying i lost and the bid amount was exactly what my top bid was....aarrgghhh SCREW EBAY...lol

 

[vegetation]

Check their feedback, and check how many auctions the seller is doing at the same time. A competent seller is one who can ship out in sufficient volume on a consistent basis (feedback will allow to you figure it out for yourself).

 

[WhatWasIThinking]

I've had good luck with ebay, but on some things (like hard drives and cpus) there are morons who bid more for used ones than they could get them for new at newegg. The proxy bidding thing is a little confusing (maybe that was what happened to you, rommel, on a tie it goes to the earliest bidder. The cases usually aren't bargains either.) Spend a little time at resellerratings and ebay starts to look a lot better (at least for some stuff). A lot of online vendors are basically scam artists. The biggest problem with EBay is a lot of people rip you off on the shipping. At least you know that ahead of time and can bid accordingly. There are risks with ebay, but there are risks with anything, especially online. So far my experience with them has been pretty good.

 

[TunaBoo]

E-bay is fine. If you are so poor that 1 scam will not let you feed your kids, dont buy something (if you are that poor you shouldn't be buying crap off ebay anywyas )

I have never got scammed or whatever, it is pretty safe. Just bid smart. Same with online stores. Buy smart and no big worries.

I hate B&M stores.

 

[KrispyKremer]

Hmmm, how bad do you need that collector's Betty Crocker Cook Book cpu cooler case whatever the hell...

Stick to reputable sites (like Anandtech! and see what companies people here are spending their money. You may not really know what you'll get, or what condition, when you buy off EBay. Is it worth the risk? To me, no.

 

[TunaBoo]

<<
Stick to reputable sites (like Anandtech! and see what companies people here are spending their money. You may not really know what you'll get, or what condition, when you buy off EBay. Is it worth the risk? To me, no. >>



Trading forums like anand's are really not any better (or worse) than ebay.

 

[Gustavus]

An observation for what it is worth. E-bay differs greatly from one area to another. I have bought and sold expensive machine tools and shop equipment with never a problem in either selling or buying. In the computer area though the ethics is &quot;State fair&quot; grade. I will not buy computer stuff on e-bay and will only sell with prepayment by money order or certified check.

 

[grrl]

I've bought and sold quite a bit on eBay, including some computer equipment, with only a few problems. As others have said a seller's feedback can help you figure out who is trustworthy. I just use PayPal and was able to get my money back from a d*ckhead in Texas who tried to rip me off on a power amp.