A Cautionary guide.

Ebay has a very simple policy, once a auction has bids, you cant alter the item description.

You can add to it, but you cant alter what you already wrote. Its cast in stone. An unscrupulous seller can change an auction after it has bids, they can even change the terms and description of the auction FULLY after someone has won the item.

Actually, you can.... It is very, very easy to do.

Thankfully, I have not heard of anyone doing it yet, but I would not be suprised if it has happened, or will happen at some point.

So, you could bid on a auction, even win it, and when the item arrives, you may find that the nice Fruit Machine you ordered to play at home, for that real in house pub feeling, is just a tiny apple seed.

Hmmm you think to yourself, Im sure I did not order a apple seed.

Lets have a look at the item I won on ebay...

So you fire up ebay, and go to the auction in question.

WHAT!!!!! EH!!!!!!

It says I am bidding on a apple seed, which if planted will grow into a tree, which will produce fruit. (so in effect it is a fruit machine).

But THAT IS NOT WHAT YOU BID ON.

The auction is completely different now, so complaining is going to be very difficult. After all, anyone you complain to is going to say, but it clearly says its a apple seed.

 No amount of you saying, but the auction was not like that when I won it will convince people, as they will say - you cant change a auction after it has bids.

Its a ideal scam, and one I hope no one does, or falls for, but I am warning you about it now.

Here is how to avoid it happening to you.........

Look out for auctions that are not in plain text. If you right click on the text on a auction, and it says "save image" then the auction text is not part of the item description - its a photograph.

Photographs CAN be changed, easily, after a auction has been won. So, if a auction contains terms, or parts of the description as a image, rather than text that you can copy and paste, you could be in trouble if the picture is changed to one with different wording in it later.

So beware. Im not saying that just because a auction is made this way, you will run into trouble, far from it, BUT IT COULD HAPPEN.

You need to be aware of this. Either save the images, or walk away and find another auction. (as even saving the images is no real proof......)

Use your own judgement, but at least you know what could happen now!