Monday, February 23, 2009

Ebay Feedback Scam

EBay traders rely on their feedback reputation as much as they rely on their goods. Feedback amounts to the comments that both buyers and sellers leave on the transaction. The better your feedback reputation the more people will trust you as a buyer and seller.

Straightforward enough, you say. But some unscrupulous sellers manipulate their feedback to gain their buyer's trust. Once they have that trust, they start ripping off buyers.

How Do They Do It?

Feedback Fraud -

A seller sets up multiple EBay accounts. He then buys and sells items between his identities, making sure to leave positive feedback to make himself look trustworthy.

Purchasing Feedback -

EBay has cracked down on this. However, a simple search shows that it still goes on. A buyer purchases a low price item, say under £1, in return for positive feedback to build up their rating. These £1 friends help schew the true feedback status.

Stealing Feedback -

An unscrupulous dealer may hijack an account. After he does so, he can use its good reputation to scam unsuspecting buyers. This usually occurs after someone has been tricked into entering their password at a counterfeit EBay site. The link to the phony EBay site usually arrives in a phishing e-mail.

How To Avoid Being Scammed -

An important thing to in any EBay transaction is to check the other party's feedback. Try and avoid a seller who has a large negative, or even neutral, feedback rating. Be especially careful if your purchase is an expensive item.

Things to Look Out For -

* Check the IDs leaving feedback. If there are many from the same ID, alarm bells should ring that the seller might be purchasing feedback.

* What items are the feedback for? A hard sell of Very low-priced items and a sudden change to the seller promoting expensive laptops, you should be suspicious. Check by clicking on the item link - it will show you the auction and winning bid prices within the last couple of months. Pay attention to both.

* Is the feedback for buying or selling? If it's all been for buying items and suddenly the person is selling, be careful. Watch out for novice sellers and treat them as a seller with zero feedback.

* Look for the Buy Safe seal. It means that the seller has been vetted and approved by an independent company called Buy Safe. But some legitimate sellers even don't use this.

What To Do If You're Scammed -

You should report the incident to EBay, and also to Paypal, if need be. This offers you some recourse, and means you can file an insurance claim through them. Online auctions are like car boot sales. It's a case of caveat emptor, buyer beware.

EBay suspends accounts where feedback manipulation is obvious. They have stated, however, that it's a grey area. SquareTrade is a mediation service that tries to resolve buyer/seller problems. But if it's a scam that has caused the problem, they may not be able to assist.

EBay states that only 0.01% of the transactions on its site are scams. They do their best to police them. And certainly, the vast majority of people experience no problems.

Remember to do your homework before bidding on an item, especially an expensive one.

By: Emily Banks

Emily Banks/Freelance Writer. Why not visit Buzzed-Up.com?

Monday, February 16, 2009

How To Make Fast, Real Money Online

It is no secret that money can be made online. For some people it is not just about making money online; it is about making fast money online. This article will give those looking to achieve this goal the heads up on how to make this happen and how to make it happen fast and easily.

The really cool thing about wanting to make money fast online is the fact that it can be done, and not with too much effort.

First things first, when I talk about making fast money I am talking about earning some cash anywhere from one day to as long as one month, anything past that time is not considered fast in my timebook.

One of the most commonly used and easiest ways to put some cash in your pocket practically over night would be auction sites. If you are not familiar with what an auction site is, I am talking about sites such as ebay and amazon. Using these types of sites will give you the opportunity to earn over and over again. To get started, all you need to do is gather up some of your old things or things you just do not want or need anymore from the garage or attic, figure out how much you would like to sell it for and list it on an auction site such as ebay.

If you have never sold on an auction site before, there is nothing to be worried about. It is very easy to sign up or register and get started selling. Most sites will walk you through the process step by step. Make sure you take good, clear pictures and your item description is to the point. Remember, there might be someone else who is selling the same thing, so be sure to do a little research before you list each item to see what your competition is. Your research should only take you a few minutes, just type in the name of what you are trying to list in the search bar, and see what other listings come up.

When it comes to auction sites the two big dogs are eBay and amazon. These are the most commonly used and well known sites on the web, period; but you need to be aware that there are other auction sites out there that can give you the same results.

Here are a few of the other places that you can set up auctions and make some quick cash:

Ubid.com
BidorBuy.com
Ebid.net
TradingPost.com

All of these sites are legit and very active. Like I said before, ebay and amazon are the most common, therefore, you will be marketing to the most customers. Sometimes that does not neccessarily matter though. Take some time to look at all of them, and who the potential customers would be. What type of people are buying from that particular type of site. Maybe what you are auctioning would sell faster on one site rather then the other. So, if you are looking for a way to make money fast online look no further then an auction site.

By: earl stringer

Earl Stringer & Rachel Bishop, Internet Marketing Entrepreneurs & Success Team. Check Out The Top Five Money-Making Programs Online at PlatinumReviewers,You Can Also Signup to Get The Latest Program Reviews Sent Straight to Your Inbox For FREE. Just visit the website at www.platinumreviewers.com! Get Name Brand Products At Up To 80% Off Retail Cost, Visit The Website At: www.thewholesaleportal.com

Monday, February 09, 2009

Ebay Auction Tips: 9 Successful Ebay Auction Tips

Here are 9 EBay auction tips you need to do right to make your EBay business a success.

1. Do your research


Do a research on eBay to find other similar types of products that you want to sell. Before you list your items up for sale, check out what other sellers are offering for the same kind of product that you want to sell.

This can help you to determine how much you really would like to start your auction. It would also give you an outline of why products that are selling fast are different as compared to products that are not selling at all.

Remember also to pick a product that sells. Know what people would buy. This is the very first step and essential of all successful EBay auction tips.

2. Keep your starting price low

Keep your starting price to attract interests. This attracts bids often at a much quicker pace which then builds momentum which can lead to an EBay auction frenzy.

Depending on your product, a starting price of £0.99p has been proved to attract bidders very quickly. Even if your product is of high value, a low starting price can result in a flood of bids each pushing the bid price up.

And remember, an EBay auction of your product requires bids to be successful. If a potential bidder sees that the item already has bids they will probably be more likely to bid themselves.

3. Do not put up a reserve price

Putting up a reserve price deters potential bidders and buyers. Ask yourself this. Why would you bid for a product that has a reserve price stuck on it? You would be bidding in the dark not knowing if the auction would actually result in a sale or not.

4. Add photographs

A picture is worth thousand words. Every eBay buyer would be fascinated by pictures and depending on how you display the picture of your items... a decision for potential buyers to buy or not would be based on such portrayals.

Make sure that very good quality photographs of your products are listed alongside your auction items. When you photograph your products, make sure to use a white or gray uniform background, and if you have no appropriate lightning avoid flash.

5. Offer different payment methods

Another successful EBay auction tip is to always give buyers a vast choice of payment options. You may get a buyer, who really wants to settle for your listed items, but cannot because she does not have a credit card.

Always give your prospective bidders choices, so that if one payment option is not suitable, they may settle for the other or one that is much more convenient for them.

6. Your About Me Page

You should see this as an opportunity to sell yourself, gain credibility so any potential bidder will feel secure and can trust you.

Ask yourself, would you bid on an Ebay auction where the seller had no profile, no details, you knew nothing about them? You probably would not and move on to someone you can trust.

You need to include details about you and your business, how long you have been registered on Ebay, where you are located, specialisations etc.

7. Feedback

As Ebay is impersonal, any details that will give your potential bidder comfort should be made available. It is prudent if you leave feedback for the winning bidder as soon as the item has been paid for.

This shows that you are on the ball and wanting to hear the winning bidders comments whether they are positive or negative. Negative feedback need not be damaging.

Ensure that you act on it fast and even if there is negative comment on your feedback, potential EBay auction bidders will see that this is far outweighed by all the positive comments.

8. Shipping

Your shipping costs must not be another income stream for you. Overpricing is against EBay's policy and you will be found out. Ensure if you are charging shipping that the cost is clearly stated within the item listing.

Would you like to win a bid only then to find out that there is a large shipping charge which appears excessive? Avoid these two issues.

9. Be professional

Lastly, act like a professional. This will give you an edge over your competitors. Professionalism creates confidence and when a potential bidder looks at your eBay profile and sees that your auctioning terms and conditions are business like, they may be most likely be drawn to your products.

However, don't be complicated, but be simple and yet be professional.

To distinguish and separate yourself from the vast majority of EBay sellers and power yourself into EBay success, these EBay auction tips are essential for your EBay business.

And once you achieve a reputation as EBay auction elite seller, the potential to make very large sums of money selling on EBay will be freely available to you.

Apply these 9 successful EBay auction tips today and see your EBay business take off to a new level!

By: Daniel Dwase

Daniel Dwase is the author of "The New Easy Way To eBay Profits : How To Start A Profitable eBay Business In Minimum Time And Start Living The Life Of Your Dreams". Visit his website to learn more about starting your own eBay Business today! This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.

Monday, February 02, 2009

Best Things About The Online Auto Auctions

Buying a car is one of the biggest purchases that most people make, second only to a house, and everyone hopes to find a steal of a deal when it comes time to buy for the help .These days, thanks to the internet and online car auction websites, there are even more options for checking out a large selection of seized cars, repossessed cars and vehicles that are being sold through the various kinds of used car auctions, both online and off.

One of the best things about the online auto auctions is that, while browsing the internet for just the right vehicle to meet the needs of you and your family, you can also take advantage of that same technology to do the investigation that will help you to know whether or not you really are getting a great deal on the car. Having that kind of research in hand, which includes digging up the Kelly Blue Book price to give you a good knowledge of the fair market price of the vehicle, will help you know when to stop bidding so that you don t get carried away and end up paying too much because you got sucked into a bidding war.


One of the reasons why online car auction websites are becoming more and more popular all the time is that they eliminate the hassles of dealing with a car salesman. There is actually a lot of truth to the old jokes about the various sales tactics that car salesmen employ, and you can avoid all of that when you make your purchase through a car auto auction.

As you prepare to make your first vehicle purchase through an online used car auction, you should register with at least a few of the different online car auction websites and spend some time getting familiar with every aspect of the website and the online auto auction proceedings and policies for the help. Watch a few auctions on all of the sites that you are registered with to see how things progress and to get a feel for the culture of the different online auto auction sites. You will more than likely start to feel that one of the sites feels like the best place for you to try your hand at getting the winning bid on a car.

The websites that run the online auto auctions usually have a filtering function that will allow you to look for certain types of automobiles and to search in a certain region near your home. You might find that you have plenty of options within just a five mile radius of your home, or you may have to extend the search criteria for areas that are quite distant from your location. You will want to restrict the search area to a distance that you are comfortable driving to so that you can do an inspection and take the automobile for a test drive.

There are also vehicle history reports that are available online that can give you additional information on the vehicle you are interested in bidding on. Some online car auction sites provide those reports for an additional fee or have links to help you find such services. Do as much homework on the vehicle as you can upfront and keep in mind that with any type of used car auction all sales are final.

By: Bimla Sheokand


www.auction-words.com www.auction-o-matics.com