10 eBay SCAMS You Should Know About!

eBay is a great idea on paper, and I’ve had good experiences using the site, but the growing prevalence of eBay scammers has turned it into a shady marketplace. I don’t feel safe on eBay anymore.

But sometimes you don’t have a choice. As a buyer, some items can only be found on eBay, and as a seller, eBay might be the most profitable platform for you to sell on. If you must use eBay, then you must be wary of eBay scams.

Here are the most common eBay scams to know about: three as a buyer, six as a seller, and one that applies to all eBay users.

[Dreadnought]

Regarding the scam where the buyer claims s/he received an empty box, your post office receipt will have the weight of the parcel on it. When the dispute is open, carefully inquire what was in the box - if they say "nothing" then you can point to your receipt with the weight at the time the parcel crossed the post office counter. This happened to me and I had a delightful time sending the sheriff after the scammer.

[heidbumbee]

I started using Ebay back in 2001 and it was fun buying and selling. I still buy but stopped selling due to the lack of Ebay support

[jimmyday]

As a seller, I have had #7 happen to me twice in the past 5 months, regarding vintage collectible phonographs I sold. They were packed very well, I took pix of the packing job, and shipped them insured. Both sellers sent me pix of the item now broken, which I knew was impossible, so I simply told them to make a damage claim with USPS, which would require them to bring the item and all packing into their local Post Office for careful examination. That was the last I heard from those scammers!

[nwj]

For the "empty box" scam as a seller: When I send an item out, I always get a receipt from the post office, or UPS. When I drop the item off, they weigh the package and the actual weight gets printed on the receipt. If the buyer claims that you sent them an empty box, you'll have the receipt proving that the box weighed much more than an empty box when it was dropped off. I've never actually had this happen to me as a seller but it's a good practice to follow.

[wallcrawler]

Never pay by check or money order as a buyer. If the seller asks you to its a scam. Never accept check or money order as a seller, you increase your odds of getting scammed. Never accept an offer for more money, you are getting scammed. Never complete a sale outside of eBay or directly through PayPal. If the buyer asks you to you are getting scammed. If you are the seller this is outside of eBay's regulations and you again risk getting scammed.

[angelakelly]

Sellers have very few rights on eBay, they’re all for the buyers. I sold on the platform for years and the buyers have all the rights. Not to mention being able to give you poor feedback when you’ve done absolutely everything above board. However, when you get a terrible buyer you can’t give negative feedback that affects their account. Very unfair.

[ShadowDeus]

how to avoid eBay scams:
1. Dont use eBay
2. continuiosly repeat steps 1&2

[WillyShanker]

1 way to make sure you a buying the right item is- Make sure a lot of people have bought the item and left alot of positive reviews. And make sure the seller has a lot of positives.

[chrissampson]

As a seller, the best way to have irrefutable evidence against the empty box or broken item scam is to video yourself at the post office counter putting the item(s) in the box in front of the post office worker just before it gets sealed and processed by that worker. Yes it takes a little bit more time and yes it's a pain and sad that we would have to resort to that extreme, but the proof is there... unfortunately, what can't be controlled is whether or not eBay or Paypal actually care.

[startrekking]

My problem anymore a seller stating ships from USA and then after you pay ends up coming from China and takes longer nothing you can do.

[nigelhaycock]

Another scam similar to the empty box that I have seen is shipping a box containing something of little or no value to another address near you (often to someone with the same last name). That way the tracking shows delivered, the receiver wonders what it is but doesn't do anything about it and then you are in argument with eBay that you didn't get it when the tracking says you did.

[BeckyAnn]

Here's a different type of scam...Not having money in seller's account for a refund.
I bought an item, paid immediately, never received the item. Filed a 'Did not receive' case... eBay DID side with me, but I never received a refund because the seller's PayPal account was completely empty. eBay never even offered to cover it, just 'Yes, we see you never got it, but the seller has no money for the refund. Too Bad So Sad.'

[cekroz]

I just got scammed by the eBay support team. I bought a computer from an account that I learned later has been hacked. I left a negative review for the seller and went to eBay support. This is what they did: cleaned the seller's bad review (he's back at 100%), removed the object from my list of objects (so I can't complain), didn't give a dime back and they don't reply anymore.

[zzgeorgezdane]

Another scam sellers will do is to sell a fairly expensive item, claim to ship it, then close their Ebay account before dispute is settled. Strangely, Ebay allows this.

[HeadToeTheatrical]

We always write details such as name, weight, and package dimensions and sometimes other details under where the postage label goes. When there is a problem we ask the buyer to provide the information to us so that we can handle any return problems right away. The label already has the weight on it, so it should always match. We have found out with this method that at least once a year, we do make a mistake on our end when someone might say they ordered two of something, but only got one item. First thing we do is check that weight against what it should have weighed, plus we do a quick inventory count on that particular item. Yes, I personally have made some mistakes. We only sell on eBay and have for more than 20 years.

[rommix]

Here's another one that should be added to the list. Don't accept offers from buyers with private feedback. If they got something to hide they can't ever be trusted period. I was recently scammed by one and have learned my lesson.

[TheCecil]

Thanks so much. I’ve been a fantastic buyer for many years - only had one bad seller - lost only $20.0 but it just got me so mad. I love eBay buying goodies and having fun. Now at my age it’s time to sell some fantastic toys and gear and make both parties happy. I’m 76 and if I don’t sell it my goodies they might land in the garbage or thrift shop. I would just like to give every thing to the Grandchildren - but they all don’t have the time. Thanks for taking your time to share.

[geraldmulleady]

Another defense against buyers who received empty package. Make sure you get and save the USPS receipt. It has the weight record there. Another scam use by thieving buyers is using the biggest ebay loophole. Even if you don't allow returns, all the buyer has to do is to request a return saying that the item doesn't match photos and descriptions. Then they sit back and wait. Then they open a case and eBay immediately gives them the money back. EBay takes it from you, keeps the selling fee, and the buyer keeps the item. It takes weeks to get the money back but the buyer has the money and the item. Nice scam!

[kevinj.p.]

As a seller you are pretty much screwed. If they want your money they're gonna get it. All you can really do is block the buyers you don't want buying from you by entering their user ID or email address in your blocked buyer list. You can block 5000 people. Go to help and type in block buyers go to the box below and enter their user ID or email and a comma at the end separating each one. They will no longer be able to buy it now, make offers or bid on your items.

[Drmikekuna]

I was victim to scam #1, but for a small ticket item. The seller was selling a new blood pressure cuff at a price slightly better than other sellers. Their account was fairly new, but they did have some positive ratings (I'm sure they were bogus). The selling was happy to write me back and explain that the item was coming soon... it was not. I did launch a complaint and was able to eventually get my money back. Weeks into the process the seller's ratings changed to mostly negative ones, then the account went dark. Apparently, the scammer took photos from other sellers for random items that you would think would normally not be scammed (not phones or game consoles). They then posted them at a slightly better price making it an "easy" decision to buy. By the time the buyer was aware of what was going on they were long gone.