eBay 102: The good, the bad and the damn fugly

Following on from eBay 101, we're going to look at some of the things you might see on your travels to find that widget/gizmo/electric thingymajig of your dreams. Beautiful things. Things that can trip you up. Things that make you go "hmmm". Use the following lists to know what to look for and what to look out for.

The good

• Low price
• Well written product description
• Clearly stated shipping to Ireland policy
• Clearly stated returns policy
• Clearly stated insurance cost
• High feedback score
• High percentage of positive feedback (99%+)
• Selling in Euro
• Offer Credit Card sales (safer than PayPal but about to be blocked by eBay)
  
• Offer PayPal
  

The bad

• Description copy/pasted from manufacturers website
• Omits important details
• Poor English
• Does not respond to "Ask seller a question"
• Uses name like "honest123" or "safetrader89" (not real names... I think)
• Located in Hong Kong

The OMG STAY AWAY!!!

• Suspiciously low price for new item
• Low price but high shipping
• Says will ship to anywhere but no quote given
• Located in any African nation, Russia or China (unless reputable, but not many)
• Wants to use escrow service
• Wants to use bank transfer/Western Union/unfamiliar service
  

So when you find the right product, at the right price, from the right seller, you're set! If you are not sure, DO NOT BID. Always ask first, and even if you think a bargain is going to get away, let it. Better safe than sorry and there'll always be another one.