I am thinking about getting into ebay/paypal,is it safe and any tips?

Question

cheers for all the answers

Answer 1

YOu will have a blast on ebay but set limits as it can be VERY addictive.
If you are planning on selling on ebay, make sure you have FIRM limits about what you are going to do.
For example, I never ever take personal checks.
NEVER
for reasons to many to list. This would be a good practice for anyone. I get it that some people dont have bank accounts but they all have a post office someplace nearby.
I only accept POSTAL money orders for payment to keep my fraud risk lower. I dont know much about what a western union or a walmart money order looks like but I think i would know a fraudulent postal money order if I saw one, besides most thieves dont bother with forgery with respect to a postal money order since the feds will go after them.
The next thing is to decide where you are going to ship.
I only ship my stuff to the US or Canada.

The one scam I have heard about on ebay that was huge was a guy saw a listing for a computer
he contacted the buyer and they argeed to an off of ebay transaction.
the buyer sent a certified money order drawn from a bank to the seller.
The check was in excess of the amount of the computer and there was a silly excuse as to why that was. I that he already had this money order for a purchase that did not go thru and rather than get it reissued he thought he would just use it for this transaction.
Buyer told seller to cash the check, take out the moeny for the computer and send buyer the difference.
The difference was about $150.00. So seller goes to the bank, does as he is told
sends computer
and A REAL MONEY ORDER
only to find out that the original money order was fake.
Now seller has no computer
and is overdrawn at his bank since he paid to have the computer shipped and gave the
buyer $150.00 too!

It was a mess.
Avoid crazy offers to buy your stuff!
If they want it let them bid on it.

lastly, PAYPAL and ebay will NEVER send you emails requesting that you type in your account information.
Never reply to an email from them requesting any of that.
If in doubt sign onto the respective websites and update your info there.
GOOD LUCK!

Answer 2

Paypal is a very secure way to send money over the internet. I have had my account for years without any problems. The same thing goes for EBay. But on EBay, when you contact a user about a product, make sure that you block your e-mail address from that person (there will be a box you can check). People get on EBay and ask questions just to get access to e-mail addresses for spam mail and advertisements.

Answer 3

I commute in LA about 15 - 20 miles 4 or 5 times a week. I have a junk Schwinn 21 speed (currently) with 26x1.95" tires, that needs some work but it does the trick for now. If you feel safer on the mountain bike then definitely start with that! After some time you'll build strength and will want to use that road bike of yours. I ride at night quite a bit too and what works for me is just caking your bike and helmet with a good quality reflective tape. 3M makes some good stuff for about 5 or 6 bucks a roll. RIDE PREDICTABLY don't swerve in and out of empty parking spots along the side just ride straight stay visible. I've been hit by cars before, sometimes it's my fault and sometimes it's theirs. I've never been messed up bad though so do let that deter you from riding! You'll love it! Just give it some time and before you know you'll be beating the cars up that hill!!! Good luck!

Answer 4

Billions of transactions are made on ebay every month.

Of course its safe you muppet!

Tip number 1: Never bid until seconds before the auction finishes. If you bid early you are only letting other people know of your intentions and this will push up the price. Choose a maximum price you are prepared to pay and then bid it leaving no time for others to make a larger bid after you.

Tip number 2: When considering what price you are going to bid at always take account of the postage costs. Product price and postage costs equals total price. It obviously makes no sense to bid for a dvd at 1p if the postage cost is £5!

Answer 5

Paypal IS NOT SAFE. I had my paypal stolen. I thought it was safe at first and I was trying to make a few dollars for pocket change from mylot, but someone stole my account. Now I don't trust them at all. You can still go into business on e-bay, but use a credit card.

Answer 6

Get paypal, i hate it when i have to go to the bank and get a money order, plus it takes longer for my purchase to arrive. Otherwise i think eBay is great!
Good luck!

Answer 7

hi credit i have been with e bay for the last 3 year,s and have used pay pal during that time.i have never had a problem , if things don,t arrive ,or they arrive damaged it is easily sorted i would definately recommend both good luck and happy buying safely. oh by the way check out the the form on the seller or buyer before you make any transaction

Answer 8

Ebay is great but be careful, some of the sellers don't tell all the details and you get something that is not good.

Keep checking your purchases and don't bid until the last minute.

Answer 9

in general, it depends on you. if your computer is full of trojans, worms and viruses, it would mess up the most secure system in the world. check your pc first then get into ebay/paypal.
have fun with ebay.
niels

to encourage you, i'am ebay member since 5 years, and had never seerious problems... (touch wood :-)

Answer 10

i have never had any problem in the 4 years i have used it. buying and selling