What happens if your scammed on ebay

Share your thoughts in the comments. You can follow Adam Dachis, the author of this post, on Twitter and Facebook. If you'd like to contact him, Twitter is the most effective means of doing so. Even if you are outside the 45 day timeframe to file a dispute, do it anyway.

Even though the case will not be investigated, it will go on the seller's account permanently and count towards their dispute percentage. If you have too many disputes opened against you, you can be banned from using PayPal. We are funded by our readers and we may receive a commission when you make purchases using the links on our site.

Learn how to spot these common eBay scams targeting both buyers and sellers, and learn how to avoid them. Here are some of the most common eBay scams for eBay buyers: 1. Non-delivery scam An eBay money-back guarantee protects buyers from fraudulent sellers, save for some exclusions. Seller ships with deliberately incorrect name on label This scam is clever because the deceit occurs offline after the eBay transaction is complete.

The empty box scam This is a scam to watch for if you are looking for a highly popular item that is generating a lot of media attention, has a limited release, or is difficult to get elsewhere. Counterfeit goods The downside of buying online is that there is no way to verify the authenticity of the goods before you buy them. Fake customer service Similar to the above scam, a fraudulent seller can place a fake Ebay customer service number on their profile or product page.

Gift card scam Gift card scammers reach out to victims by phone, email, or social media. Here are some of the most common ways eBay sellers are scammed. Overpayment offer If you have an item for sale, a potential buyer may contact you and offer to pay over the asking price for it.

Changed address This scam is a new twist on the offer of overpayment. Empty box claim In this case, the purchase may be completed without flaw. Broken replica scam A buyer happily purchases your item. Feedback extortion Because eBay functions as an intermediary between private buyers and sellers, the idea of building an online reputation on the site is pretty important. If you do accept checks, wait until they clear.

After you deposit a check, the balance will show in your account, but it can take a week or two to verify. If you send the parcel before the check clears it could leave you with an empty bank account and no item. Always use approved eBay payment methods. Communicate using the service provided. Document everything. Make an effort to record the packing and posting of every item, including any tracking numbers used.

This will help protect you against baseless fraud claims. Along with photographing everything, try to record any identifying details about the item.

Particularly if the item is expensive, popular, or desirable such as new cell phones or gaming consoles. Record any serial numbers or unique codes. Always arrange for a tracking number for any deliveries you send.

This helps to cover you for PayPal Seller Protection but not necessarily other payment methods available through eBay. Use the highest security tracking you think is appropriate for the value of the item you send. Remember that the more proof you can arrange, the more secure your transaction will be in the case of a fraudulent dispute. It can also be smart to issue a refund if you have an unhappy customer.

The serial numbers show that they were taken to a Best Buy location and were replaced. These 2 i bought from the seller should have been destroyed. Sadly, i went out and bought 2 more new ones from my local Best Buy while all this was going on, so my kids would have their Christmas presents. When i bought them, they had a plastic pull tab seal on the boxes. The ones i got off ebay had a shrink wrap.

The folks at Apple said theirs never have that, which further confirms this guys a scammer. Of course Ebay fidnt care and woukdnt let me report the seller, as they had closed my case. I also saw where other buyers of the same item had left negative feedback for faulty and no communication from seller. Week later all his negative feedback disappears. So apparently the whole feedback deal is a joke.

So after 17yrs if buying and selling on ebay im done. Why make them rich taking a cut off of every item? My account is going to be deleted. I recommend you all do the same. Beware scammers who advertise on other sites and tell you that the transaction will be handled through eBay. That is not how eBay works.

Likely the seller will send a phony "invoice" that appears to be from eBay but is not, asking you to pay with gift cards to have the vehicle shipped to you for a free evaluation period. Scammers often promise those things, though. Any phone number you may receive on such an "invoice" does not connect to eBay, but to the scammer. Anyone that asks you to purchase gift cards or to send card codes to them to complete a transaction is trying to take advantage of you.

Anyone asking for a gift card is looking for a gift at your expense. Once anyone else knows the code, your money will be gone and you will have no recourse. The only way to purchase a vehicle on eBay is to sign in to eBay. You may have to pay a deposit. Then you typically meet the seller to inspect the vehicle and pay the seller.

If you encountered an ad on another site, contact that site to have the ad removed. You can contact eBay and law enforcement to let them know that you have been scammed by someone claiming to represent eBay, but likely any money on those cards was spent as soon as you turned over the card numbers to the scammer.

Any information you have about the transaction aside from a throw-away email address or a one-time voicemail number is certainly either a lie designed to get you to hand over your money or else a dead end. Don't worry your protected. Time does have to be allowed for delivery. Ebay will take care of any problems. Turn on suggestions. Auto-suggest helps you quickly narrow down your search results by suggesting possible matches as you type. Showing results for. Show only Search instead for.

If so, you have to wonder where they have been. The brutal truth is, in cases like this, eBay almost always sides with the buyer. Scammers realise this and exploit it. For many years Guardian Money has advised people selling expensive items on eBay to hand them over in person, and only accept cash on collection.

If you mail them, you are wide open to this abuse. We receive an email like yours every few weeks, though this was the worst we have seen for some time.