Avoiding Online Auction Fraud

Online auctions are a great way to buy almost anything. Like the world’s biggest and strangest shopping mall, there are people selling things you didn’t even know existed. For the most part, people who are selling items in online auctions are friendly and honest and the transaction is smooth and easy. Unfortunately, sometimes people aren’t so honest. Here are some of the ways dishonest sellers try to dupe buyers. Once you are familiar with them, you can start to be on the lookout for them, and you will have a lower chance of getting cheated.

Almost every listing has a picture of the item with it. Dishonest sellers will put up a misleading photo or even a photo of a different item. It may even be a stock photograph. There are a number of ways to spots potentially fake photos. First, is it too perfect? If it is a professional looking picture for a $10 item, then something could be amiss. Has it been tampered with? Take a close look at the photo to look for fuzziness or unnatural lines which could indicate that the photo has been altered. Finally, does the photo match the description? Be sure you are seeing what you are bidding on.

Sometimes descriptions include too much flowery language or they omit important details. Make sure you match the description to the photo to make sure it is matching. When possible, use the Internet to research similar items to make sure the description makes sense. Be sure to contact the seller if you have questions to get clarification. If they can’t give you more details or they are inconsistent with their information then that is a sign something is wrong.

If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. Be careful not to buy something illegal. Software and music are particularly vulnerable to this problem. If one of these items is selling well below a reasonable retail price it may not be a legal copy. Make sure these goods are in their original packaging. If you are uncertain about the product, ask the seller about the history of the item. If the story doesn’t seem to make sense, don’t buy the item.

Since you pay for an item before it is shipped, dishonest sellers can receive your money and not send you anything. To avoid this, never buy an item for which the seller will only accept cash. Unless you are making the exchange of the item in person, cash is a bad idea because it is untraceable. The seller can say you didn’t send anything and you can’t prove you did. Only pay for items using a credit card or a service like PayPal. Keep copies of the receipts or confirmation number from the transaction in case a problem arises.

These problems should not stop you from buying items from online auctions. The large majority of sales are seamless and satisfying. You just have to be alert to avoid the bad situations. Be sure you know what you are bidding on and be sure you are comfortable with the seller before you buy from them.

Another way you can get comfortable is by looking at the rating of the seller and the feedback they have received for past sales. The rating indicates the number of people they have done transactions with successfully. This can be an indicator of how trustworthy they are.

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