eBay user protection, and what to look out for -



I'll try not to bore you, but this is the way it works -



Just so you know - I've been scam hunting for about 6 years on eBay, so I'm pretty good at spotting scam & fake sales. I've reported TENS of THOUSANDS of scam sales over the years. (But I still get caught out!)

I tend to ignore fake sales usually, which will be explained later.

There are 2 main types of 'con' sales, that are rife on eBay.

1. The scam

2. The fake.



1. The 'scam' sale.

If you look at my feedback over the past few weeks/months, you will see quite a few 'Not a Registered User'.

Most of these are the ones that I have managed to catch trying to scam fellow eBayers.

Some scam sellers have actually been wiped off completely from my feedback as they had managed to get a few thousand pounds from buyers, before they were caught. What eBay do, in this case, is to remove the evidence, by TOTALLY DELETING the seller ID and their history. Therefore no record remains of the sellers activities. eBay have been doing this for MANY years now, which is a shame, but eBay are trying to protect their reputation as a 'safe' place to trade.

To continue. - What the scammer will do, is set up 1 penny auctions and sell until he gets 100+ feedbacks. THEN he will set up a few fake auctions selling DJ equipment, jewellery, DVD box sets etc. Nearly always 6 or 7 expensive items, or 50 to 100  mid priced items at 'bargain' prices.

Of course .... with such feedback, people trust them, because eBay tell folk that you can trust feedback & Power Sellers.

The items are then sold and the seller runs away with the cash. (yes .... I was caught out ... I lost £1600 & £120 & a few smaller £10 to £20 figures in the past. This is the way I found out about all of this. When I complained - eBay just washed their hands of it and I lost my money).

Until recently, eBay did not bother too much with the scammer. But now that eBay owned Paypal has a protection policy, eBay (usually) has to refund, if a buyer is scammed. So if I see some scam auctions, I will send in a report.

2 days ago, (2/6/09) I sent in a report about DJ equipment, and the seller was de-registered within 40 MINUTES !!!!!!

Why? ..... because eBay would LOSE a LOT of money if the seller was left untouched.

Why? ..... Because the seller gets ALL the money, and eBay don't even get the advert fees, loses the Final Value Fees, and will probably have to refund the monies.




2. The 'fake' auction.


Now MOST people are ignorant of fakes. They think they have a great bargain, and don't bother checking. Be it flash drives, make up, bags, shoes, DVD's, car/bike parts .... the list goes on and on.

Now eBay LOVE fakes.

Why?

Because eBay will get the advert fee, they will get the Final Value Fee and get the PayPal fee, no matter what.

So what if 1 person in 100 will complain about a fake? It's the sellers problem. eBay STILL get the advert fee and the Final Value Fee.

The seller refunds the money .... not eBay.

So it's a 'Win - Win' situation for eBay.

eBay STILL make a profit on fakes.

For example -  Fake Flash memories - this is a multi million pound fraud, that continues to grow on eBay. The Chinese sellers become millionaires, eBay make millions of pounds profit, the buyer loses all his data.

Is that fair?

THAT'S why you can report 'fake' sellers to eBay, and they will not touch them.

eBay just love them.

A bit of interesting reading for you (maybe) -

This is a few years ago, and I was involved with this uncovering and capture of a 'Titanium Power Seller'

If you G00GLE 'shill bidancients' you will see a good story. There are quite a few reports about him and the way he conned customers.

Andy, the motor trader is also mentioned. I was solely responsible for 'Andys' demise .... I did that one all on my own. BUT - I reported his actions to eBay time and time again. They did nothing. Only when the Sunday Times were involved, was something done. All of his shill bidding accounts were de registered, but his main account was left untouched :-(

I hope that this opens your eyes a bit more.

Don't get me wrong .... I LOVE a bargain ..... but I hate people that pretend to help, but rip you off.

So, be careful how you use eBay. There are great people out there, in eBay land, but there are some wolves that will rip your skin off.

If you suspect a 'con', then report it. If you see a 'fake' - don't bother.

Help make eBay a safer place for everyone.