subject: Avoiding Becoming The Victim Of A Scam [print this page] Online auctions look like a great place to purchase the things that you need for a really cheap price. While there are some great deals out there, you must be careful to make sure that you are not going to be the next victim of an online scam.
Unfortunately, there are many fraudsters out there who are taking advantage of hundreds of people every day. However, there are many reputable sellers as well.
Sifting through these good and bad sellers can be tricky and it will take a little time and research if you are going to avoid a scam. The first thing you should do when you are thinking about participating in an auction is to research the background of the site.
The site should have the ability to view the profile of various sellers and which other products they have sold. After you decide whether or not they are traders or not, you will want to continue your research.
The next thing you should definitely look at is the ratings for each seller posted by various customers. If the seller has any bad ratings from customers, do not purchase from them.
It is likely that you will be scammed as well if you try to buy from him or her. Then, you will have to post a negative comment as well.
However, if there are a lot of positive ratings, you can feel more confident that the seller is trustworthy. You probably can safely purchase for him or her.
If the ratings are positive, but there are only one or two ratings posted, you probably want to exercise a lot of caution. This means that this seller does not have a lot history and they may or may not be trust worthy.
However, every seller whether they are trustworthy or untrustworthy has to start out somewhere. It is up to you whether or not you will take the risk based on the other types of research you will perform.
As you look at the seller's profile take a minute to look at their email. If their email is an anonymous account through the website they may be honest, but all dishonest users keep their email anonymous.
On occasion a dishonest seller may use a real email account, but for the most part they will remain anonymous. The next thing you will want to do is use the email address you find if you are still confident that the seller is honest.
Send him or her an email with a question relevant to the product you are interested in that is not covered in the description. Sellers who are interested in actually selling their products and not scamming you, will respond quickly, completely, and with courtesy.
If you have other questions, feel free to ask those as well. If the seller seems to know the product well, you may feel more assured that they are not selling a fake product whether by accident or on purpose.
The next piece of information you will want to look at is how the seller wants you to pay him or her. Most fraudsters will ask for payment in the form of cash or other means of transfer that are untraceable.
If you pay this way then it is very likely that you will never see the product you are purchasing and you will only lose your money. Credit cards are traceable and it is much more likely that you will receive the item if you pay in that manner.
If you are comfortable with the form of payment, then you will want to determine when the seller requires payment. On occasion, the term of payment is very short.
If this is the case you may want to request a longer time period in which to pay. After all, you are the customer and you should have a say in when you have to pay.
In addition, you will want to know what the return policy is before you commit to pay for item. If there is not a very good return policy then do not bid on the item.
Depending on a picture and a description is not a very good idea. You need the reassurance of being able to return the product if it is a fake or in worse condition than described.
The last hidden fee that you may want to check out is the shipping fee. Determine whether or not the shipping fee is paid by the seller or by you.
Decided whether or not the shipping rate is worth the hassle you will have to go through if you have to pay for it. Sometimes there is a great price on the product and then the seller makes up for it in the shipping cost.
