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In the summer of 2007, I spent two weeks on the couch recovering from ankle surgery. When I wasn’t wallowing in depression, I passed the time scouring the internet for outfits that would take the attention away from the massive boot around my ankle. I found a pale purple dress on eBay that fit the bill. I won it for ninety-nine cents, but my total came to around fifteen dollars because it was shipping from Thailand. The price probably should have given me a hint as to the quality of the dress, but I was too drunk off my victory to notice. When it finally arrived, I ripped open the package and pulled the dress over my head. And that’s where it stayed. Around my head. I couldn’t pull the shrunken garment farther than my shoulders. The dress was a foot wide and two feet long. They sold me a dress that would fit an American Girl Doll.
Whether it’s that guy you see begging for money every morning then yapping on his Blackberry every afternoon or the cabbie who overcharged you for your trip downtown, some people are just dishonest. And unfortunately, eBay’s domain is no exception to this rule. There are quite a few ways these rogues can get the best of you, so it’s best to wise up and be wary of those deals that seem too good to be true, even for eBay.
Passing a designer knockoff as the real thing is one of the most obvious ways a seller can get the best of you. I think the first thing I ever bought off of eBay was what I thought was a pair of Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses. When the ear piece snapped off the first time I slid them over my head, I suspected that I may have been duped–my head isn’t THAT big. Under eBay’s Authenticity Disclaimer Policy, seller’s can’t claim that an item is an authentic piece when it isn’t, but there are ways to bend the rules. Some eBay sellers use caps-lock mania to distract from the fine print. Others write the description in such broken English that it reads like a list of keywords at the bottom of a Craigslist post. Be sure to read every part of the listing; try to parse the actual description from the superlatives and exclamation points.
Some descriptions are deviously crafty, so this can be a challenge. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen the title, “BRAND NEW PUMPS YVES SAINT LAURENT gift.” This means that the shoes are not YSL, but that the seller will throw in a YSL dust bag or lotion sample, making for an incredibly misleading but technically correct advertisement. In this same vein, oftentimes ads for cellphone cases will pose as if they are selling the actual phone, not just a case. Anna has been nearly fooled by a lot of old Barbie outfits posing as vintage clothing. When photographed off the doll and with no visual clues to size, the clothes are shockingly normal-looking. Though it might seem kind of cute to open up a package and find a tiny pair of pants, as I learned with my Thai dress, the novelty quickly fades. Shill bidding is another tactic eBay sellers might use. By using another eBay account, they drive up the price of the item by bidding against you. You can report this seller to eBay if you ever think it’s happening.
A final major scam is when sellers suggest buyers conduct the transaction outside of eBay. Some sellers will contact the second highest bidder and claim they’ve got another of the same item; all that’s required to receive it is an exchange of money over Paypal. Anna is currently waiting on a round floral train case to arrive which was purchased outside of eBay. The seller had an auction up for two round suitcases, and she contacted him about why he had posted just one. He pursued her to send the money, promising he’d send the case in exchange and she’s been waiting a week now. (In my defense, he had some very positive eBay ratings. -Anna) If you decide to engage in an under the table deal, beware: eBay does not offer any assistance or support for transactions outside of the site.
I know what you’re thinking. It seems like eBay is pretty shifty. But most eBay sellers pride themselves on their high ratings, and are therefore are eager to please–which means not practicing dishonest behavior. In our collective ten years of buying on eBay, Anna and I have encountered very few sellers who are out to trick you and steal your money. Once you know what to watch for, it’s easy to avoid the con men of eBay and focus on finding the pieces that you won’t see anywhere else. These gems make the eBay experience worth it.