Tips For Safe Buying
ShopTopDeals.com partners with eBay to bring you the latest bargains at auction prices. We have prepared this short guide to buyer safety to show you how easy and safe it is to shop the eBay Marketplace.
Item Descriptions
The first thing to do when considering a purchase is to always read the entire item description carefully before you place your bid or purchase through "Buy It Now".
The item description contains so much useful information that you should read it all carefully. Itl tells you not only about the item itself, but also about other important information like:
• Shipping & Handling costs
• Item location
• Can it be shipped internationally? (There may be extra fees and
taxes.)
• What payment options does the seller offer?
• What is the return policy?
Understand that when you place a winning bid, you are agreeing to make a purchase based on the contents of the listing. So, before bidding on any item, read the item description carefully!
Seller Feedback
The second point to keep in mind is to always review a seller’s Feedback before you bid or Buy. A seller's Feedback reflects the experiences of other buyers when dealing with the seller.
When reading any seller's Feedback be sure to evaluate the following:
• The number and percentage of positive Feedback
• The type and value of items sold
• Comments included in the Feedback — both the comments left about the
seller, and comments left by the seller.
If other members have had similar successful transactions with this seller, you can be more confident that your transaction will also be safe.
So, what is a good Feedback score? A seller must have at least 98% positive Feedback to become a Power Seller. It may still be safe to buy from sellers with Feedback scores below 98%, but you should read their listings closely before you bid, and use the safest possible payment method.
Safe Payment Methods
Always use a safe payment method to complete your transaction! The safest payment options are PayPal or credit cards for those sellers who accept credit cards directly. (The seller will never see details about your bank account or credit card when you use PayPal.)
However, not all sellers accept PayPal or credit cards. If a seller doesn't accept these, then personal checks, cashier's checks, money orders, and bank-to-bank wire transfers all provide reasonable levels of safety in most transactions.
But, they don't provide as much protection if you don't receive satisfactory goods. The most risky forms of payment are cash and “instant cash transfer” services like Western Union or MoneyGram. Please don't use these payment methods for eBay purchases!
A seller should never ask you to pay using a method not included in a listing you have won! If the seller said "PayPal, Credit Card or Check" in the listing, but later asks you to pay by cash or "instant cash transfer” — don't!
Offers From Sellers
eBay members have reported receiving “outside of eBay” offers from sellers who insist that the buyer pay with cash or instant cash transfer services. These offers to buy or sell "outside-of-eBay" pose serious risks to a buyer.
Purchasing items outside-of-eBay may be
unsafe, and sending cash or using "instant cash transfers" is always
unsafe.
When you buy "outside of eBay", you also lose the benefit of the
following eBay services:
• Buyer protection coverage
• Access to seller contact information
• Feedback
Sending money to pay for purchases through direct bank-to-bank wire transfers is usually safe, and often happens for high-value transactions. However, sending money to pay for purchases through instant cash wire transfer services such as Western Union or MoneyGram is always risky when using eBay because:
1. You generally have no recourse if you pay with instant cash services and the item is not delivered as promised. Sending money through these services is just like sending real cash, and there is no way for you to get your money back if something goes wrong.
2. There is no eBay coverage. Items paid for through instant cash wire transfer services are not covered by any eBay buyer protection program.
Communicating With Sellers
Buying safely on eBay also includes communicating safely! The safest way to communicate with any seller is through “Ask Seller a Question” on eBay. Copies of your emails will be sent to your "My Messages" and you have the option of hiding your email address if you don’t wish to share it with the seller.
In addition, if you communicate with a seller through eBay's "Ask Seller a Question" system, eBay may have the ability to warn you if something goes wrong with the seller. You should be wary of any eBay seller who asks you to use another form of communication!
Second Chance Offers
eBay is a busy and robust marketplace. There could be times when you bid on an item but not win it. If for some reason a winning bidder doesn't complete the transaction, the Seller is allowed to offer you another chance to buy the item! This is called a Second Chance Offer.
A copy of any real Second Chance Offer will appear in your "My Messages" in your eBay account. It will contain a blue background with a message saying, “eBay Second Chance Offer for Item…”.
Should you receive a Second Chance Offer in My Messages with a different subject line (for example, “Message from eBay Member”) — it is a fake! It is also a fake Second Chance Offer if you receive it outside of your eBay account and you can't find a copy of it in "My Messages".
In those instances, do not respond to the sender. Forward the fake second chance offer to spam@ebay.com.
Escrow services
Purchased an expensive item? Congratulations! Use an escrow service to complete the transaction.
Escrow services are independent services that hold your payment money until you actually receive an item before release the money to the seller. However, because there are fake escrow services on the Internet, you should approach escrow with caution! For eBay transactions, you should only use one of eBay's approved escrow services.
eBay does not hold money for any seller in any type of "protection account." If you receive a message from a seller stating that they have "money held in an eBay purchase protection account", it is not true and could be an attempt to defraud you.
If you receive a message or offer of this kind, please forward it to spam@ebay.com.
Suspended Sellers
When a seller is suspended by eBay, their eBay account status is changed to “No longer a registered user”. Winning bidders are not obligated to complete transactions for items listed by a suspended seller.
For more safety tips we invite you to check out our short Safe Buying Video by clicking the following link: