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EBay
Scams To Watch Out For Or You May Be Next!
by: Jason W Cooper
There
are many eBay scams out there to keep an eye out for
when you are selling on eBay. This article will cover a
few of the known and not so known scams to be aware of.
Whether you’re a causal seller, or a professional seller
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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