eBay Buyer Scams

Top 3 eBay Buyer Scams Everyone Should Avoid

eBay is one of the pioneers of the online selling industry, but watch out for many eBay buyer scams you could be a victim of. This article will expose how eBay fraud works, how to avoid it, and how to report it. In a different material, we will uncover some eBay seller scams. Ready?

No one likes to be a victim of a scheme, no matter whether it causes significant damage or not. People who are continually using eBay have encountered various kinds of suspicious activities that they have reported. We decided to list the top eBay buyer scams that our readers should be aware of in order to protect themselves adequately.

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Through many years of being good customers, people only shared good things about this website. However, lately, their experiences have changed a bit. Due to the rising number of eBay scams, many users do not feel secure on eBay anymore. Still, they keep on using it because there are tons of deals up for grabs. On the other hand, for sellers, eBay is considered the most money-making platform for auctioning off items.

That being said, people who must use the platform should be aware of eBay seller scams and eBay buyer scams, and we are here to help them.

As a consumer, you need to be aware of the most prevalent eBay buyer scams. The platform tends to believe buyers, but cybercriminals found a few means to fool purchasers. Let's take a look.

Watch the video below to see the top eBay scams exposed but keep reading for more:

1. Seller Runs Off With Your Money

It goes as simple as it can be. The buyer sends the money and gets nothing in return. As eBay is always on the buyer's side, they have the eBay Money Back Guarantee, specially designed to protect the buyer if the seller does not send the item.

It would be best if you had in mind that this Guarantee does not cover specific categories of products and those are:

• Vehicles
• Real estate
• Sotheby's products
• Websites and businesses for sale
• Classified ads
• Services
• Some kinds of business equipment.

As you could notice, these are not the most frequently sold items on eBay but are high-value transactions that may cost thousands of dollars. How to avoid it?

The first thing you can do is to check the seller's history. Even though the feedback is positive, you should be suspicious as these comments can also be a scam. The outstanding rating achieved through small transactions can be convincing, which will lead to a higher value transaction that will turn out to be a fraud.

You need to avoid the categories we mentioned that eBay's Money Back Guarantee does not cover. On a different topic, here is the eBay Purchase Protection Scam.

2. Seller Writes The Wrong eBay Buyer Name on Purpose

When you negotiate the price with a seller, everything seems fair. You agree on the purchase, and the seller sends the package to your address but writes down a name that is not yours. This can lead to the situation that you return the item, believing that it is not for you.

Upon returning the package to the post office, it is automatically marked as “Refused” or “Returned,” which will cancel the eBay Money Back Guarantee.

Besides the fact that the seller will keep the money, there is an even worse side of this fraud. On eBay, this will count as a resolved dispute, and the buyer is not allowed to leave feedback after this. How to avoid it?

You could avoid this eBay buyer scam by taking a look at all the packages that are addressed to your house. If you ordered something and received it – open it, even though the name does not match. Speaking of ordering, beware also of eBay Order Confirmation Scam.

3. eBay Buyer Receives An Empty Box

In case you encounter a brand new item that is offered at an unexpected and relatively low price, you can be sure that this is a scam. You will be fooled if you order it. Actually, the seller will set the price and expect his/her victims to get so thrilled to be the first to buy it.

However, the seller is only selling the box for this product. That is even stated in the listing, so what you get is only an empty box. How to avoid it?

Our suggestion to avoid being a victim of this eBay buyer scam is to read through a listing before agreeing to buy it. In case the seller really hides the fact that he/she is selling only a box, you can win a dispute.

On a different note, beware of a bunch of eBay gift card scams.

How To Report a Scammer

Let your friends and family know about these eBay buyer scams by sharing this article. Also, you can officially report scammers and suspicious activities to eBay and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) using the links below:

Report To The FTC Here

Report To eBay Here

How To Protect Yourself More

If you want to receive the most notorious scams every week, we encourage you to subscribe to the Scam Detector newsletter. You will receive periodic emails. On the same token, educate yourself with other eBay fraud-related articles listed right under this paragraph, so that you know how to stay safe online. Use the Comments section below to expose other eBay scammers (be also aware of the eBay Motors Scam).