Is It Safe to Buy From eBay?

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
There are a few things I'm looking at on eBay right now (electronics). Having never used an online auction before, I wondered if it was safe. Are there any questions I should ask the seller before bidding, and will eBay reimburse me if the product isn't what it's supposed to be? Thanks a lot.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 10
    sdw2001sdw2001 Posts: 18,015member
    [quote]Originally posted by iDude:

    <strong>There are a few things I'm looking at on eBay right now (electronics). Having never used an online auction before, I wondered if it was safe. Are there any questions I should ask the seller before bidding, and will eBay reimburse me if the product isn't what it's supposed to be? Thanks a lot.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    No, they won't reimburse you. Don't buy anything from anyone with a substantial amount of negative feeback in their profile. Also, I would only buy big things only from people not only WITHOUT negative feeback, but WITH a bit of positive feeback as well.



    There are third party online arbitration services that I have used where problems come up If you are buying a computer, make sure you know what condition it is in and I would make sure you have a picture to look at. I also would make sure it is not a "grey market" machine intended for us another country or what not.



    What are you trying to buy?
  • Reply 2 of 10
    x704x704 Posts: 276member
    Definately look at their ebay rating (the number right besides their ebay ID (it's in brackets). If you click on the number you can see thier feedback & if they have any negatives.



    Generally I only buy from people with at least (5) positive feedback & no negative. If they have a (10) or more rating with only one negative feeback then I usually feel comfortable.



    If their item description leaves anything in the air & up for debate make sure you email them & get confirmation before you bid. Also if you pay via paypal then I also send a detailed note of what I'm paying for. This way you have two people in between you. Ebay (who can make trouble for them if they messup) & Paypal (who you may be able to get your money back from, maybe).



    As SDW2001 mentioned though their are companies who will act as intermidiarys. If your puchasing something expensive you may want to use this. <a href="http://www.escrow.com"; target="_blank">www.escrow.com</a> .
  • Reply 3 of 10
    idudeidude Posts: 352member
    Thanks. I looked at the persons ratings, and of like 2300 feedbacks, only 23 were negative, and I think 15 were negative. Seems pretty good to me.
  • Reply 4 of 10
    eugeneeugene Posts: 8,254member
    Things to look out for. Even if a seller has very low feedback, check his sign-up date. I have a feedback rating of 6, all positive, 5 from buying, 1 from selling. However, my account is very old, which adds some weight. If the seller is new, you might want to be cautious.



    Generally, buying something from a person who has massive positive feedback like the one you mentioned is pretty safe. With expensive items, an escrow service may be a good idea.
  • Reply 5 of 10
    applenutapplenut Posts: 5,768member
    I buy from eBay all the time. I've bought computers, hardware, tshirts, flash cards, posters, trains, etc. no problems.



    generally you're safee when buying mac stuff because mac peple are generally cool :cool:
  • Reply 6 of 10
    Well I had the jitters about buying from eBay too. I just had to have the Twin Peaks Pilot on DVD and eBay was the only way to go. I had to send a money order to Hong Kong, and I got the disc in perfect condition iin about 15 days. Not bad. Again, check the sellers rating like was mentioned above.

    I really dislike auctions, but if it is the only way to go, and it seems legitimate, go for it.
  • Reply 7 of 10
    I've been doing stuff on eBay for the last year and I've only had one problem, and that was when I was selling.
  • Reply 8 of 10
    idudeidude Posts: 352member
    Thanks everyone. I just bid for a Newton 2100 (i'll probably get it as there are 20 more and I was the only one who bid). Sure wish the seller would accept paypal though (I have to send a money order.)
  • Reply 9 of 10
    alcimedesalcimedes Posts: 5,486member
    actually, one really nice thing about a money order is that it is typically sent via U.S. mail. that means that if they screw you, it's a federal offense. just make sure to send it via regular mail. the postmaster general likes to go after people for mail fraud, and from what i've heard, they're the only ones who will really do something about it.



    -alcimedes
  • Reply 10 of 10
    eugeneeugene Posts: 8,254member
    With PayPal, the seller would get only 97.1% of the money you pay. That's a pretty hefty tax considering he's already paying a listing fee and maybe more.
Sign In or Register to comment.