Knowing if the seller it legitimate

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Goldiebrown88
Goldiebrown88 Posts: 3 Newbie
in Ebay, auctions, car boot sales, post & parcels
Hi are there any tips to be aware of for any fraudulent sellers in eBay?

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  • soolin
    soolin Posts: 72,298 Ambassador
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    Goldiebrown88 wrote: »
    Hi are there any tips to be aware of for any fraudulent sellers in eBay?

    Feedback can help but a good fraudster will often hack an established seller. My personal tip is to use your common sense, does it look right, does the seller have a history of selling the item you are looking at? Then remember, pay safely via paypal. Any mention by a seller that they need a bank transfer due to temporary issues with paypal should have you running for the door.
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  • Spoonie_Turtle
    Spoonie_Turtle Posts: 8,492 Forumite
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    If they have an item for a Buy it Now price that seems too good to be true, it may well be - check their other items for sale, their recent feedback, and if you go ahead, be prepared for the possibility that you may not get the item. However if that happens, eBay protection is very good so you won't end up out of pocket; the worst that would happen is you have a bit of hassle in one of various scenarios before eBay step in and refund you.

    I was fooled twice, once by an established seller who had no recent feedback (now I think of it, it's entirely possible the account had been hacked as soolin says), and once by a new seller who listed several DVD and Blu-Ray boxsets for unbelievable BIN prices - from the feedback that emerged over the couple of weeks afterwards, nobody received their purchases, we all ended up having to be refunded by eBay and that seller was swiftly removed.
  • Goldiebrown88
    Goldiebrown88 Posts: 3 Newbie
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    Thankyou both for the quick reply. The seller is saying that the item is straight from the supplier so she/he can sell it at a good price to the public. The supplier is selling the item at around £80 and the eBay seller at around £30. The strange thing is that in the description it says “new but opened and checked that it is fully functional”. I suspect that the eBay seller is selling refurbished products, there are also several similar items for sale too.
    As this will be a Christmas present I had better play it safe. ☺️
  • forgotmyname
    forgotmyname Posts: 32,572 Forumite
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    Depends on the item. I purchased an OBD reader for £40 direct from China where thet sell for over £100 from the UK companies website.

    These are exactly the same unit, i guess the factory made more than asked and selling them direct. Not a clone either they are the exact same item just missing a serial number. The company now check serial numbers for software updates. So no more updates for the cheap items unless you know someone with a genuine unit.
    Censorship Reigns Supreme in Troll City...

  • kangoora
    kangoora Posts: 1,193 Forumite
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    Goldiebrown88 wrote: »
    Thankyou both for the quick reply. The seller is saying that the item is straight from the supplier so she/he can sell it at a good price to the public. The supplier is selling the item at around £80 and the eBay seller at around £30. The strange thing is that in the description it says “new but opened and checked that it is fully functional”. I suspect that the eBay seller is selling refurbished products, there are also several similar items for sale too.
    As this will be a Christmas present I had better play it safe. ☺️

    If they are only selling a one-off of the items then that sounds to me like a second hand item, possibly picked up at a car boot, auction or charity shop. I suspect they have bought it from one of those and, as it looks in brand new condition, they are trying to pass it off as 'new' in their description.

    If they have multiple of the same item for sale then I'd be wary because who gets new 'stuff' from a supplier and then goes and opens the boxes and checks they work - nobody is the answer.

    You could get a bargain in the first instance.....or maybe not...... :)
  • LadyDee
    LadyDee Posts: 4,293 Forumite
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    I've also seen pallets of goods for sale - probably Argos returns? Might just be change of mind or some/all returned as faulty, but the seller of the pallets usually say there's no guarantees. If a seller buys a pallet they will then list the items individually, so you might be lucky or there again .........
  • Goldiebrown88
    Goldiebrown88 Posts: 3 Newbie
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    It’s a total gamble isn’t it! The item is a gaming headset for my sons Christmas present. He’s at the age now where we need to be careful as he will most definitely have friends that don’t believe anymore. Thankyou all for replying, I’ve always used this website but never knew the forum existed so I’m glad I’ve found it!
  • forgotmyname
    forgotmyname Posts: 32,572 Forumite
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    Lots of logo's appear similar so treble check the sellers location and items for sale.

    Gaming headsets can change like fashion where last years model is not the thing to be seen wearing.
    Censorship Reigns Supreme in Troll City...

  • shaun_from_Africa
    shaun_from_Africa Posts: 12,858 Forumite
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    Goldiebrown88 wrote: »
    The strange thing is that in the description it says “new but opened and checked that it is fully functional”.

    That would immediately put me off.
    A new and sealed item will generally sell for more than an opened one and if the item in question came directly from a reputable supplier, why would someone feel the need to open and test items they sell?
  • Colie72
    Colie72 Posts: 2 Newbie
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    Why bother worrying yourself.....you are covered by eBay and PayPal in the event of the item being faulty, second hand, not sent at all etc.
    If you see a bargain, it may be just that. A bargain
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