8 Common eBay Scams: How to Avoid Them

eBay is an online shopping platform that’s best known for its auctions and consumer-to-consumer sales. It’s also extremely popular for online merchants to use a sales channel. eBay available in many different countries. However, you can also search for products available in your local area by typing the zip code. Or if you want, you can also shop globally.  

As there are many customers doing auction selling, scammers are more attracted towards eBay platform, and anyway, scammers always look for the platform where customers are available in bulk doing online things using financial systems. The eBay platform has compromised with different scams till now, which drastically decreases the trust of customers in auction selling on eBay.  eBay involves a lot of trust on behalf of the buyer and the seller, but it’s relatively easy for that trust to be exploited. eBay platform also offers some security features, but still, you can do a lot to protect yourself on eBay.

In this guide, we will tell you about the 8 most common eBay scams targeted buyers and sellers and how to protect yourself from these online scams.

eBay Scams to avoid as a Buyer

In general, eBay buyers have less to worry about because eBay favors buyers in disputes. Buyers don't need much proof to accuse you of deception—in most circumstances, eBay will take your word for it. As an eBay buyer, though, there are still a few ways to be duped. Here are a few to be aware of.

Delivery scam

Money-back guarantee assures you that your money is safe; for example, if you found any damage to the product, you can return the product and get your money back. But, an eBay money-back guarantee protects buyers from fraudulent sellers, save for some exclusions.  The following is a list of items that aren't covered by the eBay Money Back Guarantee:

• Website and Businesses for sale
• Vehicles
• Some categories of business equipment
• Real estate
• Services
• Items sold by Sotheby’s
• Classified ads

Tip to avoid this scam

You never know what is in the seller’s mind and if this scam happens with you and you weren’t aware of eBay’s this policy, then here your lack of knowledge is also the reason for being a victim. However, we just recommend you avoid shopping in categories that aren't covered by eBay's Money Back Guarantee.

Seller ship order from incorrect name

As a buyer, in this scam, sellers use buyers’ sincerity and try to deceive you with more smartness and without your knowledge. When you make the order on eBay, the seller properly ships the order to your address but deliberately uses an incorrect name, making you think that you received someone else’s package by mistake and you return the package to the post office or shipping company.  Unfortunately, this marks your order as “Refused” or “Returned,” which avoids the eBay Money Back Guarantee. This is how, the seller gets the product back and keeps the payment, too.

Tip to avoid this scam

To avoid this online scam, we recommend you to do open all packages that comes to your house if the followings are all true:

• Product is same that you’ve ordered
• The address matches 
• The tracking number says the item was delivered

The empty box scam

This is a scam where you order something from eBay but you get only the empty box. In this scam, sellers do fake listing of the latest new product such as the latest video game or PlayStation, and also at the very minimum price or below the market value. Now, when you’ll see this product and you get so excited by the price that you rush to buy it before it someone else buys it. As the listing was fake, so it confirmed that the seller is only selling the box for said item and when it arrived at your door, you open the package with excitement and you get the box only, instead of latest videos game. This is how this scam plays with buyers.

Tip to avoid this scam

Never rush to buy an item. If you see any listing, make sure you properly read the listing bullet points and description. However, if seller intentionally hides the fact that it’s just a box, you can dispute the purchase.

Counterfeit goods

This is a very common scam that happens on every online shopping platform. As we all know that in online shopping there is no way to verify the authenticity of the goods before you buy them. Cybercriminals know this very well and they take advantage of this. Sometimes sellers offer high-quality, brand-name goods for sale at a very low price. And the buyers get excited to buy them as early as possible, but unfortunately, the items are affordable because they are counterfeit goods.

Tip to avoid this scam

When the delivery arrives at your house, make sure you check the item properly- the genuine brand logo and quality is the same as shown in the listing before the payment.  

Gift card scam

In this scam, scammers reach out to buyers via call, messages, email or social media, and they offer some sort of limited time discount in order to create a sense of urgency. The scammer will ask for the buyer’s gift card number to use as payment. Once they have the code, they disappear and make off with your gift card balance.

Tip to avoid this scam

Never share your gift card number with anyone, especially not with the seller who contacts you outside the platform. If you want to use your gift card, use it on your own.

eBay Scams to avoid as a Seller

Like buyers, seller also deals with the multiple problems on eBay. Here is the list of eBay scams on sellers.

Overpay Scam

In this eBay scam as a seller, a buyer contacts you and offers to pay a lot more money than you’re asking for your item, it means no bargaining. Can you believe auctioning even without bargaining, it’s quite weird? Once you agree on it, the buyer will send an empty cashier’s check or a bogus personal check, neither of which will clear but, by the time you realized it, you would have already sent the item and it’s too late now.

Tip to avoid this scam

Use common sense and smell the scam, no one offers to pay more than you’re asking for. Additionally, never send items until you have the money in hand or in the bank. It may take one or two weeks to clear the check or to show the check if “bounced.” To be safe, wait until you are certain that the check was valid.

Payment outside of eBay

eBay’s policy says that the platform will help you only if all communications and transactions went through its services, otherwise, eBay will take no action neither for the seller nor for buyer. For example, if your listing is an auction, you may get a buyer who wants to pay the amount as long as you close the listing and settle outside of eBay. And you are ready for this and seem that everything is fine, but soon they’ll complain to eBay that your item was the defective, or fake, or wrong product.

Here, eBay won’t help you because eBay don’t know about what happened between you and buyer outside. As we said, according to eBay policy, the company will help you only if all communications and transactions went through its service, otherwise, eBay will take no action neither for seller nor for buyer.

Tip to avoid this scam

Never agree to settle the deal outside of the eBay. So that, in case buyer makes any fraud, eBay can take action and you can secure yourself from fraud.

Empty box claim

This online scam is starts with usual and the order completed without flaw. But, sometimes seller sends the item without concern. The buyer receives the product but claims you sent an empty box- in fact, complaint about you on eBay. eBay will demand a return and the buyer sends the empty box back to you, keeping the item and the money as it’s refunded.

Tip to avoid this scam

Before making any purchase, you should check the buyer’s feedback history. To claim the refund from seller, eBay will ask you to appear the dispute. You will need the evidence to prove you got the empty box, instead of item. So make sure that if you’re caught in this scam, you photograph the entire process of packing and shipping every item you sell through eBay. Because if you will have the evidence, you can prove that you’re victim of this scam.

Final Touch

Hey guys! This was the guide about “8 common eBay scams.” I hope till now you’ve understood the some kind of eBay scam with seller and buyer both.  Actually, there are lot more, but we’ve included the common one. If you’ve already met with one of this scam, find how you can deal with this scam and share your auctioning experience with eBay and if you find this article helpful and informative, please let us know in the comment section.