One of the most popular and widely used marketplace online is eBay, utilized by millions of people internationally. Unfortunately, where there are huge number of people in one place, there are also bigger chances of encountering with scammers. There many different stories of people who got ripped off by other members on eBay either as a buyer or as a seller. But there are ways to minimize your chances of being victimized by these scammers.
Here are some tips you might want to try:
Always check member feedback. Ebay provides feedback system as an aide to help tell the reputation of each eBay member. More positive feedbacks given by more fellow members means that such member have history of great, pleasant transactions with other members and is more likely the right eBayer that you want to buy from or sell to. Negative feedbacks says it all, negative, take it as a warning for you. More negative means more warnings for you. If an eBay member have zero feedback, be more guarded and cautious as well.
Too good to be true. Some deals might be too nice to believe. Trust your instinct. Most reliable eBay sellers are not selling on eBay because they feel like they need to give away like a Santa Claus. One way or another, many people try to make some bucks as supplementray income for their family. So if you feel like you are getting such a deal, too good to be true deals, ask the question why? If an item is worth $100 in stores, and you are getting the product for $5, do you think its for real? Do you think the seller will be reliable, worth dealing with?
If in doubt, ask! If seller provides any unclear description, unclear photos, ask seller for clarifications or verifications. That way you will not be assuming and guessing. If you are buying used item, ask seller if there are any flaws or damages to the item, specially if the description seems short and sound shady and incomplete. Conditions that says excellent, great, good, fair, mint tell you something about the actual condition in general about the product, not specifics. So if specific description is not indicated like why is it fair not excellent? Ask the seller before you bid or buy.
For eBay sellers, its always a great idea to require clearing period for any Money Order or Personal Check payments prior to shipment of any orders to make sure that such payment is not fake check or not be cancelled. Since such process will affect the delivery time, make sure that you mentioned the clearing period in your descriptions, specify days like 8-10 work days.
For eBay sellers, having a confirmation or tracking number for any items being shipped will basically tell the seller if the buyer received the item or not. Its also always good to know if the packages are successfully shipped that way.
If you are receiving emails from eBay, make sure that it really originated from eBay site. If you are not sure, you can also login to eBay site directly and use the MyEbay > Messages instead, where all real eBay messages are also sent.
So if you follow some of the tips mentioned above, you minimized your chances of being a scam victim. Remember, its always good to trust your gut feeling, be cautious and be observant.
Written by JAZEVOX. All Rights Reserved.
DISCLAIMER: The author is not affiliated with eBay in anyway, this article is solely based on personal experience and opinion.
October 19, 2007
Avoid getting ripped off online
October 18, 2007
Shopping clothes online that fits
With the conveniece of online shopping and finding better deals of clothes online compare to the ones sold in botiques and brick-and-mortar shops, more and more people are shopping online for clothes. But there is nothing as frustrating as buying clothes online and only to realize that the clothes you bought will not fit you! But dont despair, there are some things you can do to avoid this unfortunate event and make your online shopping more pleasant and fun!
Below are some tips that will help you buy the right clothes online that fits:
KNOW YOUR SIZE. When you buy clothes online, you really cannot grab the clothes from the monitor and go to the dressing room to check for fit. But if you know your sizes like bust, hips, waistline, shoulders, etc, you are surely armed with a better chance of getting the right clothes that will fit you because online clothing store will usually provide size chart related to the clothes that the store is selling.
GIRLS, JUNIORS, MISSES SIZES. By just staring at the photos, sometimes you cannot really tell if the clothing is meant for girls, juniors, or misses. So if you familiarize yourself with the different sizing, you will have a better chance of getting the right size that will fit you. Just like in the department store, there is a kid section, there is the teenager section, and there is the women section of clothing. Most clothes listed as Girls Size are intended for young girls. Most clothes listed as Junior Size are intended for teenagers and young adults, and most of these clothes are more body-forming and body-fitting. On the other hard, Misses Sizes are intended for adults and young adults and usually have loose cut and more roomy feel. The trick is, you just have to know your body sizes and compare your size to the store size chart. If you want loose feel of clothings, then consider bigger measurements than your actual body size, or go one size higher.
ITEM DESCRIPTIONS and PHOTOS. Always read the listing description of each clothing. Each product is unique, made of different fabric, cut in different style. By reading the item description, you are learning more about the item itself, described by the person who actually saw the product in actual. And if there are no photos or description provided, ask the seller first prior to purchase regarding the condition and sizing of the product so that you know what to expect.
Like everything else, shopping clothes online can be learned and be good at it.
Written by JAZEVOX. All Rights Reserved.
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