Buyer Education - Trading Safely on eBay

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Trading Safely

eBay is one of the safest places to trade online. To help ensure you have a great experience, follow the 5 simple steps below.

1) Visit eBay's Security Centre

The eBay Security Centre was developed to provide you with all the help you need to trade safely on eBay. Take some time to familiarise yourself with the available advice and resources and most importantly, use your common sense.

2) Get To Know Your Trading Partner

A member's feedback rating is their reputation on eBay. Each time you buy and sell successfully your trading partner will leave you positive, neutral or negative feedback with a comment on how you conducted yourself during the transaction.

Whether you're placing a bid or you've successfully sold an item, reviewing your trading partner's feedback about previous conduct on eBay can give you a good idea of what to expect in the transaction.

If the seller has an About Me page or an eBay Store, you have even more ways to learn about your seller before you buy.

Simply click on the or icon in the Seller information box.

3) Ask Questions

One of the most important aspects of purchasing an item on eBay is being sure about the item you want. Knowing the condition of a used item, the authenticity of a collectable or an item's model number are important factors that can have a huge impact on price. You can always check a Completed Items search to review other similar items that have been sold and at what price.

If you're unsure about the item you are about to bid on or buy, ask the seller a question. A good seller will always welcome enquiries. You can also email previous buyers about their experience with that seller.

To ask a question simply click on the 'Ask seller a question' link in the seller information box on all item pages. The seller will then be sent an email with your question and will respond directly.

4) Pay Safely

Use a safe method of payment. Sellers on eBay offer a variety of ways to pay, choose the one you feel most comfortable with.

PayPal offers anyone with an email address a secure way to pay. When you use PayPal, your financial details are never shared with anyone else. PayPal is free for buyers.

Wire transfer: Also known as bank transfer, buyers can deposit payment directly into the seller's bank account either online or at most banks.

eBay does not recommend sending cash or money via Western Union or Money Gram.

Learn more about paying safely

5) Buyer Protection Programme

In the unlikely event that a transaction does not proceed as planned, PayPal covers your eligible eBay item for its full purchase price plus its original shipping costs*. Find out more about how to ensure your purchases are covered under PayPal's Buyer Protection Programme .

* In the case of a significantly-not-as-described claim, it's the buyer's responsibility to pay for return shipping costs, if necessary.

Although rare, if misuse is suspected, eBay users are encouraged to report it to our dedicated Trust and Safety Team.