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Authored by: Support.com Tech Pro Team
Created in late 1997 as an AuctionWeb rebrand, eBay quickly became the way to buy and sell nearly anything over the Internet. It started with auctions and now has grown to provide complete online store fronts. eBay is so popular it's become a verb. But before you eBay your old Sega Genesis, you should be aware that eBay is also a hunting ground for scammers.
Scammers will sell you counterfeit items, empty boxes, or talk you into paying outside of eBay. Scammers will also target sellers by overpaying, tricking you into taking fake checks, or claiming you never sent the item. Luckily, eBay does quite a bit to try and protect you from these fraudsters.
To help prevent and mitigate these issues eBay created a feedback rating. Before you buy or sell to someone, you can see their feedback rating and determine your level of risk.
In this article we'll review many of the eBay scams you should be aware of and what to do if you've been scammed.
Scamming buyers is the bread and butter of eBay fraudsters. Luckily eBay tends to side with buyers in disputes so if you do find yourself the victim of a scam you can usually turn to them for help.
The biggest worry and the most prevalent eBay scam is never receiving the item. I've been a victim of this scam myself. You find an item, buy it, send the money in, and then wait excitedly for your treasure to arrive. Only you never get your item. The seller never sent it. So you've paid for your item and the scammer now has your money.
You can prevent this scam by reviewing the seller's feedback information. Seller's with good feedback are not likely to scam you. If they did, it would hurt their feedback. A seller with good feedback can be contacted and will be happy to help if you didn't receive your item. Most will send a new item or refund you.
If you can determine your seller definitely scammed you, contact eBay. They'll work on refunding you as long as you follow their rules.
If a price seems way too low for what you're buying, chances are it's low for a reason. Counterfeit items are all over eBay even though moderators try to remove them. Unfortunately the only real way to prevent this is to be savvy about the retail prices of what you want.
Not only are there counterfeits, but there are broken items for sale. Read the listing very carefully. Some items are being sold as-is and are listed as broken. If you buy it and expect it to work, you're out of luck. eBay can't help you either as the seller included the fact it was broken in the listing.
Another rampant scam on eBay is selling empty boxes. The listing will state that you're not even buying the item. You're paying to get the literal box. Imagine thinking you're getting a new game only to find the case empty. This one is particularly tricky because the transaction is legitimate and there's not much eBay can do to refund you. You can avoid this scam by reading the listing carefully.
Never. Ever. Pay outside of eBay. If you're scammed, you're out of luck. eBay can't help you if you've paid outside of their service. They won't be able to track the transaction. Some sellers will try and trick you into doing this. Some may even bully you into it. Avoid those sellers.
In this scam the seller actually sends you a box, but there's a problem. The name on the box is wrong. Most people would look at the box and say, "Hey, that's not my name!" You might even return the box to the post office. When you contact the seller they say the box was refused and this breaks eBay's money back guarantee. Now the scammer has not only your item but also your money.
When you receive the package from your seller review the address carefully. Postal workers will normally deliver to you based on your address, not your name. If you're worried about the package, go ahead and open it and check the contents. If it's your purchase, great! If not, you can send it back and contact the seller.
Avoiding this scam requires diligence. It may be a simple mistake, or the seller may have tried to pull one over on you. By being aware of what to look for, you can keep yourself from being conned.
eBay scams are not just aimed at innocent buyers expecting a good deal. They're also hunting for sellers just trying to make a buck.
As said above, never ever accept outside payment. Allowing a buyer to pay by check or another payment method destroys your ability to be protected by eBay. When selling, always get the buyer to pay within eBay. That way the transaction is tracked.
When you ship the purchase, make sure to get a tracking number. This way, if the buyer decides to claim they never got the package, you can prove to eBay that they received it.
This scam works by the buyer talking you into a sweet deal, if only you'd let them pay outside of eBay.
This scam and the one above tend to work together. The buyer will privately offer to overpay for the item outside eBay. It seems like such a sweet deal, but be wary. The buyer intends to dispute the purchase after they've received the item. Or, they could send you a check that will bounce. Since you let them pay outside of eBay, you can't go to eBay for help.
Another version of this scam involves the same promise of outside overpayment but with a story. The buyer claims that they're going to move out of the country and need you to ship the purchase to their new home (often this is in Nigeria or India). They may ask to pay by a bouncing check but most often they'll ask for your PayPal email. Once you give it to them they'll spam you and try to phish for your information. You'll get an official looking email claiming they paid and need the tracking information. This is just to scare you into sending the purchase. In the end, you'll be out the purchase and in worst cases they'll take your PayPal account.
Like the empty box seller scam, the buyer claims you sent them an empty box.
Of course, you didn't send them an empty box at all. The buyer is trying to scam you. If you're in good standing with eBay you may be able to fight this claim. Unfortunately, eBay does tend to rule in favor of the buyer so there's a good chance you'll have to refund the price.
To protect yourself from this scam you'll need to document every step of sending that item. Make sure you have pictures of it. If eBay does rule in favor of the buyer you can always appeal it.
Another good rule of thumb is to check the seller's feedback. If the feedback is bad, cancel the sale.
Similar to the scam above, this one involves the buyer saying you never sent the item. Since eBay Buyer Protection exists, you'll most likely be told to refund them.
eBay Seller Protection exists to help sellers use eBay with confidence. To fall under this protection, sellers must provide proof that the item was delivered. If the item was sold for under $750, just a delivery notification is enough. If the item is sold for more than $750 you have to have the delivery signed for. All this proves to eBay that the purchase was received.
Experienced scammers know this rule and take advantage of sellers that are unaware of this burden of proof requirement. They'll claim the item never arrived, demand a refund and keep the item.
Protect yourself from this scam by knowing the terms of service for eBay. This is also another reason to check the buyer's feedback.
Another good reason to take a peek at your buyer's feedback is scammers who like to claim the item they received is broken. They may even provide pictures of a broken device or object. Since eBay is likely to see this as either mail damage or you trying to scam the buyer, you'll be told to refund them. They get to keep their money and your item.
This is a hard one to avoid but being aware of buyer feedback is a good way to stay protected.
Often the bane of an online seller's career, chargebacks are when a buyer tells their payment processor there's something wrong. The processor then holds and eventually refunds the purchase. Scammers will often do this after they've received the item. This way they get a refund and still get to keep whatever you sold to them.
While you can appeal chargebacks, it often takes a great deal of time.
Always document your sales. Take pictures of your packaging. You may need to prove you sent the item.
We've mentioned feedback a lot. Feedback is your eBay reputation. If you have a bad reputation people are not likely to buy from you. Scammers know this so when they go to purchase from you they may demand something else in return for good feedback. They may demand you let them pay outside the site. If this happens, report the buyer immediately. Do not let them blackmail you.
Now that we've gone over what types of scams and scammers lurk on eBay's Online Marketplace; let's take a look at how we're protected by eBay and can avoid scams.
eBay has a reputation for protecting both its buyers and sellers. Scammers know this and try to get you to break the rules so you lose that protection.
As a buyer or seller be cautious when purchasing or selling items from the following list:
These items are not protected by eBay.
Additionally if you're a seller and do any of the following eBay will cease protecting you:
As stated above multiple times, never allow a buyer or seller to talk you into paying or accepting payment outside of eBay. If you do, the transaction cannot be tracked and eBay cannot protect you.
If you do encounter someone who wants to pay or have you pay outside of eBay, do not do it. Report that user to eBay. They're trying to get around the terms of service to scam people. No item is worth getting scammed.
Make sure you know what you're buying before initiating a purchase. This way you avoid buying something you didn't want like this empty box.
As a seller, make sure you're documenting as much as possible in your listing to avoid confusion. The example we're using here only talks about it being a box in the Title. If, for some reason, you're just selling a box you need to say that in the description as well.
Before buying from a seller or selling to a buyer, check their feedback. Feedback is incredibly important on eBay. It's basically your online reputation. You can avoid lots of issues just by utilizing this tool.
Accounts with low feedback ratings will have major red flags. They may be known for not paying, not sending goods, or not following proper return methods.
An excellent seller will often have no bad feedback at all.
Buyers may have less numbers just because they're buying, not selling. For both buyers and sellers if the negative feedback is high, avoid them. You can even look into the feedback and see what the complaint was.
Avoid being scammed by phishing, social engineering, and pop-ups just by being aware of them.
If you believe you've been the victim of a scam you can open a dispute from the resolution center.
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