Serious Ebay question, is this safe or should I decline to buy?

Question

Hi,

I got a serious question I have concerning Ebay. I want to buy this BOSS GT-6 Effects Processor pedal. Only problem is its only open for auction no 'Buy It Now'' button available. I contacted the person and he agreed to sell it for $275.00, and if I send him the money order he will cancell the auction early. My question is it safe to buy it without going the Ebay buying process, or should I decline to buy it? Any help you can give me is very appreciated? Thanks in advance. The reason I'm asking this is because I don't want to get screwed over and not get it back

Alex

I forgot to mention he has a 100% positive feedback. However everyone is right, when they its againts Ebay's regulations. I just don't want to get screwed and not get the pedal.

Answer 1

As everyone before me has said :o) it is definitely risky to purchase outside of eBay. And yes, it's against eBay's rules, and unethical. But don't automatically think less of the seller based on that alone. Ebay fees have been going up steadily for the past couple of years, and it's driven some sellers out of business. He's probably looking to save some money in fees.

Why don't you just bid on the auction? I went to eBay and checked out auctions for this item. I also looked at the completed auctions ... there are 3 and two of them went for less than what you were offering the seller, and one of them was a BIN listing. If he won't put it up as a BIN for you, just wait and bid on it. I would wait until it's about to end, or use a sniping service (I recommend www.esnipe.com) If you bid on it early you're probably just going to drive up the price. And stick to the price you want to pay for it, don't get caught up in the bidding. If the one you're looking at goes too high, chances are another one just like it will come along soon that won't go as high.

Good luck!

Answer 2

It's risky but not so risky if you do the right things. For one, look at his feedback and recent history. Also, if you're going to go straight through paypal then tell him to send an invoice with the item and terms on there. Otherwise, when you click to send money, fill in all the details in the comment area. PayPal to PayPal you still have protection just make sure things are clear. Also, if you discuss selling an item in ebay messages PayPal will uphold a sellers comments made there for a specific item. Take screen shots of the listing incase it's removed and no longer fully available in the future when you might have to dispute. Third, just ask the seller to call you. This isn't full proof but usually scammers won't call you to confirm everything and give out their telephone number etc.

Answer 3

If his score is higher than 100 - your pretty safe to buy. If you send a money order you may lose your money- purchase a gift card and use through PayPal or Open a PAYPAL Account up and Use that for purchases- Only takes a couple of days- **Purchase through PAYPAL AND YOUR PROTECTED. If your not happy you can dispute and get your money back in minutes- I have been buying on ebay for years now- I sell on ebay- There are fees that are charged to the seller- so read the handeling and shipping charges well. for 275.00 seller prob- paying 30.00 to sell then pay pal get's their cut- Use one credit card only and with a low balance or limit for ebay only- You'll feel better and you can monitor it easier-BY THE WAY GREAT QUESTION!

Answer 4

Never by an eBay listed item outside the eBay auction process, eBay and PayPal always protect buyers from scams like this, tell the seller to edit the auction and insert the Buy it Now price of whatever you agreed so you can buy it right away, it will cost him a nominal fee for this but don't do this outside eBay and always contact sellers trough eBay messaging service.

Answer 5

I would strongly recommend not buying it that way for multiple reasons.

1. Ebay does not permit that and if you get caught they may cancel your account.

2. He may have 100% feedback but there are ways to get good feedback without actually selling things. For instance, people have had their friends "purchase" items from them and leave positive feedback, but it is only a way to boost your ratings. There are many other ways to get fake feedback.

3. It is $275 and you are unsure if you want to do this or not. That is a fair amount of money to be lost if it doesn't work out.

I would go with the safe bet and not buy it personally.

Answer 6

It's not as safe as buying through eBay. You'll have no recourse if the seller doesn't follow through. Plus, this kind of arrangement is against eBay's terms of use. In other words, the seller is being unethical and could lose his eBay account if they learned he was doing this. It's especially unethical if others have already bid on this auction.

I see by searching on eBay that there are several auctions for this item. I think if I were you I would bid on one and see what happens. If you don't get it, bid on another one.

Answer 7

Your seller is probably okay. Sounds like he didn't know a good Buy It Now price to put on the auction when he listed it. All he has to do is add that Buy It Now price to the auction for you to purchase unless there's bids on the item. I would NOT buy it for that price though without his doing so or doing a fast listing specifically just for you to buy.

Answer 8

If you're going to buy under the table, which I do all the time, then ONLY do it using a paypal account; otherwise it's like sending cash in the mail: very risky. With paypal you are offered some degree of security.

Answer 9

NEVER email a seller and make an offer. they can report you for that and ebay may NARU you for doing it.

if you insist on buying on ebay, ALWAYS
pay through PAYPAL and fund it with a CREDIT CARD.

then if anything goes wrong and PAYPAL can't get you a refund, you then have the option of filing for a CHARGEBACK through your CC provider.

PAY SAFE, STAY SAFE

Answer 10

As an experienced e-bayer, I do not recommend this. If you are serious about doing it. Next to his name is a star with a number click on it. See what his percentage of positives is. If it is over 97 % most likely you'll get your product.