eBay Scammers Won't Stand A Chance If You Do These 5 Things!

I get the comment fairly often that this video doesn't address the scams that BUYERS face on eBay. And, they are correct, it doesn't. But I also made a video about that as its own topic. It just didn't get pushed out like this one did. I think it's still a really good video for resellers because there are things we can do to help protect buyers. https://youtu.be/YiMIA9U31H8

I have had a couple of buyers send me email an address wanting me to communicate that way. When I respond back " I'm sorry ALL communication MUST be through Ebay." It pretty well shuts them down.

Scam #5 is not necessarily correct. I sold an item which performed and looked like new. The buyer gave me negative feedback, then demanded some money. I contacted the buyer and assured him the item was EXACTLY as described, and I showed photos of the item (used in the description). He said that a major part had been broken before I sent it. This was NOT the case, so I asked him to send photos of 'the broken part' and I would repair/replace/refund as necessary. He did not do this, so I asked ebay to intervene. They said they would/could not retract the negative feedback, or investigate. I can only conclude that they always side with the buyer, and as such, I have never sold on ebay since. Honest people get scammed and taken for granted, but in this case ebay has lost revenue and respect from me.

I think new sellers should basically stick to selling cheaper items between $5 - 10 . Scammers are unlikely to bother with items like that.

I've had someone tell me that they received an empty box one time. I stopped selling on ebay. If I sell again, I'm going to take a picture or video of packing their item. Thanks for the tips!

Worst is when your 7 day auction ends and a person with just 1 feedback wins. You know they are not going to pay.

Good stuff Scot. I boil it down to this: Say no to anything complicated. If it requires more steps than my usual routine, I say no. Stops 99% of the problems that come my way, whether scams or just plain ol’ problem-customers. The last 1% is probably mistakes I made that I gotta fix. Easy: fix ‘em in the least complicated way possible.

Great advice Scott. I agree. Scammers are almost always bullies, so it's important to be polite and professional, but not a doormat. It's important to speak up and follow ebay rules.

In my short experience as eBay seller, seems the biggest scam is the eBay official policies on returns! Buyer can use the item for 2-3 weeks, drop it, break it, whatever. Then just claim "Item not as described". Ebay decides in favor of buyer majority of time.

I love that you made this video! So many times we think we are savvy, but we are all susceptible to this! Great advice, thanks Scot.

Great info! I've been buying and selling on eBay for more than 20 years. I've had more scammers in the past 2 years than previously. Still not many, but I sure hate dealing with them. As sellers we must know how to protect ourselves.

The one that got me when I started out was when the buyer sent a photo of a damaged book and I sent a refund. Afterwards, I realized that photo had been photo Shopped. Lesson learned. I always demand a return since then and this has saved me numerous times.

I am a new seller, the first 4 items I listed, I only got scammers!! So frustrating, they may make an offer, I accept, then they message me saying they have a few questions before making the payment. They leave a phone number and ask me to call or text them. I messaged them & inform them that I only communicate via eBay. Meanwhile my item is tied up in "Sold" mode for 3-4 days and they never pay. 😖

As a new reseller few yrs back, I announced that I was new , trying to figure things out. Made mistakes but buyers were more than understanding except one who took advantage...bought item , I had zero cost into it....claimed it was not what he bought. "Liar" but I refunded his purchase amount and told him to keep it. Then asked me to refund the shipping. My response was you got it for free.....you want shipping back? Send it back. Lesson..don't announce yourself as new.

Super helpful topic for new sellers. I'm not new but when I was, getting scammed was a real concern. Thanks for putting this out there.

Sooo much value here. Thank you very much. I was reselling a few years ago and had one scammer. I was surprised how helpful Ebay was. I didn't expect them to handle it so well.

Wow! Excellent detailed advice on how to deal with these 5 scam scenarios. I didn't realize that the seller had so many safeguards built in with a sale. It sounds more like a "Buyer Beware" video! Scott, you keep hitting it out of the park, with such excellent advice, content, & your presentation is very easy to understand, you make everything sound so easy! Thank you for your willingness to share your knowledge with us newbies!

Great info KaChing King. Even as an experienced ebay, I picked up something from this video. I have a two or three sales in the past where buyers had contacted me after the sale and asked me to edit the shipping address. I did it without even thinking about it. Fortunately, none of them were scammers, just good people who had recently moved and forgotten to update their ebay profile. But now I will know a better way to handle it next time. Also, on higher dollar items, I will usually require a signature upon delivery and spell that out right in the listing. Thanks again and may 2023 be your most prosperous year yet.

There are so many great reselling YT channels- I'm really appreciating your teaching method/insight/advice!! I've subscribed and look forward to catching up on all your videos that you've produced! Thank you!

Thanks for the heads-up on these scams!