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I have been following all of the fraud warnings/discussions about ebay and one conclusion I have come to is I dont think I will be buying any signs there.
I have a question about something I havent seen discussed. Is there a way for a seller to get burned there? I assume the low-lifes have figured out a way but havent seen it discussed
So how can a seller on ebay get burned and how can one prevent that?

Any eBay seller can be taken advantage of by a buyer,claiming he sent much more then the amount required to that seller,once the auction has ended.
Then the buyer asks that seller to turn around and send that excess/overage amount back to the buyer please,along with a courtesy fee for all his time/trouble.
The scam is the amount that the buyer actually sent that seller was never in real monitary funds,and before the seller & bank institution can figure that out,that excess amount is already on it's way back to the buyer.This payment usually has no umbilical cord attached,so it can't be retrieved back by the seller and he's out that amount.
That's the goal amount targeted by the scam artist buyer from the very beginning.
Usually because the seller is so elated at the excess amount of money sent in the first place,he fails to see the harm being done to him.
This is just one example,that has became very popular,and thus seems to be known by almost everyone today.It's almost always done by somebody overseas or extremely distant to the seller.

Another of course would be identity theft of a sellers auction being taken by a potential buyer,once he gets his privy information and lift's the sellers ended auction page/pictures to be duplicated at a later date to impersonate that seller,then collect the funds at the end of the auction,duping a potential buyer,never to send the item,as he never had it in the first place.

Ebay has stepped up some from the early years to combat these problems,but is still not doing their due diligence in my book.



[This message has been edited by coldpizza (edited 07-22-2007).]

Like coldpizza mentioned, eBay sellers need to be vigilant of the bogus payment scams. Besides the overpayment scam, never assume a "cashier's" check from a foreign source is genuine. If in doubt, give it 10 days to clear. Even your local bank may be unable to determine that it's fake when deposited.

Probably a more common problem for eBay sellers is buyers who claim they never received an item. Today, many if not most eBay transactions are paid using PayPal. A dishonest buyer using a credit card through PayPal can then complain to the credit card company and get a refund (he then keeps the item for free!!). Therefore, it's important for the seller to use insurance and/or a delivery confirmation to prove that an item was delivered, particularly for high dollar items.

I can second Pablo's last point.

I've been selling rectifier diodes on ebay for a long time now. I've sold tons of them and only had one problem.

A guy in CA claimed he never got the shipment. Funny, since every single other one I ever sent to anyone arrived just fine -- all sent in Priority Mail packaging, from the same post office, etc.

So, I figure "OK, I guess it got lost in the mail.. That's odd." So I send the guy a whole new shipment. He thin emails saying that one never got there either. Yeah right. I finally send a THIRD one with delivery confirmation, and I check the tracking number, he recieved it. Then I email him, and he says "thanks - I finally got it."

I have a strong feeling that he now has 3 sets of them, and I incurred losses of $70 in sales.

So, the moral of the story? I now ALWAYS use delivery confirmation when shipping USPS. No exceptions.

Best of luck,
Wes

There will always be a RISK, but YOU have more control than at a swap meet.
By using "delivery confirmation" you have proof you sent something & when it was delivered.
db

[This message has been edited by Dick Bennett (edited 07-22-2007).]

Here is a scam that has happened to me as a seller & this why i like to sell in person....

I had a telechron advertising clock with a glass face listed on ebay several years ago when clocks were hot........i sold the clock & packed it bullet proof,then sent it by USPS........ a week later i get an email saying the clock was broke during shipping & and we need to make an insurance claim......This is one reason i don't like pay pal as all he has to do is stop payment, ......the post office sent me the clock back & i could tell instantly it was not the same clock........the scam is; they look for a good piece on ebay that they have a broken double of & then switch it when your original excellent condition one arrives in the mail & you or the the post office usually eats the loss & he get a nice clock for almost free.......

Interesting...thanks