Sold! How To Maintain Your Privacy And Still Indulge In Online Auctions

Whether you are bidding on a bike for your son, or a new HDTV for the mantle, you are bound to find what you are looking for at one of the many auction sites on the web.  Most of the time you won’t have any problems with your purchase, however auction fraud is becoming more of a problems and there are things you need to know to maintain your privacy and protect yourself.  You may discover that the item you receive is not what the seller promised, or you may not receive the item at all.  You may even be shocked to find that the seller has used your personal information to steal your identity.  There are a few ways you can prevent fraud when indulging in online auctions.

Make sure you research the auction site, especially if you have never used one before.  Read the site’s help file before you place a bid, and make sure that you have read and understood the site’s privacy statement and user agreement.  Many sites will not allow you to back out of the deal once the item is won.  Check to see if the site offers any guarantees or if they have insurance.  Some of these online auction sites will reimburse your money if you are scammed.

It is also important to research the seller, and to ask for a phone number so you can verify that they are who they say they are.  Be cautious of sellers that ask you to send payment to a P.O. Box, instead of a real address.  Check the seller’s feedback and read their comments to make sure there haven’t been any problems.  Many of the auction sites track a seller’s history and allow feedback from buyers about their experience with the seller.  Be cautious about doing business with a seller that has no sales history, or feedback listed.

Also, research the item you are bidding on to make sure it is authentic.  It pays to know what you are bidding on so find an expert on that particular item and ask if they can authenticate it.  Make sure you compare prices on other auctions for similar items, or online stores.  Be cautious if the price of the auction is questionably lower than what you can find elsewhere.

Another thing to watch for to protect you is a shipping date that exceeds 20 days after the receipt of payment.  This could be a bad sign that a seller is trying to scam you.  Most auction sites require that a seller ship the item within a certain period of time.  Be sure to contact the seller if shipping isn’t specified, and if you don’t get a straight answer, don’t bid.  One good idea is to ask the seller if they can ship via a parcel tracking service before you bid on their item.  That way your purchase could be tracked and you should know the exact due date of its arrival.

Don’t fall for deals that seem too good to be true.  An auction price where the starting bid is surprisingly low could mean that it is either a lower quality product, or it could mean that the item is stolen.

One way scammers are getting you is by luring you off the auction site with the promise of a better deal.  This comes in the form of an email message from strangers offering items that are similar to one you have recently bid on, but at a much lower price.  This will take you away from a trusted auction site.  This is dangerous because if you get off the trusted auction site, you are no longer protected by the site’s privacy and security policies.

Don’t ever pay with cash or a money order, because you can never get your money back.  Also be careful of sellers who request bank or wire transfers, or who request to be paid in foreign currencies.

Some fraudulent sellers will change the payment address or other details after you have won the auction.  Always be wary of these kinds of changes, and report any suspicious activity to the auction service.

Third-party payment services will allow you to transfer money into an online account and make payments from that account. This will not expose your actual credit card or bank account information to the seller. For more expensive items, consider using an online escrow service to act as a go-between.  They will hold your money until you receive and approve of the seller’s item. Both the buyer and the seller should agree upon the terms of escrow.

The last thing you can do to protect your privacy is to never respond to unsolicited requests to update your account information.  These e-mails may be scams used to steal your identity.  Legitimate companies will never send you unsolicited e-mail or instant message requests for your passwords or other personal information. If you do receive a request like this that you think may be legitimate, contact the company directly and ask for confirmation.  These are great ways to enjoy online auctions, and still protect your privacy.