As a PowerSeller here on eBay I always strive to provide the best service I possibly can to all my buyers - to date I have more than succeeded. However, there are some sellers here on ebay who will try anything to scam buyers out of money. The biggest scam I've noticed to date is the P&P and Extra Postal Insurance Scam which some sellers are adding on to seriously catch you out.

On all auction listings under the bid price details you will find the Post to and Postage costs details. Most sellers will specify a postage cost and also, where they will send the item to i.e. worldwide etc.

However, what you will not see is the Postal Insurance details. These are found at the very bottom of the listing page and before you make any bid on any item, you need to check the details at the very bottom of the auction listing page very carefully.

Heres a classic example of what can happen from personal experience. You find a listing for a pair of jeans which are going quite cheap (As you would expect here on eBay) The postage costs look good at £5.00 so you place a bid and win the auction at £15.00! Now you go to make your payment of £20.00 through paypal and get the total - BUT, the total has gone up by £10.00.

Why?

Simple and this is a growing scam here on eBay which can catch you out and also leaves you in a very difficult position.

The seller has added a mandatory Postal Insurance charge of £10.00.  So your combined P&P total has risen from £5.00 to £15.00 making your total to pay £30.00.

The item is being sent to a UK address from a UK address and on a pair of jeans you might expect Postal Insurance at about 0.60p to £1.00.

What many people do not realise is that anything sent via Royal Mail which has a value of £30.00 or less is already insured by Royal Mail for £30.00. Therefore, you can send anything which has a value of £30.00 or less and it will be covered by Royal Mail if it is lost or broken etc.

Now on a pair of jeans worth £15.00 - they would already be covered by Royal Mail - You would not need extra Postal Insurance!

You are in a difficult position because a bid is a contract on eBay and the seller can use various means against you if you do not pay. Negative feedback is one method but an unpaid item strike can damage your account - you only need 3 and you can be banned or suspended by eBay.

Be very careful when bidding and check the WHOLE item listing from top to bottom - and pay very close attention to the bottom of the listing where the additional Postal Charges and Postal Insurance details are listed.

If a Seller offers Postal Insurance, check that it is not compusory but you have the option to take it if need be - remember, if your item end price is less than £30.00 you do not need extra Postal Insurance. If the item end price is over £30.00 it might pay off to take out the Postal insurance if it is offered - BUT check how much it is - AVOID being ripped off by extortionate charges.

I'll be posting alot more PowerSeller Tips and Tricks soon on how to sell effectively -Yes, I'll give away some seller secrets and I'll also try and expose more scams which seem to be multiplying daily here on eBay.

Good luck, happy hunting but be careful.