Showing posts with label Why Ebay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Why Ebay. Show all posts

Friday 22 February 2013

eBay Users: What You Need to Know About Phishing Scams


Are you an eBay user?  Whether you use eBay to do your online shopping or if you use eBay to generate extra income for yourself, as an eBay seller, there is something that you need to be aware of. As an eBay user, whether you are a seller or a buyer, you need to be on the lookout for phishing scams.  Phishing scams are rapidly increasing in popularity and many are using eBay as a front.  To protect your identity, as well as you finances, you need to be on the lookout for them.

If you are relatively new to eBay or online shopping in general, you may not know exactly what phishing scams are.  Do you?  If not, you should know that phishing scams are actually complex online scams.  A shady individual or a scammer makes a fake website that is similar to eBay or at least a fake eBay sign in page.  You are then sent an email that appears as if it was from eBay.  The only thing is that it wasn’t.  The goal of a phishing scam is to get you to visit the fake page and enter in your eBay sign in information, including your eBay screen name and your eBay password.  Once a scammer has your information, they get access to you personal information stored on eBay, as well as free use of your eBay account.

One of the reasons why phishing scams are so easy to fall victim to is because they give you the impression that is something is wrong with you eBay account or that you did something wrong yourself.  For instance, many phishing scams contain a message asking why you didn’t pay for an item that you ordered or outline the fact that your eBay account has been suspended.  The goal is to get you so worried that you will automatically click on the link to get the problem solved; however, as previously mentioned, the link takes you to a site that looks just like eBay, but it isn’t.  There is where the trouble comes in.

If you get an eBay phishing scam email, you will want to do a little bit of detective work, before actually clicking on the link. In fact, you shouldn't even click on the link.  The first thing that you will want to do is look at your name, as most eBay phishing emails start with “Dear eBay Member,” or something along those lines.  Real eBay messages will refer to you by your eBay screen name or even your real name.  You can also roll your mouse over the link provided to you and see where it will actually take you.  In most cases, you will find that you are being directed to another site, not eBay.com.  All eBay messages should appear in your “My eBay,” message box.  To see if eBay really sent you an email, you can log into your eBay account, from a brand new window that you open up, and check your messages, if you even have any at all.

If you do receive an eBay phishing scam email, you are advised to contact eBay or examine eBay’s help center. There you will find instructions on how to report the email or send a copy of it to eBay. Although your first thought may be to delete the eBay phishing scam email, you will actually want to follow eBay’s reporting instructions.  You may know that you are being scammed, but other may not.  Reporting an eBay phishing scam to eBay allows them to take care of the problem; thus likely reducing the number of eBay users who fall victim to similar scams.

Now that you know exactly what eBay phishing scams are, you are urged to be on the lookout for them.  Keeping an open eye is your best line of defensive against eBay phishing scams or any phishing scams for that matter.

eBay Sellers: The Importance of Communication



Are you an eBay seller?  If you just recently became an eBay seller, you may still be learning the ins and outs of eBay, particularly how to make a profit.  While there are an unlimited number of tips that could help increase your chances of making a profit on eBay, like detailed product descriptions and such, there is one way that is relatively simple; having an open line of communication with all of your eBay buyers.  Although you may not necessarily think about it at the time, communication goes a long way when it comes to online business transactions, particularly on eBay.

When it comes to keeping an open line of communication with your customers or potential customers, there are three main situations that you should take advantage of. First, if you are selling a popular item, you may have a number of bids or even a number of questions.  If your product description wasn’t very detailed, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to you to have messages from other eBay members seeking more information.  While some of these questions may be good, valid ones, others may seem a little bit out in left field. In fact, some eBay member questions may leave you wondering if they even looked at your auction listing. Still, it is advised that you answer all user questions in a polite and timely matter.  Doing so will increase the chances of your item or items being sold.

Once an eBay buyer has agreed to buy an item from you, whether it be through a traditional auction listing or a “Buy It Now,” sale, you will want to send your customer an invoice, showing the total amount of money that they owe you. After you have received payment, there is a good chance that you will box up the items sold and head to the post office.  A great way to make a good impression is to send your customers an update email; an email that can let them know that their items were just shipped.  Many eBay buyers like this because it gives them an estimated arrival time frame.  Should you have purchased a package tracking number, you will want supply your customers with that information.

It is also advised that you follow through, within a few days or a week, to see if your customers received their items.  You may also want to send a personal note asking them how they liked the items and such.  One thing that you definitely want to include in a follow-up message is a thank you note.  You will want to thank each of your eBay customers for doing business with you. You should also state that you hope to do business with them again.  In today’s society, many consumers are not thanked for their business anymore, although many wish that they still were.  Sending a thank you follow-up note will only take a few minutes of your time, but it is something that your customers will likely remember for sometime to come.  

As it was stated above, having an open line of communication may increase your eBay profits.  Why you may ask?  Well, you need to think of it from a consumer standpoint.  If you could shop at two different retail stores, which both had the same products available for the same prices, which store would you choose?  If you are like most consumers, you would respond with the store with the best customer service.  eBay is no different.  With competition increasing each day, you need to be able to set yourself apart from other eBay sellers.  The best way to do this is to go the extra mile for your customers.

Keeping an open line of communication before, during, and after each sale will help give you a good, positive reputation among many eBay buyers.  It will also likely result in return customers; customers who can help to increase your eBay profits.

Thursday 21 February 2013

eBay Sellers: Should You Open an eBay Store?



Are you an eBay seller?  If you are, there is a good chance that you have heard of an eBay store before.  In fact, you may even have your own eBay store.  eBay stores are increasing in popularity.  For that reason, if you currently don’t have an eBay store, you may be wondering whether or not you should open one.  To determine whether or not you should open an eBay store, you may want to examine the advantages and disadvantages of having one.

Before examining the advantages and disadvantages of having an eBay store, you may be wondering exactly what one is.  In a way, having your own eBay store can be compared to having your own retail store.  By paying a small monthly fee, you are able to create your own customized “storefront.”  This storefront is what customers will see when they visit your eBay store. For instance, you can make your own logo, create your own eBay store, and do much more. As previously mentioned, you must pay a small monthly fee to have an eBay store; however, you must also pay traditional final value and insertion fees.  Despite having to pay traditional eBay fees, they are much lower than normal, if you have an eBay store.

Perhaps, a decrease in eBay fees is one of the biggest benefits to opening up your own eBay store.  If you only sell a few items a month on eBay, it might not necessarily be worth it for you to open up an eBay store, but if you are a medium or high volume seller, you could save a considerable amount of money by opening up your own eBay store.  It is also important to mention easy of use.  Creating your own eBay storefront page is easy to do, as well as creating your own eBay listing. Despite being listed in your eBay store, you create all of your eBay listings the same way as you did before, with eBay’s step-by-step guide.

Although there are a number of advantages to having an eBay store, there are also a number of disadvantages or downsides to doing so as well.  One of those downsides is marketing.  Unlike many traditional auction listings and “Buy It Now,” listings, which show up in eBay searches, items inside eBay stores do not. Essentially, this means that it is your responsibility to get traffic to your eBay store.  Without traffic, your eBay store items will not be able to sell.  While there are easy ways to get traffic to your eBay store, like using traditional auction style listings, which will appear in eBay searches, and then place a link to your eBay store, and such, it can be time consuming to do.  How you will make money is definitely something to consider before opening up an eBay store.

As you can see, there are a number of advantages and disadvantages to opening up an eBay store.  The decision as to whether or not you want to open up an eBay store is yours to make, but you are advised to at least look into to doing so.  Thoroughly researching and examining eBay stores is a great way to learn more about them, as well as gain insight into whether or not you can profit from having one.  While having an eBay store isn’t for everyone, there are a number of eBay sellers who have noticed an increase in profit since opening their own eBay stores.

eBay Sellers: How to Market Your Auctions




Are you an eBay seller?  If you are, your goal is likely to make as much money as you can by selling products that you no longer need or want on eBay.  Unfortunately, there are now thousands, if not millions, of individuals who are interested in doing the same thing.  For you, this often means a steady increase in competition.  However, even with competition, you should still be able to make a profit when using eBay, but you may need a little bit of help.  That help could from marketing.

When many of us think of internet marketing, we often automatically think of online retail stores or online websites.  Although you are not running your own online retail store, you are trying to make a profit online; therefore, you are, in a way, like a retailer.  Just having your for sale items listed on eBay is enough to get your eBay items exposure, but you may want to think about taking it a step farther.  There are a number of different ways that you can go about marketing your for sale eBay items, without having to spend a dime.

Perhaps, one of the best ways to go about marketing your eBay items is by joining the eBay community, otherwise known as the online message boards.  When you talk with other eBay community members your screen name used is also your eBay name.  In the eBay community forum, every time that you start a new message or respond to an existing one your name is left, with a link to your main eBay webpage.  That is the age that outlines all of the items that you currently have available for sale.  Many eBay community members click other member’s pages just out of curiosity, but it not uncommon for someone to find something that catches their eye.  Simply starting a few conversations with other eBay community members, even just occasionally, may help to up your eBay exposure.

Another relatively easy way that you can market your eBay auction listings to the general public is by posting on a number of message boards, besides eBay.  There are a number of message boards that allow internet users, just like you, to post information on items that they have available for sale, both on and off of eBay.  Providing a link, as well as short description of some of the items that you are looking to sell is a great way to increase your eBay exposure and up your chances of making a sale. When taking this internet marketing approach, it is important that you only advertise your eBay listings in areas designated for doing so.  Spamming is not permitted on many online message boards and it may actually get you a bad reputation.

Speaking of using online message boards, there are a number of online message boards or forums that allow members to have signatures.  Signatures are where many people leave their name or a favorite quote of theirs, but some message boards allow members to use it as space to promote their products or businesses. Before posting a link to your eBay auctions, you are advised to examine the online message board’s policy concerning signature advertising.  Should it be allowed, you are advised to take advantage of this free internet marketing.  You will want to post a link to your eBay sales page, but be sure to mention that eBay is where all clickers will be going.

Another easy that you can promote your eBay items, particularly if you have multiple items for sale, is by putting a “please checkout my other eBay auctions,” message at the end of each of your eBay listings.  As with all of the other above mentioned internet marketing tactics, this is easy and free to do.

eBay Data and Research – How Important Is It?



eBay is a business anyway you look at it. Sure, it is a great deal of fun for both the buyers and sellers,
but when you look at it from another view point, you will see that it is a business from the seller’s point
of view, the buyer’s point of view, and eBay’s point of view. 40 million dollars a day travels through eBay.
Selling items on eBay successfully is an art, and eBay offers many different forms of Data and Research to ensure that you are selling the right items, to the right people, in the right way.

Some of the data and research is not free, but much of it is. The available resources include hot items by
category, eBay Pulse, merchandising calendar, sales reports, marketplace research, buyer behavioral report, and the eBay solutions directory. These tools are quite easy to use, and the information that can be gleaned from them is extremely valuable.

The Data and Research tools are all accessible through your seller’s account, by clicking on the
‘Advance Selling’ link. Learn to use those tools, and get your piece of that $40 million eBay revenue each
day.

eBay Courses – Are They Worth It?




There are numerous eBay courses that are available on the Internet today. These books and courses are 
designed to help you become more successful on eBay. Unfortunately, not all of these courses are worth the money that you will pay for them. Some of them are full of what used to be good information – when it was relevant – and others are simply junk information, written by someone trying to make a quick buck.

Before you purchase any eBay course, find out when the course was written. If it was written in 2004, for
instance, you don’t want it. Even though that hasn't been very long ago, eBay changes so fast that much
of the information will not be relevant. However, if the original issue of the course was written several years
ago, but the course is updated each year, this will probably be a good course for you.

Again, use care when purchasing eBay courses. They can be quite helpful and enlightening, but only if the information in them is still good. Talk to other eBay sellers – preferably successful ones – to find
out what courses are recommended.

eBay Buyers: eBay Safety Tips You Should Know




Are you interested in shopping on eBay?  If you are, you are definitely not alone.  Over the past few years, the popularity of eBay has literally skyrocketed.  Since eBay is considered an online auction website, one that allows internet users to post their belongings for sale, it generates a huge marketplace with millions of items for sale, at any given time.  Although eBay is a great place to do your shopping online, it can be unsafe; however, there are a number of ways that you can protect you and your finances when using eBay to do your online shopping.

One of the most important things that you need to remember when using eBay is that you created a sign in name or a screen name for yourself.  That screen name is used so that you do not have to provide other eBay users with your real name.  Yes, if you were to make a purchase online, you would need to give the eBay seller your real name and address, but that is the only time that you should do so.  You should never give an eBay seller information about yourself, unless you have won an item from them on the eBay website.

In connection with giving out personal information about yourself, you also do not want to give out any other personal information about your finances.  eBay uses a secure checkout program, which enables you to make payment arrangements on your own.  The most secure way to make purchases online is through PayPal, but many other sellers accept personal checks or money orders.  With PayPal, the eBay seller you are doing business with actually doesn’t get your credit card information, as all funds are transferred electronically.  For that reason, there is no reason to give an eBay seller your bank account information or your credit or debit card information, even if you are buying an item from them.

When buying an item on eBay, you may place most of your focus on the price that the item is listed at, if it is a buy it now auction.  If it is in a traditional auction listing, you may be focusing on the current highest bid.  While this is important to do, you will also want to place a focus on the total cost of shipping.  It is not uncommon for eBay sellers to sell their items for a low price, but charge a high amount in shipping.  Also, be cautious of a seller who doesn’t provide you with shipping information upfront.  Often times, you will find this is a front for a scam. After winning the auction, you are responsible for paying for the product, as well as the shipping costs, which often turn out to be high.

To prevent you from doing business with a shady eBay seller, one who may be out to take your money, you will want to examine the feedback of each eBay seller that you are interested in doing business with. While a few negative feedback ratings are not uncommon, you will want to be cautious of new eBay sellers with even just one or two negative ratings.  Basically, when shopping on eBay, you need to use your best judgment.  If something looks suspicious, there is a good chance that it is.  To prevent yourself from being scammed or losing money, you will just want to make sure that you use your head, as it is often the best sign of trouble to come.

It is also important to mention phishing scams.  These types of scams are taking place off of the eBay website, but they are, in a way, related to eBay. There are a number of scammers, who are creating fake eBay emails, as well as fake eBay sign in screens.  These emails are prompting you to sign into your eBay account.  Once you do so, the scammer will have access to your eBay account, as well as some of your personal information.  Do not fall victim to these scams.  All eBay messages should appear in your eBay account, which can be accessed once you log in directly from eBay.com.

eBay is a great place to buy and sell on the internet.  You shouldn’t let the possibility of getting scammed prevent you from shopping online. As long as you keep the above mentioned points in mind, you should be able to do your online shopping on eBay, without having any problems.

eBay Business Solutions



If starting an eBay business is your goal, as  opposed to just auctioning a few items off for some  extra cash, you need to use the eBay business  solutions that are available to you. Because eBay’s  success depends on the success of its sellers,  they strive to help you at every turn. eBay Business Solutions is the key to starting an eBay business.  eBay Stores is one of the better solutions for eBay  business owners. An eBay store will allow you to  list multiple quantities of the same item, and allow  you to keep them listed for longer time periods.  eBay Store owners also enjoy lower auction fees,  and have access to advanced merchandising tools.  Eventually, you should consider upgrading to an  eBay Pro Store, which will allow you to customize  your storefront with your own brand and web  address.   There are many other eBay Business Solutions,  such as seller tools, the eBay solutions directory,  and the merchant solution center, but you should  definitely start with your very own eBay store,  followed by an eBay Pro Store.

eBay and Customer Service












If you are running an eBay business, you may not 
realize that the need for great customer service still 
exists – even for online auctions. When a buyer 
receives quality customer service from you, they 
will potentially do one of two things – or both. They 
will give you great feedback, and they may look for 
more of your auctions in the future. If you hope to 
make a living from eBay, you have to stop thinking 
of it as an ‘auction’ and start running it like a 
‘business.’

If you owned a brick and mortar business, how 
would you treat your customer while they were 
standing at your counter, waiting for you to finish 
ringing up their order? You would be helpful and 
respectful of course! You would do everything that 
you could to guarantee that customers return to 
your establishment in the future. You would bend 
over backwards to make sure that their buying 
experience with you was both satisfactory and 
enjoyable. Why would you do any less at the 
close of one of your eBay auctions?

First, act quickly at the close of your auctions. 
Contact the winner, and congratulate them. Describe 
the item they have won and how the item will be 
shipped – even if this information is already part of 
the description for the auction. Remind them of their 
winning bid amount, and give them payment options 
and instructions. Let them know when the item will 
be shipped. 

Close your email by thanking them for participating 
in your auction. You might even take this opportunity 
to tell them about other open auctions that you have 
as well. Think of this contact with the winner as a 
conversation that you are having with a customer 
who is standing at your counter in that imaginary 
brick and mortar store.

Once the payment and shipping details have been 
taken care of, contact your buyer again. Let them 
know when the item was shipped – the exact date 
and time – and when it is expected to arrive on their 
end. During this contact, let them know that if they 
have any problems or questions, that they should 
contact you through the eBay site. If they do 
contact you in the future, make sure that you 
answer promptly, and that you do all that you can 
to make them happy with their purchase – even if 
it means issuing a refund.

Yes. You should be open to issuing refunds, 
depending on what the item is. Furthermore, you 
should issue refunds promptly. Of course, it is 
reasonable to expect the buyer to return the item to 
you, at your expense, before the refund is issued – 
but once you receive the item, issue the refund 
promptly. This is just good business!

Common Items Found for Sale on eBay


Are you interested in doing your online shopping through eBay?  If you are, you are one of millions of Americans who are.  What is nice about eBay is that you can find just about anything on there, within reason of course.  If you are interested in shopping eBay, but you never have before, you may be wondering what type of items can be found on eBay.  If you would like to learn more, you are urged to continue reading on.

When it comes to eBay, as previously mentioned, you can buy just about anything, within reason. What that in mind, there are some popular items that can be found on eBay.  One of those items is entertainment items. When speaking of entertainment items, you will find that the word “entertainment,” encompasses a handful of different items.  For instance, there is entertainment memorabilia that be found online.  These memorabilia pieces commonly include movie posters, signed merchandise, and so on.  Entertainment also includes items such as DVDs, VHS tapes, CDs, television sets, DVD players, VHS players, radios, gaming consoles, as well as video games. Basically anything that you can use to entertain yourself can be associated with entertainment.

In addition to entertainment items, one of the next most commonly purchased items on eBay includes clothing.  In today’s society it seems as if clothing keeps on rising in costs. Even traditional discount department stores are starting to charge more for their clothing.  With clothing on eBay, it is nice because you can find a wide variety of different clothing pieces, for all different types of people.  For instance, you can find casual clothing, elegant clothing, or school or work uniforms, all for men, women, children, babies, and toddlers. In fact, eBay is also well-known for their large selection of plus size clothing.  Many of the most popular clothing pieces found on eBay are name brands being sold in new and used conditions at discounted prices.

Home and garden items are also commonly sold on eBay.  As with entertainment items, home and garden encompasses a number of different items.  With the home part, it is not uncommon to find home décor pieces, such as pottery or wall art, available for sale.  Also, furniture, bedding, bathroom supplies, and kitchen supplies, can commonly be found for sale on eBay. As for the garden part, a wide range of gardening supplies and accessories can be found for sale on eBay. For instance, you can purchase gardening tools, gardening books, garden statues, and other landscaping decor pieces.

Toys are another popular item type that is regularly bought and sold on eBay.  What is nice about toys is that many come in new and used conditions.  If you are interested in buying toys for your children and you are like most parents, you don’t have a problem buying used, as the toys will start to show wear from your own children soon enough anyways.  That is why toys are some of the most popular items sold on eBay.  As with clothing, it is common to find a large selection of name brand toys available for sale.

One thing that you may not realize that you can buy on eBay is real estate.  Yes; real estate can be listed for sale on eBay.com.  A large number of for sale by owner home sellers use eBay to quickly sell their properties when they think that they are reaching a dead-end or when they need money in hurry. As with purchasing any item on eBay, when buying real estate, you are advised to do the proper amount of research and use your best judgment.  Another big item that can regularly be found for sale on eBay is that of vehicles.  A large number of vehicle owners are turning to eBay to sell their vehicles; many of which are in excellent condition and others to be used for parts only.

As you can see, there are an unlimited number of items that can be found for sale, at any given moment, on eBay.  What is amazing is that the above mentioned items are just a few of the many that can be found.  Even if you have yet to register an eBay account, you can start examining the many products that you can buy.

Common eBay Scams to be on the Lookout For


Are you looking to start buying on eBay?  If you have never used eBay before, you may not necessarily know that it is relatively easy to fall victim to an eBay scam.  While eBay is considered a safe place to shop online, there are a number of eBay scams that you should be on the lookout for.  Knowing what these scams are, before you start shopping on eBay, will help to reduce or completely eliminate your chances of becoming a victim.

Before we start to examine some of the most common eBay scams that you should be on the lookout for, it is important to mention why those scams exist.  eBay is considered an online market place or an online auction website.  Just about anyone with an internet connection and an eBay account can start eBay sale auctions.  This is what makes it possible for scammers to trap innocent shoppers like you. While eBay does work to combat these scams and eliminate the individuals behind them, there are some people who slip through the cracks. That is why you will always want to be on the lookout for eBay scams.

Speaking of common scams to be on the lookout for, one of the most common scams involves selling a product that the seller actually doesn't have.  This type of scam is sometimes difficult to spot, but there are signs that you should look for.  When posting an eBay auction, an eBay seller should have pictures of the item or items that they are selling or at least accurate descriptions.  With some items, such as books, CDs, or movies, eBay sellers are given the option of using a stock photo; one that is provided by eBay.  All other items should have a genuine photo, taken by the seller.  If not, you may want to refrain from making the purchase, as it may mean that the seller isn’t even in possession of the item or items that they are trying to sell you.

In addition to selling items that they don’t even have available, another common eBay scam involves lying about the items that they do have. For instance, there are some eBay sellers, although a small number of them, who claim that they have an item, like a car radio, which is in brand new condition, but it isn’t always.  It is not uncommon for some eBay seller to outright lie or strength the truth a little bit.  Unless you have a watchful eye, you may not find out until it is too late.  That is why it is advised that you not only purchase items from eBay that are accompanied by pictures, but that you also examine those pictures.  You will want to try and see if something really does look new or if it is in “like new,” condition.

Another common eBay scam that you will want to look for involves those who want your personal information.  This type of scam is implemented in two different ways. First, there are a small number of sellers who tell you that they need your credit card information, but they shouldn't   Whether you pay by PayPal, personal check, or money order, you shouldn't give out any personal information to any eBay sellers, even if you are buying an item from them.  If you are not using PayPal, just send a check or money order to the address given to you, nothing else needs to be done.

The second eBay scam that involves trying to get your personal information is phishing.  Phishing scams are increasing in popularity, making it easier to fall victim to one. With phishing scams, a scammer sends out an email that looks like it is from eBay. The email is often accompanied with a message stating that something is wrong with your account and that you need to click on the attached link, sign in and fix it.  This is a scam.  What they are trying to do is get your eBay account information.  Once that has been done, they may have access to stored personal account numbers, as well as the ability to use your eBay account to make fraudulent purchases.

The above mentioned eBay scams are just a few of the most common ones that you may run across. Although there are those on eBay who are trying to scam or take advantage of you, the chances of falling victim to a scam on eBay are actually quite low, as long as you proceed with caution.

Buying On eBay: The Importance of Checking Feedback




Are you interested in using eBay to shop online? If you are, you are definitely not alone, as eBay is one of the most popular online marketplaces.  As you likely already know, eBay is an online auction website; an online auction website that allows internet users to post items that they have in their possession, but not longer want or need, for sale.  While this tends to give you a large number of products to choose from, it can make getting scammed on eBay relatively easy; however, there is a way that you cannot fall victim to some of the most common eBay scams.  That way involves checking feedback.

If this is your first time using eBay, you may not necessarily know that buyers and sellers are able to leave each other feedback; in fact, they are encouraged to do so.  Now, if another eBay buyer, just like you, were to have a positive experience, like they got their item in a timely matter and it was what they expected, they would be likely to leave a positive feedback.  Positive feedback's are marked with green circles with plus signs in them.  On the other hand, if an eBay buyer has a negative experience, like they never received their item or it was in poor condition, a negative comment may be left.  Negative comments are market by red circles with negative signs in them.  In addition to positive or negative comments, eBay buyers are also able to leave neutral comments, which are commonly used when a problem arose, but the seller in question fixed it in a timely matter.  Also, next to the positive, negative, or neutral markings, eBay buyers can also leave comments.

Although you might not necessarily think about it, the feedback that an eBay seller has can give you insight into the type of service that you may receive. As a way, this feedback serves as reputation for an eBay seller.  When shopping at a traditional retail store, there is a good chance that you wouldn't shop at a store that is known for selling poor quality products or a store that has poor customer service.  The same thinking should be applied when using eBay.  You don’t want to business with an eBay seller that has a number of poor feedback ratings, as it is a sign of what may come.

If you are interested in examining the feedback of an eBay seller, you can easily do so.  When visiting an online auction listing page, say a listing for a new set of hair clippers, in the right hand corner there should be a “Meet the Seller,” section. That section has information on the seller’s eBay feedback, as well as a link that you can click to see each individual feedback rating. You are urged to click that link.  When examining an eBay seller’s feedback, you need to remember that it is not uncommon for a seller to deal with disgruntled customers; customers that may leave negative feedback for no reason at all.  That is why it is not uncommon to see a few negative feedback ratings; however, be on the lookout for any eBay seller who has an excessive number of them or a new eBay seller that has a large number of negative feedback ratings, as they are someone you should try and avoid.

In short, examining the feedback ratings or comments of an eBay seller will only take a few minutes of your time, but it may end up saving you a considerable amount of money.  When shopping on eBay, it is advised that you use your best judgment.  A number of negative feedback ratings may be a sure sign that an eBay seller may be out to scam you, in one way or another.