Buying off ebay and auction sites

[obi_waynne]

Any tips on buying things from ebay and auction sites?

How do you spot the genuine sellers from the scammers? Do you avoid all overseas sellers?

 

[old-git]

Buyer beware, just like in any other form of trading. However, eBay is biased towards buyers so you have a fair amount of protection if you follow the rules. PayPal offers an extra level of protection and you can also do a chargeback if goods don't arrive or are faulty/ incorrect etc.

When an item that is on offer from many sellers, I go for the sellers with big feedback scores and then look at the negative comments as these are far more telling than the positive ones.

If spending more than around £100, I look for local sellers that will allow item to be picked up and I pay cash. That way I can check item is as advertised before parting with the hard earned.

It may be the area that I deal in (mainly car stuff) but I haven't had any issues buying. Had a couple of chancers try it on when I have been selling (they failed, by the way).

eBay is populated by people so you get the same mix as elsewhere. Most are honest but a few aren't. Most of the dishonest ones are obvious by the listing and feedback. I usually make email contact prior to bidding with a question or two to gauge them.

I would have found doing my car a lot more difficult and expensive if it wasn't for eBay.

 

[Yugguy]

I've bought a car off ebay but I went to view it first before even bidding so I test drove, verified the history, etc. I'd never buy unseen.

 

[davalav]

I tend to email the the person before I bid/buy as I know if I don't get a reply or a respectable answer to my question, I'd rather give it a miss and maybe pay a little more for better customer service and advice. I hate seeing something I really want, emailing them and they know nothing about it.