Computer Tips 

Using Ebay—5

The morning arrives when your package is delivered. Opening it, you find your item is in excellent condition, and better than what you thought. Very pleased, you are happy that your first transaction on Ebay has gone so well.

After receiving your item, there is one more thing to do to finalize your        transaction. This is to leave feedback.

All buyers and sellers on Ebay have a feedback rating. This is a record of all the transactions the buyer or seller has done. This record is rated by the other party in the transaction according to how well things went.

This feedback rating is displayed to anyone using Ebay, and should be used to determine the overall reliability of the buyer or seller. The seller’s reliability, as well as the number of transactions, is displayed as a percentage, with 100% meaning the seller has had all positive, pleasant transactions.

Now it is your turn to leave feedback for the seller. If you go to My Ebay, a record of the transaction with the seller will be showing. Next to it will be a link to leave feedback. Click this and follow the prompts to leave your comments on your          experience with the seller.

The majority of transactions on Ebay go through without any problems. However, sometimes things go wrong. This brings us to some things you should watch out for when considering buying something on Ebay.

The first thing to look for is what is the seller’s feedback rating. If it is 100%, and they have done quite a few transactions, then you are safe dealing with them. If however, their feedback rating is less than 100%, click on the number, and find out what went wrong for someone’s transaction. If you notice a consistent problem that occurs in transactions with the seller, then don’t consider buying anything from them.

Another thing to watch, is if the seller has a zero feedback rating. This means that the seller has not done any transactions at all on Ebay. While it is true that a new seller must start out on Ebay at some point, there are a number of scammers on Ebay who have zero feedback.

We need then another way to tell if a seller is genuine. This way is to research the product or item they are offering. Read thoroughly the description they offer. If they give a model number, use a good search engine such as Google to find more information about that model. If the item is new, check out other sources for a price they are selling the item for. If the item is used, check if it comes with the manual and original box. If it does, it is a good indication how the item has been treated.

Above all, don’t rush into any transaction. Find out Ebay’s rules for selling, and    compare with what the seller is offering. This way you at least go into the        transaction informed and better prepared. 

To be continued...

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