Buying on eBay, how to avoid problems, scams, crooks and heartache.

Buying on eBay is nothing you should be afraid of but there are plenty of pitfalls to avoid. One simple rule, if followed religiously, will keep you out of most eBay problems.

            KNOW THE ITEM YOU ARE BUYING.

Follow this rule and it is much harder for you to get taken advantage of. How can you know you are getting a good deal on eBay if you don't know what an item sells for new and used. An auction is not always the best place to establish the going price for an item. Here is a really aggravating example I confront all the time

eBay is full of photography equipment, cameras, lenses, studio lights, etc. Daily I watch people overpay for items.

      Example: Say a camera sells for $1300.00 brand new. You can go to any of the mail order houses, KEH, B&H Photo, Adorama or others and buy a new camera, with a warranty, at that price all day long. Idiots on eBay will fork over more than that for a use camera from "Tommy Boy" in Seattle without so much as a blink. Is that stupid ro what?

That being said there are a lot of other things to consider when purchasing on eBay and the tools to help you are right there. Unfortunately, crooks are out there and some of them are very good at scamming you. No matter how careful you are, you can get scammed.

Finding a good auction - Finding a good eBay Seller

• Know the item you are bidding on. Know what is sells for, new and used,and how much shipping should be to get it to you. If you don't know what you are buying you run the risk of paying more on eBay for a used item from an unknown source than you can purchase it for from a know retail source.
• Look at the seller feedback score - I avoid any seller that does not have a 100% feedback score. That feedback score is my personal gauge of a trouble free transaction. If you choose to buy from a seller with a low feedback rating you do so at your own risk and you should let the low score govern what you are willing to bid. The lower the feedback score the more likely you are to experience a bad transaction. This means I don't buy from a first time seller, one that has no feedback, unless the price is very, very low. [More info on Feedback score]
• Look at the Seller ID History - I stay away from sellers that change their eBay Id. There may be other reasons for changing a user ID but I think the most common is the seller is running from trouble. If a seller has the same ID for years and a 100% feedback score you have found a seller that is not hiding past performance.
• If a seller offers to sell to you outside eBay to avoid eBay fees stay away from them.
• If a seller does not respond quickly to questions it is better to stay away from them. If they won't talk to you before they have your money, what do you think you can expect after they have it and there is a problem.
• When you find a good eBay seller add them to your preferred list.