Clues to Spot a Questionable Seller
eBay is a great place to buy….until you’ve found yourself ripped off by someone claiming “authenticity” and then disappears into internet etherland when you try to make good on claims to return your money. This recently happened to me so I’d like to share what I’ve learned over a recent experience buying a fake handbag. There were various clues that should have tipped me off that this seller was not on the level–but at the time, with over 200 eBay transactions under my belt, I didn’t think I would be tricked. Hindsight being 20-20, it all makes sense today.
Each of these clues by themselves do not necessarily predict a negative experience–but put them all together, let the buyer beware!
Clue #1: Does the seller use Paypal? Of course, not all sellers do use Paypal, but for higher dollar winning bids, it may make a lot of sense to use Paypal due to guarantees available and tracing the transaction. The particular seller I bought from only took money orders and personal checks. My lesson learned was to not even bid on something over $75 without Paypal unless I’m prepared for the possibility of losing my money.
Clue #2: Check the feedback. If the seller has private feedback, that makes it much harder to identify how they have done before. Even if feedback is present, not all feedback is legitimately given. Just as in a setup in a live auction where there is someone bidding up the price of the item being auctioned, the seller can have a phony transaction occur with an associate, the associate gives raves for feedback, while no money or sale may have really take place. The seller can then point you to “check out my feedback.” When I checked my seller’s feedback carefully after receiving a phony handbag, I found multiple feedbacks provided by the same person (all in a row). Feedback listed for my seller had the very same format for almost every feedback line and, yes, they were all very positive! The seller had under 70 feedbacks, almost all given during the same week. By itself, for a large seller on eBay, this would not be unusual. However, for the average seller with fewer than 70 feedbacks, it raises questions.
Clue #3: Time allowed for the auction. If the seller has 12 Louis Vuitton bags for auction and they all are due to close on one day, that would raise a flag for me.
Clue #4: Wording in the listing. Check out the language of the listing. Are there any unusual phrases or turns of expression? Try typing in that particular phrase in your eBay search window. What comes up? In my seller’s case, the odd phrasings turned up in listings for four other eBay IDs. Each listing had the exact same phrasing and styles. AND, when I checked out the feedback for those other four eBay IDs, the very same eBay buyer IDs had given feedback, using the same feedback words and phrases. It now appears odd that one person would buy six Louis Vuitton handbags from four sellers who have the exact same listing, and provide the very same comments for each.
Clue #5: Check out the eBay tips for purchasing. When I read my listing, all the bona fide identifiers were listed in the ad. However, when I got my handbag, they weren’t there. At least by reading the information provided by legitimate sellers, you can have a heads up and be alert when your item arrives.
There are many honest eBay sellers out there and my experience hasn’t deterred me from buying at eBay. I will put together as much as I can prior to bidding in the future to give myself the best opportunity to buy from a legitimate eBay seller! Good luck!