5 Tips for Protecting Yourself While Buying on eBay

While I spend a lot of time talking about my strategies for being a good eBay seller, a comment by one of my clients last week reminded me that the majority of you are not sellers but buyers, and that perhaps a short primer on how to stay safe while buying expensive items on eBay may come in handy.  I may be giving away some trade secrets here because I use my eBay skills to help me get great deals for my personal shopping business, but I figure I can always find SOME way to add value for my clients.

I will preface this by saying that there is no way to eliminate risk in life.  Yeah, trading on eBay can be risky.  So can crossing the street.  Risk is a healthy part of doing business and I consistently take advantage of the risk aversion of other buyers to get deals I wouldn't normally be able to get.  However, there are things you can do to manage risk, and that's what these tips are all about.

1) Check feedback. THOROUGHLY.  Don't rely just on the number of stars the seller has received, or on the percent of good back they've got to their name.  Read the comments people have left.  Read the seller's RESPONSE to buyer comments.  I am much more likely to buy from a seller with negative feedback who resonds politely to the buyer's feedback than I am to buy from a seller that attacks people who have left negatives.  Additionally, don't rely on just the feedback you can see on eBay's site.  Use this site: http://www.toolhaus.org/, to check for negative feedback left more than 12 months ago.

2) Ask for more pictures.  I don't care if the seller already has 25 perfect pictures in the listing.  You always, always, always ask for more pictures, SPECIFIC pictures, to check whether the seller actually has the item in their possesion.  Many scammers post pictures of genuine items that they have stolen from other listings.  Other post only stock pictures of their items that they've gotten from department stores.  Big no no.  It offers absolutely no proof the seller has the item on hand.  Be wary of any seller that won't send additional pictures - they've likely got something to hide.

3) Pay with Your Credit Card.  I especially recommend this for big ticket items.  Have you ever paid for something with your card only to have it stolen right outside the store?  What did you do?  You called your credit card, right?  Paypal has a feature that allows you to pay for your purchase using your credit card balance.  Many credit cards have a liberal chargeback policy, which means you are essentially insuring your item against any problem you might have that eBay and Paypal can't help you solve.  This is only to be used as a last resort, as you should work with both eBay and Paypal to get your money back should, heaven forbid, something go wrong.

4) Get an Expert Opinion on Your Item.  There are free forums out there that will help you authenticate designer goods such as shoes and handbags.  I unfortunately only know of forums for these types of items, since they're the items I trade in, but I'm sure such forums also exist for electronics and the like.  The forum I frequent regularly is The Purse Blog Forum.  They have several authentication threads by designer where buyers can come and ask experts - people who are in regular contact with the type of item in question - for their opinion on an item's authenticity.  This forum has become an invaluable resource for me in my personal shopping business, and has also been instrumental in helping me learn more about the kinds of goods I sell.  Yes, I like designer shoes, clothing and bags, but I don't have the money to spend on them, so I rely on the collective knowledge of this group to help me make purchasing and other business decisions.

5) Develop a Relationship with a Seller.  Like moi. :)  If you don't like the service you get you can come spam my blog.

Good night folks!  Speak to you soon!