<p>With regards to phishing, I get five or so phishing emails a day. Bank of America, Paypal, USBank… they all get spoofed. I got caught once by a phishing email that purported to be from the MIT alumni office! If you have any reason to think the email is genuine (assume it’s not, always!), go directly to the website and type it in yourself.</p>
<p>Two other things you can do with possible phishing emails: </p>
<p>(1) Look at the “To:” line – is the email addressed directly to you, or does it say “multiple undisclosed users”? If the latter, it is junk, trash it.</p>
<p>(2) “Hover” your cursor over the link they want you to click (BUT WITHOUT CLICKING ON IT) and take a look at the URL to which you’d be going if you were to click on it. You will likely see some oddball web address, usually something ending in a two-letter country code somewhere else (.tr, .ru, .ng, etc), or it will be a site name which is obviously NOT the Internet home of Paypal or Bank of America (“<a href=“http://www”>www</a>. bestclick.net”). I only do this if the email looks close enough to be possibly real, and then (as dmd77 says) I go to a browser and type in the main website name directly to check it out (for instance, if the email purports to be Paypal telling me there’s something wrong with my account).</p>
<p>If you are looking to buy or sell collectible items, say so and I’ll comment because eBay’s existence has totally changed that market.</p>
<p>Yep dadofsam. What are your thoughts for collectibles?</p>
<p>Never click on an emailed link supposedly from eBay or Paypal. Go to your account from your browser and see if you have a legitimate message.</p>
<p>eBay has totally changed the market for collectibles of pretty nearly every type. I both buy and sell what I collect and things have changed from the “old days” of just a few years ago.</p>
<p>A few years ago you would shop for a collectible at local shops (antique shops, specialty stores, etc.) and also look at garage sales, maybe local auctions. You might be on some mailing lists for out-of-town sales or auctions and you probably were receiving one or more publications with more sales or auctions.</p>
<p>Perhaps you would find an item or two here and there at a garage sale, auction, etc. No need for that any more now. eBay brings a world-wide bunch of sellers to your doorstep. Thought you were lucky to find that one special item at a sale? Go on eBay and often there are a half-dozen sellers offering it in different conditions and usually at very different prices. More if you look at sellers outside the US. So you have the opportunity to buy a lot more and a lot more often - watch your budget!</p>
<p>Thought you could hang onto an item till you got the price you wanted? If it’s priced too high compared to others you’ll be hanging on to it for a long long time. A piece that belongs in any collection and is contained in many likely will not sell at all no matter how great the condition or how low the price unless a new collector turns up on the scene. Think you can get a steal because only you know the true identity of an item that a seller who doesn’t know that type of collectible is posting? Think again - collectors just as knowledgeable as you are looking at the same piece. On the other hand you will see items for sale that you never would have seen before, because the seller is not in your area.</p>
<p>So a really good item can bring a lot of competition and can bring a very high price if that competition exists and takes place in the few days the item is posted. This is especially true if bidders outside the US get involved because that item is often higher priced elsewhere. And overseas bidders can easily use Paypal to pay. On the other hand, a lot of items people think have value get absolutely no bids because there’s a big difference of opinion about whether they have any value at all.</p>
<p>So you have to be realistic in selling collectibles, as well as in buying them, because “auction fever” can become magnified.</p>
<p>If that didn’t answer your question, ask again.</p>
<p>Hey thanks. ^^^^^^</p>
<p>I have used Ebay for a few years for a few collections in our family. In a few hundred transactions, I have had maybe 3 ripoffs and 10 experiences with rudeness. Generally, sellers with good feedback are solid. Personally…I wouldn’t go so far as to buy a car on Ebay. My GF did that and regretted it. But for smaller purchases, is good and can save money. We wear some used clothes and purchase used books a lot. For my collection or antique interests…I often meet people with similar interests which makes Ebay fun. Uuuh…if your seller has been with Paypal, but “isn’t right now…” Don’t Bid. They were probably kicked out from complaints. I like Paypal but I do hear complaints. I also use Ebay simply to learn what things bring in the marketplace…enjoy it.<br>
One thing that cracks me up is the feedback. I think I am on Ebay because of the compliments. I am Aplusplusplus…etc…extravagent praise is the alternative universe norm in feedback…funny. I for some reason also praise sellers with the same exagerations.</p>
<p>We bought our car on ebay, but would only consider the ads from registered dealerships in faraway cities, not from individuals trying to sell. The dealerships are just as accountable as in their home cities under the laws. They’re just trying to enlarge their market to a national audience, that’s all. We had to factor in the cost of having the car driven to us as we calculated what to bid; for a distant car in Nebraska, we bid less than one being marketed from a city 2 hours away from our home. First we decided the model we wanted, of course. A few auctions got by us because they exceeded what we wanted to pay, but finally we got one. Saved around a thousand dollars. It’s a 1997 Cadillac. Aaaah. I never dreamed I could ever drive a Cadillac!</p>
<p>We started by bidding on used books and toys to supply my elementary school classroom. H pursued men’s clothing and used to get collectibles 6 years ago, but found, as a previous poster wrote, that the market got too pricey a few years ago. Lately, H buys designer shirts for $9.99 or so by using the searchword of the designer’s name. Sometimes he’ll buy a custom sportsjacket, or suit worth $2K or $3K for around $50. Since he has to take his suits to a tailor anyway, he’d rather the tailor work on a suit worth $2K than $200. So, for the fifty dollars on the sportscoat and the $50 to have it tailored, he has spent $100 to get a garment worth $2K. And he looks great. He buys just slightly larger than his retail size, and the tailor takes it in. The tailor loves working on these great garments, and charges the same either way, so it’s fun all the way around. People gain and lose weight so often, these garments are barely worn when the individual chooses to sell them.</p>
<p>I never buy women’s clothing there, however, because I have to try it on. Men’s sizes are much more uniform than women’s. </p>
<p>We never buy anything retail anymore except for groceries and college courses. Can’t get around those two, sigh.</p>
<p>Definitely agree: figure out what you want to pay, put in ONE BID, and then don’t think about the auction again til it’s over. H also has a sniping program.
We’re uber-courteous in our communication. The photos and a good text description are supposed to be key to making a sale, along with listing it in the right categories. </p>
<p>There’s a book called Ebay For Dummies, supposed to be a good starter.</p>
<p>Maybe he can buy the book on ebay.</p>
<p>…but Ebay For Smarties (CC) is working!</p>