Avoiding scams when buying online?

theirishrover

im just on the brink of buying something off a seller on another website but since the deal is very good im worried it could be a scam.

is there a way someone could advise of verifying that it is not a scam before buying? i have the name, address and bank details of the seller.

alternatively is there any system i could use that would ensure the seller doesnt get my money if the product never arrives? paypal or summin?

any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

rubadub

Well for starters post the details here, i.e. what it is and website links, price etc. Many here are good at spotting scams, many are blatantly obvious and using old tricks.

This esp. goes for ebay, if you have a doubt just post the link to it,

If it is too good to be true it usually is. I love sniffing out scams to see what tricks they are up to.

Also just google the site name and a +scam

e.g.

http://www.google.com/search?complete=1&hl=en&q=ioogame.com+%2Bscam&aq=f&oq=

Many will want to avoid paypal to avoid the 4% fee, so I usually offer to pay the 4%, or 5%, if they refuse that there is no doubt they are dodgy IMO.

TheCostumeShop.ie: Ronan

Good Question, loads of people are terriffied of buying online. Here's some suggestions that will help you make your decision.

Returns policy - under the distant selling act EVERY european e-business has to give you a cooling off period to return the product if you don't want it, a few expections apply perishable food, magazines, opened cd's etc.

Use credit cards to pay for goods. Credit cards are safer than using Laser, because if for any reason you get scammed and the seller wont deal with the issue you can contact the credit card company with 30 days (i think its 30 days but not sure) and ask them to do a "charge back", essentially they take the money back off the seller. Paypal also have a similar system of intervention.

In all honesty, the odds are very much so stacked in favour of the customer when buying online.

But always air on the side of caution, buy from reputable sites, if something is too good to be true it nearly always is.

And if your unsure about a site just list it here - no doubt someone will know if its a scam or a good deal.

petermacn

Some guy is running a scam on gumtree , he says gumtree has been bought by ebay and that you can pay for his Paulo Nutini tickets (75 euro) through this connection. Dont fall for it as my son nearly did. Ebay have not bought gumtree and this guy will do you out of your dosh. We were lucky.

petermacn

You may be correct , I only know what I read online and that's what it said . Anyway thanks for your reply and good luck with your posting. Its good to think there are people who take an interest. Well Done!

Nody

theirishrover wrote: »

im just on the brink of buying something off a seller on another website but since the deal is very good im worried it could be a scam.

is there a way someone could advise of verifying that it is not a scam before buying? i have the name, address and bank details of the seller

Scam warning; pick it up in person even if it will cost you half a day/day.

TheCostumeShop.ie (Ronan) wrote: »

In all honesty, the odds are very much so stacked in favour of the customer when buying online.

This only holds true if it is a legit store in the other end though; if it is a scam it does not matter what the law says as they'll just be flaunting it anyway.