Safety Tips for Shopping on eBay.


Buying on eBay for the first time can be scary, but the truth is majority of transactions go through without any problems. You just need to take a common sense approach to buying such as reading the description, looking at posted photos, and examining the seller's feedback profile. The advantages of buying from a non-retailer are the sellers have current pictures, instead of a supplier's default photo like you see at Amazon, and the prices are lower than retail.

So is buying on eBay that simple? Below we will go in more detail about this topic. So here are a few detailed safety tips I can offer you when shopping on eBay or any other auction sites.

1) Don't be afraid to ask the seller a question! Sometimes the seller is vague in the auction listing and the buyer makes assumptions so those things can lead to misunderstandings. You do need to be a current eBay member to message but eBay registration is easy. After you make contact, remember to save these reply messages from the seller.

2) Don't pay off the record. Keep the transaction within eBay and PayPal otherwise you will make yourself vulnerable if there is a problem. When messaging an eBay seller, never accept or make an offer to do the transaction outside of eBay. If there is a dispute over the merchandise, there is no recourse through either eBay or PayPal since you did not use their channels.

3) If you already sell on eBay, open a separate buying account. It's legal and free to open a second eBay account as long as you have only one PayPal account under your name. You can link your different eBay accounts to one PayPal account. Having separate eBay accounts is a good way to protect your seller's account from any retaliation if you have a problem with another seller over some misunderstanding.

4) Read the seller's feedback profile. (Ebay will be changing the feedback score system to help buyers to be more open with their opinions on the transaction.) You can check to see his feedback percentage scores, positive or negative comments, how long he's been selling, and his selling history.

5) Still feel wary about the buyer? Ask around (reference check.) If the seller's feedback score is low or had a dispute, message the previous buyers on his feedback list. You will need to be registered with an active eBay account to contact them. Your message should be short and polite so they will take the time to read and respond to you.

6) Use PayPal, it's free for the buyer! If the seller fails to deliver or he/she misrepresents their product, PayPal will protect you and refund your money. The seller must ship out the merchandise within seven days. It's the seller's responsibility to deliver to you safely. PayPal will force a refund if the package have been lost or never delivered.

7) PayPal makes returns possible if the seller misrepresented the merchandise or it was damaged upon arrival. PayPal will force the seller to accept a return if it was not your fault. Whenever PayPal grants you to return, make sure you add tracking on your return package for proof.

8) Hold off on leaving any negative feedback against the seller by first trying to contact about any issues or problems. The seller is not psychic so try to resolve the problem by communicating first. Leaving a negative feedback before even trying to resolve any problems will just frustrate the seller, making him less responsive to you. Only leave a negative if the seller fails to communicate and refuses to fix their mistake.

So I hope we cleared up or diminished any doubts about buying online. Registering for eBay is an easy process. No credit card is required to sign up for an eBay account if you want to be extra safe when you shop! Some of the early advantage is you can save all your favorite auctions listings under a watch list instead of bookmarking it yourself. And eBay will also send you reminders when your favorite auctions are close to ending.