eBay is one of the best ways to purchase used goods at a fair price. eBay allows sellers to sell their items in a world market place instead of dealing with a traditional second hand dealer or consignment store.
Unfortunately it has also given many unscrupulous sellers the chance to make money from inexperienced buyers who are not able to determine if an item is genuine or fake.
Point 1 – Buy the seller before buying the itemEnsure you are buying from a reputable seller. Check how long that person has been in business. Confirm the amount of feedback a seller has – be careful of new and low feedback sellers. Check to see how many negative feedback comments have been left.
It can also be beneficial to see what type of items the feedback has been left for. Often with sellers of imitation goods the seller will sell the exact same model again and again. Louis Vuitton items can not be bought wholesale or new from any source other than the genuine Louis Vuitton store. All Louis Vuitton items that are genuine can only have come from the genuine Louis Vuitton store. Therefore any items that are being sold second hand are the result of somebody originally buying the item from a Louis Vuitton store and then disposing of the item on eBay or through a second hand dealer.
When buying an item on eBay be very suspicious of the item being sold as unused or being sold as an unwanted gift. How many people do you know that don’t want a $2000 handbag or briefcase? In my life I have received very few expensive gifts like that.
Always buy from sellers you feel confident with. Check to ensure they have not been selling the same item over and over.Point 2 – Check how long the seller has been in business
Check to see how long the seller has been on eBay for. Has the seller just started selling items? Or does the seller have a long history of buying and selling over years.
Check the feedback to see if the seller is mainly buying or mainly selling.Not one of these things is necessarily a bad thing. Somebody who has just started selling on eBay is not necessarily a fraudulent seller. It does not necessarily mean the deal is a no go. It just means you need to take some caution.
Point 3 – Confirm the item is genuineUse the steps in the previous chapter to determine if the item is genuine or not.
Examine the photos supplied very carefully to determine if the item is genuine. It is easy to save the photos by right mouse clicking on the photo and selecting “save as.” This provides a copy of the photos to compare the item with the item that turns up in the post if you are successful in winning the auction.
Point 4 – Pay by PayPalIt is always advisable to pay via PayPal on eBay as it provides some security. eBay offers protection up to a certain level if you pay via PayPal. It is often best to use a credit card combined with PayPal to handle the transaction. If the item turns out to be fake you then have two forms of recourse. You can firstly make a claim through PayPal and secondly you have the protection of your credit card company. If you have simply used a bank account to transfer the money into PayPal you would only have the PayPal option.
Buying on eBay with PayPal is the best security a buyer can have.PayPal offers a dispute resolution process. If the item does not turn up you can file a claim. If the item is fake – you can also file a claim. PayPal can be frustrating to deal with at times however I believe they are fair to deal with. I have had many dealings with PayPal and some deals have turned bad. In my case PayPal always reimbursed my money.
Buying by a wire transfer service means you are limited to disputing the matter. Often the cost and effort to file charges in a foreign country are extremely high and time consuming.
The most important thing to remember with PayPal is that you have only a 45 day period to lodge a dispute.
Check feedback, time in business and always ask question if in doubt.
Always check the product thoroughly before bidding.