How Do You Know If a Seller Is Legitimate on eBay?
According to eBay, less than 0.001 percent of its auctions are fraudulent, but that doesn't mean a buyer won't encounter a questionable seller. There are a number of tricks that fraudulent sellers have devised to trick buyers into believing they are legitimate.
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Instructions
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Look carefully at the feedback left for the seller. The feedback list is a complete history of all feedback received. To see only feedback left by buyers, click the tab labeled "Feedback as a seller."
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Read through the edback. Having a negative rating once in a while isn't unusual, but many negative reviews could be an indication of problems.
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Check the dates the feedback was given. One form of fraud is hacking into an abandoned or seldom-used account. The hacker uses the established account to list fraudulent listings; payments are routed to a different account, where the hacker accepts them.
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Report any attempts by a seller to get you to buy an item off the site. If a buyer tries to convince you to purchase the item outside eBay--away from the safeguards the site offers--the seller is likely trying to take advantage of you.
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