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Online Auctions – Avoid Scams and Fraud
Every marketplace has its share of con artist, scammers and
pickpockets. The great eBay market also has no exception. We
have heard how "when a some thing sounds too good to be true;
it PROBABLY is!" The reason for this learning is due to some
concerns that have been observed and experienced on eBay. In
light of the various Apple iPhone scams that are out on eBay
currently; we need to actively educate our ourselves and other
eBayers. These scams have been wreaking havoc and have been
causing eBayers to not trust other honest eBay sellers. So
that's why we are here to write a guide to minimize being
scammed.
Fraudulent users are quickly discovered, eliminated and most
of them prosecuted so your buying experience on eBay is almost
always fun and safe. eBay provided a Red Flag checklist you
may use when contemplating a major purchase. Many a people
have been scammed and defrauded on eBay. eBay is a web portal
to bid on items and to sell items. You must know how to
recognize and avoid a scam, or you quickly join the ranks of
those who have lost their money to eBay scams. If you are
scammed, there are some actions you can take to correct the
situation – but in most of the cases, the scammer does get
away! However the best option is to avoid being scammed.
You can easily avoid most of the scams with the payment method
that you use – either you are a buyer or a seller. eBay owns
Paypal, and Paypal is the payment method, which is, regarded
the safest. You should use this method of payment. As a buyer,
if you are scammed or not satisfied with the item when it
arrives, you can dispute the charge easily, and demand a
refund. The seller must reply and show proof that the item was
shipped, and that it arrived in the condition that you
expected; otherwise Paypal would return your funds to your
account. On the other hand by accepting Paypal as a seller,
you can protect yourself. This will eliminate doubt of
receiving a bad check or having the buyer dispute a credit
card charge. Instead, they must dispute the charge through
paypal, and you of course will be able to prove that you
shipped the product so deal is complete from your side.
However you cannot prove that the product arrived in the
condition that was expected. In this case, you should demand
that the product be returned first to you before the refund is
issued.
Another very common scam that usually some buyers use is the
bidding scam. This kind of scam is run by two separate eBay
accounts – with one person in control of both of them, or with
two friends with separate eBay accounts. A very small bid is
placed on your item, using one account followed by a very high
bid, from the other eBay account. Right before the bidding
ends, the high bid is withdrawn, leaving the low bid as the
winning bid. This scam can be avoided by setting a reserve
price – the lowest bid that can be placed is the same as the
reserve price that you set.
If you are an eBay seller, by placing a notice on your
auctions page you further can protect your auctions by placing
a notice on your auctions page, declaring that you have the
right to back out of the sale if you suspect potential fraud.
Always beware of spoofed emails both as a buyer or a seller.
These emails will appear in your inbox and claim to be from
eBay. The email may claim that you need to verify some of your
information regarding eBay account, and ask you to login to
your eBay account. A link will also be provided for this. If
you follow that link, the site looks exactly like eBay, but it
is actually a scam to get your eBay login details, and credit
card details!
Keep in mind that eBay will never ask you to do so. If you
suspect a spoofed email, report it to eBay as soon as
possible!
Don’t let the scammers flourish your eBay business! A good
common sense, and a reasonable amount of caution, every thing
will be running smoothly. Report suspicious activity of any
kind to eBay, so that these scams can be avoided and if a deal
doesn’t feel right, simply back away from it and just move on
to the next auction. These are the some basic ways to ensure
yourself from being a victim of fraud.
Article Source:
http://www.auctionwebsite.net |
