| Ebay has over 120 million registered users | | | | selling a car on Ebay. Some Nigerian won |
| and it can be a great place to make extra | | | | the auction and sent the seller a check for |
| money by selling what you now longer need or | | | | the amount of the auction plus a lot of money |
| even starting a business. My wife and I | | | | extra. The Nigerian said the rest was to |
| used to have 7 employees doing Ebay full | | | | pay for shipping and if the seller could |
| time and we were making a net of about $8,000 | | | | please wire the balance back by Western |
| per week. But what about the buyers? They | | | | Union. The check was counterfeit and by the |
| shop sites like Ebay hoping to find lower | | | | time the bank realized this it was too late. |
| prices on items that they are looking at | | | | The seller had already wired several |
| buying any way. A pair of pants that sells | | | | thousand to the buyer via Western Union. He |
| at American Eagle for $40 and here it is ion | | | | had deposited the check in his account and |
| Ebay for only $30. Is this a deal or what? | | | | the bank gave him the funds right away. Now |
| But wait, after you pay the $12 shipping | | | | this man is in jail, owes the bank the |
| you are actually spending more. | | | | money for the check, and his car was seized |
| | | | by the FBI because it was used in the act |
| Sites like Ebay are like a drug. People keep | | | | of a crime. This was this mans first time in |
| bidding on items going higher and higher in | | | | jail and I think he ended up spending a |
| price because they will do anything to win. | | | | month there. |
| People get in a frenzy and by the time they | | | | |
| have won the item they have paid a lot more | | | | Ebay would offer no help because they claim |
| then they could have gotten that same item | | | | it is a liability issue. There are so many |
| for at a local store. Once in awhile this | | | | buyers and sellers out there and they all are |
| would not be that bad but what about the | | | | potential victims. You would think that |
| people that keep on repeating this? The | | | | sites like Ebay, amazon,Yahoo, and the |
| cannot provide the basic necessities for | | | | others would issue a warning to their buyers |
| their kids because most of their money is | | | | and sellers but they don't. My wife and I |
| being spent on these online auction sites | | | | once got paid for some computers with |
| like Ebay. Yahoo has auction, amazon | | | | stolen checks. We did everything that a |
| auctions, Ubid the list just goes on and on. | | | | responsible merchant would do like calling |
| | | | the bank they were drawn from and doing |
| People need to truly look only for deals. | | | | everything that we knew to do. I had to spend |
| Maybe by looking for items with free | | | | almost a month in jail for this and jail is |
| shipping. I sold video games that by the time | | | | no place I wish to have to go back to. We |
| somebody one the item and you add shipping | | | | lost 3 years of our lives because of this |
| they were still paying less than they would | | | | plus we lost out business. This is |
| have paid at the local game store. Bargains | | | | happening to millions of people worldwide. |
| can be found you just have to look for | | | | |
| them. Also look at the sellers user rating | | | | It should be a law that if you have a site |
| and read what past customers have to say | | | | like Ebay that you need to protect your |
| about them. | | | | buyers and sellers but unfortunately it is |
| | | | not. There are no second chances with an |
| Another area which can be very disastrous is | | | | online auction site like Ebay. With sites |
| all the scams that are on these online | | | | like Ebay you need to be careful if you are |
| auction sites. I know one gentleman who was | | | | just a buyer. |