How to not get scammed on EBay

So about a week ago I was on eBay just doing some window-shopping when I came across a particular item. This item was a complete DVD box set of all of Quentin Tarintino’s movies. I have seen this before on websites priced at around 150$ dollars. So I was pretty astonished when I saw it up for only 20$. I immediately bought it and waited for a confirmation Email. That email did not arrive. Just yesterday I was on my email when I noticed I got one from Ebay. I opened it up to see that customer service had told me that the account I bought the item from was a fake Chinese account that took my money then disbanded the account. At first I was amazed that I could have fallen to such a stupid scam and how ignorant I must have been. But after thinking for awhile, I decided to help you guys out and make a few tips for you to prevent falling into the same situation I was in.   

Tip 1. The very first step you should take is to check the persons username. I know this may sound a little weird, but sometimes you can tell if the account was made with a bot or a person if you just read their username. Then, check the approval rating of the person you are buying from. Most of the time if it’s below even 75%, the person is a scammer or fake and you should generally just walk away to prevent being scammed. Then after you’ve cleared that, make sure that you check out all of the other items the seller has been selling and check the feedback. If all seems positive, then continue down to step 2.

Tip 2. After you have checked their history and background, send them a message. Most people don’t know that you can communicate with people through eBay, and it saves a lot of hassle. Before you buy your item, make sure to establish even a brief contact with the other person to make sure that they are indeed human and not some robot in China.

Tip 3.  Even if you have received a message back from the person, check the items they have sold and search for things like that item. If you see other usernames that pop up selling the same or similar item with almost identical usernames, you know that they are all bots and you should stay away.

So the next time you are surfing EBay in looks of a great deal on some new shoes or a game, make sure you do your homework first unless you want to end up 20$ short with nothing to show.