|
Menu
Ways To Make Money Online
My Other Sites...
|
How to Avoid eBay Scams and Fraud Countless people have been scammed and defrauded on eBay. eBay is a fun place to bid on items and to sell items – but you must know how to recognize a scam, and how to avoid them, them or you quickly join the ranks of those who have lost their money to eBay scams. Of course, if you are scammed, there are some actions you can take the correct the situation – but in many cases, the scammer does indeed get away! The best option is to avoid being scammed. You can easily avoid many scams with the payment method that you use – whether you are a buyer or a seller. eBay owns Paypal, and in most cases, Paypal is the payment method you should use. First, as a buyer, if you are scammed or less than satisfied with the item when it arrives, you can dispute the charge easily, and demand a refund. The seller must reply and show proof that the item was shipped, and that it arrived in the condition that you expected, or Paypal will return your funds to your account. As a seller, you can protect yourself by only accepting Paypal. This will eliminate the chances of receiving a bad check or having the buyer dispute a credit card charge. Instead, they must dispute the charge through paypal, and you of course will be able to prove that you shipped the product. You cannot, however, prove that the product arrived in the condition that was expected. In this case, you should demand that the product be returned to you before the refund is issued. Another common scam that buyers use is the bidding scam. This type of scam is run either with two separate eBay accounts – with one person in control of both of them, or with two friends with separate eBay accounts. A very small bid is placed on your item, using one account. This is followed by a very high bid, from the other eBay account. Right before the bidding ends, the high bid is cancelled or withdrawn, leaving the low bid as the winning bid. This bid can only be avoided by setting a reserve price – the lowest bid that can be placed is the same as the reserve price that you set. If you are an eBay seller, you can further protect your auctions by placing a notice on your auctions page, declaring that you have the right to back out of the sale if you suspect potential fraud. As both a buyer and a seller, also beware of spoofed emails. These emails appear to be from eBay. The email may claim that you need to verify your information, and ask you to login to your eBay account, using the link provided. If you follow that link, the site looks exactly like eBay, but it is actually a scam to get your eBay login details, as well as your credit card details! eBay will never ask you to do this. If you suspect a spoofed email, report it to eBay immediately! Don’t let scammers ruin your eBay fun! Just use good common sense, and a reasonable amount of caution, and everything should run smoothly. Report suspicious activity to eBay, and if a deal doesn’t feel right, simply back away from it and move on to the next auction. (word count 555)
Use a "P.S." at the end of your ad copy. This is where you either want to repeat a strong benefit or use a strong close, like a free bonus. For example, "P.S. You can get (product), worth over ($), for the low price of ($)!" Another example, "P.S. I can not guarantee the (No.) bonuses will be here tomorrow!" You could end your ad copy with a discounted price. Just list your regular price and then offer a discounted price off the order ?right now?. You could also offer a rebate that takes effect instantly. For example, you could say, "Instead of paying $99, you could order now and get an instant rebate of $20 - you only pay $79!" You could end your ad copy with a free sample or trial of your product. If your ad didn't attract them to buy, maybe a free sample or trial would. If you were selling an e-book, you could give them a free sample at the end of your ad copy. For example, you could say, "If you're still not sure about ordering, download a FREE sample chapter!" Sell a few back-end products that are not related to your main product but are needed by all humans. Every customer that buys from you is human. Think about it - everyone eats, right? For example, you could say, "Free Bonus 1# A Free $30 Dollar Coupon To The Restaurant Of Your Choice!" Take on as many of your business' chores as you can handle; outsource what you can't. Only you can determine how your business operates. You don't want too many people making all your decisions, but you don't want to take on so much responsibility that you become a workaholic. Try out new business opportunities. You could combine them with your current business. It could add an extra profit stream to your web site. You could join affiliate programs, MLMs, drop ship selling programs, etc. Another idea would be to joint venture with other businesses. Create an alliance with 3 or 4 web sites. Include each of your ads or banners on the other web sites. You will all share targeted traffic with each other. For example, you would instantly have 3 web sites selling for you without paying them an affiliate income. You would just be giving them ad space on your web site. Create a free e-zine directory. You'll attract a lot of traffic from e-zine publishers and people who want to subscribe to the e-zines. Your listings could include name, subscription instructions, publisher?s name, etc. Of course you could put your own e-zine listing at the top of your directory to get extra exposure. When you offer a freebie from your site, submit it to freebie sites. They provide target categories which mean targeted traffic. So if you're submitting software, you could submit it to the "free software" section. Just remember, some freebie sites want you to link to their web site before they will list your freebie submission.
eBay Business Solutions If starting an eBay business is your goal, as opposed to just auctioning a few items off for some extra cash, you need to use the eBay business solutions that are available to you. Because eBay’s success depends on the success of its sellers, they strive to help you at every turn. eBay Business Solutions is the key to starting an eBay business. eBay Stores is one of the better solutions for eBay business owners. An eBay store will allow you to list multiple quantities of the same item, and allow you to keep them listed for longer time periods. eBay Store owners also enjoy lower auction fees, and have access to advanced merchandising tools. Eventually, you should consider upgrading to an eBay Pro Store, which will allow you to customize your storefront with your own brand and web address. There are many other eBay Business Solutions, such as seller tools, the eBay solutions directory, and the merchant solution center, but you should definitely start with your very own eBay store, followed by an eBay Pro Store. (word count 177)
|