Buying and selling merchandise on eBay can be a lucrative second income used to bridge a difficult period or add a little more cash to your bank account every month.
Many stay-at-home parents resort to using eBay as a way to supplement their income and one way or another stay in the workforce.
You can purchase items on the site and resell them when their value increases and turn a nice profit or you can purchase things in-store and resell on eBay.
Either way, you should know that eBay is full of scammers who are out to get you and your money, especially when buying items from the site.
So before you whip out your credit card make sure you’re familiar with the most common scams found on eBay nowadays.
#1 Seller Scam: Purchasing A Photograph
Purchasing a photograph is one of the most annoying yet common scams on eBay.
It consists of the bidder winning the auction, particularly when it comes to popular items, such as:
- Apple products
- Xbox
- High-end purses
When the bidder purchases the item what he or she receives is actually a photograph of that item, with the seller claiming that is what was advertised all along.
In order to avoid this scam make sure you read the listing very carefully, and stay away from items that appear to be much cheaper that you’d expect.
#2 Buyer Scam: Fake PayPal Account
Upon selling an item PayPal sends you an e-mail saying your bidder has paid. You mail them the item thinking you’ll have money in your account in the next day or two.
However, that e-mail is a hoax, the person doesn’t have a real PayPal account, and you’ve been scammed out of your item.
When you realize you have not been paid it’s already too late. However, there are ways to avoid this type of scam:
- Don’t believe the e-mail
- Don’t click links in the email
- Go to PayPal directly
- Check that the PayPal email doesn’t arrive before the eBay email
#3 Seller Scam: Car Fraud
You’ve finally found a car that you’ve been searching for so long and you’re eager to purchase it. You’ve found it on eBay, but – people don’t buy cars there, right?
Yes, they do, but you have to be very careful not to get scammed. Car fraud on eBay is common and it works in a very simple way.
You’re so in love with the car the seller persuaded you to complete the payment outside of eBay. You make the payment and go to collect the vehicle, but what you find there is not what you expect.
The car is there, but:
- The seller has no idea who you are
- S/he tells you the car was never listed on eBay
- S/he tells you the car has not been purchased by anybody
They’ve just duplicated the listing from somewhere, posted in on eBay and got away with your money!
To avoid this scam you must pay on collection, never in advance.
Even before you’re ready to make a purchase check the seller’s profile to make sure it isn’t brand new and that it has good reviews.
Ask the seller to send you more photographs of the car. If they’re not the owner they won’t be able to provide you with additional pictures or information on the vehicle.
Stick around for part 2!