{"id":6499,"date":"2021-08-27T15:09:51","date_gmt":"2021-08-27T20:09:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swappa.com\/blog\/?p=6499"},"modified":"2021-08-27T17:13:35","modified_gmt":"2021-08-27T22:13:35","slug":"ebay-scam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swappa.com\/blog\/ebay-scam\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 5 eBay scams (and how to avoid them)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Some people say that scams are the cost of doing business online if you are buying or selling on sites like eBay, Craigslist, or Facebook Marketplace. That\u2019s a sad reality that only makes it difficult for people to trust others. It is also something that Swappa, <a href=\"https:\/\/swappa.com\/blog\/swappa-is-the-safest-marketplace-for-used-tech-this-is-why\/\">the safest marketplace for used tech<\/a>, works very hard to prevent.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re thinking about buying or selling used tech on eBay, it\u2019s important to know how to protect yourself from fraudsters and scammers. What follows is a list of the most common eBay scams, along with some of the anti-fraud measures Swappa takes to prevent these scams from happening.<\/p>\n<p><em>Table of contents:<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#topfive\">Top 5 eBay scams and how Swappa prevents them<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#howto\">How to report an eBay scam<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#swappais\">Swappa is the safest marketplace for used tech<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr>\n<h2><a id=\"topfive\"><\/a>5 most common eBay scams and how Swappa prevents them<\/h2>\n<h3>1. Seller creates a listing on eBay using stolen pictures<\/h3>\n<p><strong>The scam:<\/strong> In this scam, the seller creates a fake listing using photos they\u2019ve either grabbed from another listing or found somewhere else on the web. The scammer uses these photos as bait, after which they can use any number of tactics to steal your money.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Swappa\u2019s solution:<\/strong> Swappa\u2019s photo verification system stops fraudulent listings before they go live in our marketplace. This ensures listing photos actually belong to the seller and aren\u2019t simply pulled from another marketplace. It\u2019s a simple anti-fraud measure, but it is one that gives our users the freedom to shop worry-free.<\/p>\n<h3>2. Seller has the item listed at a deep discount<\/h3>\n<p><strong>The scam:<\/strong> Everyone loves finding a great deal on used tech, but don\u2019t let that blind your better judgment. For scammers looking to make a quick buck, using an absurdly discounted item is their best method to entice hungry buyers. In cases like this, the buyer may want to send a quick payment, so they don\u2019t miss out.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Swappa\u2019s solution:<\/strong> If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is &#8212; but how can you tell? This may be a little difficult to figure out on eBay, but Swappa provides up-to-date pricing information for every device available in our marketplace. Swappa also makes it easy to filter search results and narrow things down to the same device condition (and other criteria), allowing you to quickly scan other listings to see if the price seems too low.<\/p>\n<h3>3. Seller wants to shift your communications away from eBay<\/h3>\n<p><strong>The scam:<\/strong> Another huge red flag is sellers who want to move communications off eBay and onto private emails or text messages. The reasoning here is that bad sellers are attempting to cover their tracks. Once a conversation has been taken offsite, the seller will often ask for partial or full payment using an alternate payment method. Without being able to confirm you actually paid for the item, you will not be able to file a dispute and eBay will take the side of the seller, leaving you \u2014 the buyer \u2014 high and dry.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Swappa\u2019s solution:<\/strong> Swappa simply doesn\u2019t allow communication to be taken off-site. Buyers send their payment as soon as they click the Buy Now button on a listing, and our policies make it clear that off-site communication isn\u2019t allowed. Keeping your communication on Swappa means you can easily look back and review the conversation &#8212; and it also means that Swappa staff stays involved and is able to assist and provide accurate guidance if an issue arises.<\/p>\n<h3>4. Seller tries tricking you into buying a picture or empty box<\/h3>\n<p><strong>The scam:<\/strong> When you browse listings on eBay, you probably have a specific product in mind. In some cases, scammers have sold only the box (packaging) belonging to an item \u2014 or even just a photo of it \u2014 for a price. This tricks unknowing buyers into thinking they\u2019re getting a crazy good deal, only to find out they just purchased an empty box or a printout. If this was made known in the description, eBay may end up siding with the seller and the money you lost will be on you.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Swappa\u2019s solution:<\/strong> If you\u2019re looking at low-priced tech on eBay, make sure you read the listing\u2019s description to make sure you know exactly what you\u2019re paying for. On Swappa, we only allow sellers to create listings for fully functional devices \u2014 no exceptions, and we also review listings before they are approved for sale. This helps thwart would-be scammers. And when in doubt, a Swappa staff member is always happy to help.<\/p>\n<h3>5. Seller ships a phone that is still being financed<\/h3>\n<p><strong>The scam:<\/strong> This is a tough one since oftentimes the buyer doesn\u2019t discover there\u2019s something wrong until it\u2019s too late. Even if you receive a phone that works when you get it, that doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re fully in the clear. It\u2019s possible the phone is still being financed, which means the moment the original owner stops making payments, the carrier will blocklist the device. This can happen a few days \u2014 or even weeks \u2014 after you\u2019ve been happily enjoying the phone without issue.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Swappa\u2019s solution:<\/strong> Selling a financed device is strictly prohibited by Swappa\u2019s marketplace policies. But don\u2019t just take a seller\u2019s word on it &#8212; Swappa\u2019s listing review process includes a variety of serial number and <a href=\"https:\/\/swappa.com\/imei\">IMEI\/ESN checks<\/a> to make sure it isn\u2019t on a blocklist and that it doesn\u2019t have an outstanding balance.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><a id=\"howto\"><\/a>How to report an eBay scam<\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019ve already run into an eBay scam, such as never receiving the item you ordered, you should report it as soon as possible. The first step is to open a case and attempt to work things out with the seller. Once a case has been opened, the seller has 3 business days to provide a delivery update, offer you a replacement, or issue you a refund.<\/p>\n<p>If a resolution cannot be reached within 3 business days (or the seller simply ignores you), you can escalate things to eBay Customer Service by visiting their Resolution Center. A step-by-step guide can be found on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebay.com\/help\/home\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">eBay\u2019s Customer Service<\/a> help page.<\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"swappais\"><\/a>Swappa is the safest marketplace for used tech<\/h2>\n<p>Online marketplaces such as eBay allow you to find all kinds of different things, and they can be great places for collectibles and other hard-to-find items. But if you are looking to get a great deal on electronics, head to Swappa, a marketplace built from the ground up for gently used tech.<\/p>\n<p>In general, scammers tend to focus their attention on marketplaces that don\u2019t fight as hard to keep them away. Swappa hates scammers as much as you do, and our goal is to keep all users safe, which means we always remain vigilant in the fight. Swappa\u2019s goal is to keep scammers out and to prevent fraud before it even happens. Here are a few things Swappa does to make this happen:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Swappa provides 24\/7\/365 customer support:<\/strong> Our customer support team is always available and aims to reply in minutes (instead of hours, days, or weeks like you often find with other marketplaces). If you have a question or concern, you can quickly reach out using our <a href=\"https:\/\/swappa.com\/help\">help desk<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/swappa.com\/blog\/swappa-no-junk-no-jerks\/\">Swappa doesn\u2019t allow junk or jerks<\/a>:<\/strong> This may sound like a playful policy, but it is one we take seriously at Swappa. We don\u2019t allow junk to be sold in our marketplace, and we\u2019ll quickly show you the door if you insist on being a jerk.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Swappa reviews listings to prevent problems:<\/strong> Similar to our always available help desk, Swappa\u2019s moderation team works around the clock reviewing listings to make sure our device criteria requirements are being followed.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Swappa never stops fighting fraud:<\/strong> Swappa works to fight fraud during all parts of the listing and sale. Swappa\u2019s review process begins before a listing is approved for sale, and continues through after an item has been purchased.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Swappa has policies to protect buyers and sellers:<\/strong> At Swappa, we want all users to be safe, and it doesn\u2019t matter if you\u2019re a buyer or seller &#8212; our policies have been created to protect all users.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div style=\"text-align:center\" class=\"wp-block-wp-bootstrap-buttons\"><a class=\"btn btn-primary btn-lg\" href=\"https:\/\/swappa.com\/\">SHOP (OR SELL) SAFELY ON SWAPPA<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Here at Swappa, we\u2019re committed to providing a safe marketplace for used tech. And, we\u2019re very comfortable saying that Swappa is \u201cthe safest marketplace to buy and sell used tech.\u201d But don\u2019t just take our word for it, check out reviews left by other Swappa users. Swappa has a <strong><em>Trustpilot rating of Excellent<\/em><\/strong>, and you can see why in the reviews below.<\/p>\n<p><!-- TrustBox widget - List --><\/p>\n<div class=\"trustpilot-widget\" data-locale=\"en-US\" data-template-id=\"539ad60defb9600b94d7df2c\" data-businessunit-id=\"5a70963080a9d9000122f85c\" data-style-height=\"300px\" data-style-width=\"100%\" data-theme=\"light\" data-stars=\"1,2,3,4,5\" data-review-languages=\"en\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.trustpilot.com\/review\/swappa.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Trustpilot<\/a><\/div>\n<p><!-- End TrustBox widget --><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Some people say that scams are the cost of doing business online if you are buying or selling on sites like eBay, Craigslist, or Facebook Marketplace. That\u2019s a sad reality that only makes it difficult for people to trust others. It is also something that Swappa, the safest marketplace for used tech, works very hard [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":5830,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-parts\/wpb-single-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[256],"tags":[474,433,985,248],"products":[],"class_list":["post-6499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-safety","tag-ebay","tag-safety","tag-scams","tag-swappa-vs-ebay"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swappa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swappa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swappa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swappa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swappa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6499"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/swappa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6499\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23322,"href":"https:\/\/swappa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6499\/revisions\/23322"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swappa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5830"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swappa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swappa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swappa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6499"},{"taxonomy":"products","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swappa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/products?post=6499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}