Sellers faking their feedback

[admin]

So, you're super interested in snapping up this rare collectible Steiff teddy bear you've just spotted. You see that the buy it now option is there still, the price is great, and the pictures show it's in awesome condition. You take a quick glance and see that the seller has a 98% satisfaction rating out of 57 transactions. Not bad, let's snap this puppy (teddy, actually) up before someone else does! Wait !!!

A simple way that scammers are tricking buyers into trusting them is to create an account and buy up a ton of cheap items, pay instantly, and leave great feedback for the sellers; who in turn will quickly leave great feedback for the scammers, and before you know it the seller of your $652.00 stuffed bear (you know it's easily worth $1,200.00) looks like he has a steller reputation at a glance all for the price of about $57.00 (for those 57 $1.00 items he or she bought). Chances are they can easily scam 5 people in the course of a few days and make 100 times their $57.00 investment.

So, always remember to check out their feedback in depth. Not only should you just say "hmm, I guess this guy is just a safe buyer, not necessarily a safe seller", you should really be thinking that this person is LIKELY to be up to no good. Look out for lots of buys for super cheap items. In our opinion that's almost always a sign to walk away!

[AlanInAustin]

Hi All,
Another thing to look at when looking at the Feedback is the dates of the feedback, if the seller has all his feedback in the last 15 to 20 days then you should be cautious about dealing with this person, but if they have been on the site for a year or two, and their feedback is spread over that year or two, then they are probably a safe person to do business with.
Also, if they have feedback at other sites, check it out, don't just take their word for it, check the feedback at the other site.
Also, use paypal to pay for the item, and if you have a problem, let paypal know, and paypal will get your money back for you. I have been buying and selling here and at other sites for over 3 years, and used paypal for over 2 years, and I have had 2 problems where I did not get stuff I had paid for, and paypal, after investigating, got my money back for me both times, so they are very reliable.
Use some common sense when you buy on the web, and you wil be okay in most cases. It can be a lot of fun. But check out the forums, and keep up on who the scammers are.
And if you have a problem with anyone, use the forums to let us all know. And contact the admin, and let them know. Sometimes they can contact the other person and get things worked out.
Lets have fun, and make some sales out here, but be careful too.
(Big Smile)
Have A Great Day
AlanInAustin (Alan)