eBay is gone to the dogs? It has been taken over by fraud artists and cons. The only safe way to bid is with Power Sellers who have no or few negative ratings.

This year I’ve been hit by three different scams: no product, rigged bids and inflated product descriptions.

Here’s how no product works. You bid on something like a camcorder and win. That’s cool until all communication with the seller stops and the product doesn’t arrive. My guess is they are taking orders and then trying to source it cheaper on eBay. Or they are just crooked.

Rigged bids are cute. You see an item you see at a good price and Watch it. The price stays low until 2 days before close. Then 2 or 3bidders move the price up double or more of where it started. Checking who they are, you’ll find the bidders only bid on this Seller’s auctions. Golly gosh Batman does that smell or what. If you want to get ripped keep bidding.

Inflated description is the worst since you win, pay the freight and are disappointed when the “Like New” item arrives and is worn out and probably not working. This happened twice this year to me. Duh eh?

If you get ripped you can ask PayPal to mediate. Never send a money order – that’s goodbye money time. Better yet use a credit card on PayPal. Most credit cards allow charge backs for goods not received or fraud. Check yours.

Usually you get your money back, but not always. Sometimes you lose $30 to $100 for freight. Each bad deal takes 1-2 months and a few inches off your life.

I still use eBay but I’ve sworn off the stunning deals from small Sellers.

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