How do I know if a seller is trustworthy on eBay?
An eBay seller is generally trustworthy if they have a high feedback score and a high percentage of positive feedback on eBay. However, be sure to look at how much positive, neutral, and negative feedback overall they've received from other eBay users. Also, judge this against how many orders they've completed.
It might come as a surprise, but many eBay scams are not targeted at innocent buyers looking for a good deal. Scammers will often pose as buyers and use consumer protection measures to help them defraud honest sellers. Here are some of the most common ways eBay sellers are scammed.
Rank | Seller | One Month Feedback |
---|---|---|
1 | worldofbooks08 | 105,379 |
2 | musicmagpie | 91,213 |
3 | second.sale | 90,884 |
4 | dcsports87 | 33,104 |
Fake listings may appear on eBay and other trading sites. They're either for non-existent goods that never arrive, or fakes that aren't worth the bargain price. Scammers can even hack an account with decent feedback and take it over. They sell goods quickly, then move on to another account.
The buyer will receive a refund for the full cost of the item and original shipping, and. The seller may be required to reimburse eBay for the amount of the refund.
How to counteract it: There are two basic things that you can do to avoid this scam. First, don't give your gift card number or redemption code out to anyone. Second, only use gift cards to pay for items that you can pay for immediately as you order them, via eBay Checkout.
- Contact Your Seller. If an item hasn't arrived or isn't as. described, go to My eBay, select the. item in your purchase history, and. ...
- Not resolved? Let us know. If you've talked to your seller and the. ...
- We'll get your money back. Fast. You can count on hearing from us within.
- Only take or send payment via eBay itself. ...
- Use a trackable posting service. ...
- Use secure passwords. ...
- Be aware of phishing scams. ...
- Keep your wits about you!
Unfortunately, some eBay scams are still alive and well. It's also possible to have a terrible experience on eBay just because the buyer or seller you're dealing with is inept. We work hard to avoid scams as buyers and make sure that those who buy from us have the best experience possible.
Ask the seller questions about the products, for extra, non-generic pictures, and if they offer an after-sales service, or a guarantee. By contacting the seller you can also find out if the phone and email address provided are non-existent or fake.
How do you avoid fake sellers?
Customer reviews and comments are one of the biggest indicators of a seller's trustworthiness. Avoid sellers with a lot of negative feedback. Tip: Stay alert and watch out for positive reviews that look alike or look like spam. These could be fake reviews posted by bots or written by the seller.
You have up to 30 calendar days after the estimated delivery date has passed to report that an item hasn't arrived. The seller should respond within 3 business days to provide a delivery update, offer a replacement, or give you a refund. If you're getting a refund, it will go back to your original payment method.

- Buyers claiming the item never arrived.
- Item faulty or not as described when it was sent in perfect condition.
- Being asked to send to a different address from the one listed on eBay/PayPal.
Don't respond to phone requests for your account information either. eBay will never ask you for your password or financial information over the phone. eBay Gift Cards are ONLY redeemable on the eBay website. Never share Gift Card codes over email or phone.
If the seller does not refund the buyer and return tracking shows the item was delivered, eBay may automatically issue a full refund on the seller's behalf.
Which is Safer, Amazon or eBay? E-commerce can be a risky business, but overall, Amazon may have more safeguards in place because you don't have to interact with your customers. Amazon handles the payments to the seller. However, both Amazon and eBay have many safeguards in place to protect their sellers and customers.
If you're suspicious about an email that claims to be from eBay, sign in to My eBay and click the Messages tab. If you don't see the same message there, the email is fake. To report a fake email, forward it as an attachment to spoof@ebay.com.
You can only decline a return if the buyer is returning the item because they changed their mind, and your return policy stated you don't accept returns. To decline a return: Go to your Returns dashboard. Select View return details beside the item.
If you've been defrauded by a seller on eBay or have reason to believe you have discovered stolen goods, we strongly encourage you to contact your local police to report the incident and ensure that you obtain a crime reference number.
Sellers can also issue a refund through a cancellation or return request, or a report that an item hasn't arrived. Additionally, eBay can issue a refund to your buyer as the result of an eBay Money Back Guarantee case or payment dispute.
What do I need to know before buying on eBay?
- Research the Price of an Item. ...
- Discover What People Have Paid in the Past. ...
- See If a Buy It Now Seller Takes Counteroffers. ...
- Try to Haggle for a Better Price. ...
- Sign Up for Alerts on Your Desired Items. ...
- Check the Shipping Cost. ...
- Use the eBay Mobile App. ...
- Check eBay Local for Nearby Sellers.
- As is the case with any other marketplace, you share the platform with your competitors. On eBay, almost any type of item can be sold. ...
- Sellers need to pay commission fees.
- Fraudulent buyers claiming refunds from PayPal by claiming non-delivery, goods not as described or received damaged.
- Not being paid for items that have been despatched.
- Being paid with a fraudulent or stolen payment card.
Reports about transactions outside of eBay or PayPal may not be investigated by law enforcement, although your report will help the police to build intelligence and monitor fraud activity. eBay will always assist in a criminal investigation received from Law Enforcement.
- Buyer's can't misuse eBay's return process. The following actions are not allowed: -- Returning an item other than the original item received. -- Using or damaging an item and then returning it.
There is no “15 minute rule”. Bidders can place bids up to the last nano-second, although most of those very tightly scheduled bids are done electronically by services such as esnipe.
- Use the free McAfee WebAdvisor to check for safe sites. ...
- Check the padlock in the address bar. ...
- Verify the website's trust seal. ...
- Use the Google Transparency Report. ...
- Check the company's social media presence. ...
- Analyze the overall look of the website.
“They are willing to pay the full price for the property and will frequently show interest in buying a second property at the same time. There is also a trend where fake buyers become extremely specific in terms of their requirements and where they always express a great level of urgency to conclude the transaction.
- it seems too good to be true – for example, a holiday that's much cheaper than you'd expect.
- someone you don't know contacts you unexpectedly.
- you suspect you're not dealing with a real company – for example, if there's no postal address.
- you've been asked to transfer money quickly.
- 1) Unusual payment requests. ...
- 2) Authority. ...
- 3) Urgency. ...
- 4) "Don't tell anyone" ...
- 5) Playing on your emotions. ...
- 6) Too good to be true?
How quickly should eBay sellers ship?
Buyers want their purchases to arrive quickly so we recommend setting a dispatch time of no more than 2 days. Shorter dispatch times are always better if you can reliably meet them. If you offer 1-day handling, remember the time frame isn't based on 24 hours: it's the end of the next business day.
This can range from the same working day, to up to 30 business days from when you placed the order. If you order late in the day or over the weekend, handling will usually take a little longer.
Once you open a case, the seller should respond to you within 3 business days. If the seller doesn't respond within that time, go to the Resolution Center to escalate the case to Customer Support.
Scammers target sellers by paying through Zelle and either sending more money than the item's price or sending a spoofing email that looks like it's from Zelle. On the flip side, a phony seller might ask a buyer to pay them for an item using Zelle, then take off with the money without sending the product.
You will be surprised to read that there are many fraudulent sellers who tend to put up fake product listings that they don't truly have or plan to ship but are created just to get payments from customers. As an honest Amazon seller, scams like these can frequently jeopardize your entire business.
- COVID-19 scams, rumors, and price gouging.
- Banking Scams.
- Telephone Scams.
- Census-Related Fraud.
- Government Grant Scams.
- Investment Scams.
- Lottery and Sweepstakes Scams.
- Charity Scams.
It might be a scam if: it seems too good to be true – for example, a holiday that's much cheaper than you'd expect. someone you don't know contacts you unexpectedly. you suspect you're not dealing with a real company – for example, if there's no postal address.
If the item has been returned to the seller and they haven't given you a refund after 2 business days, you can ask eBay to step in and help. Refunds go back to your original payment method and are typically available within 3-5 business days.
Like it or not, being able to spot scams is a crucial part of buying or selling on eBay or any other online marketplace. It is easy enough to understand how eBay buyers could be defrauded by unscrupulous sellers, with broken and counterfeit items being widespread.