Ebay, Paypal, and the horrors of both

I realize to be an effective amature vehicle restorer, I might have to use the internet for some networking and parts buying. The thing is.......I'm scared. Identity theft, theft in general, and alot of negative feedback I am reading about paypal and some of the problems associated with it are intimidating me into doing it the old way with swap meets and what not. Dealing with an internet entity is scary to me to begin with, because there is really no one to take complaints to. [img]/forums/images/smiles/icon_frown.gif[/img].
I have never used ebay or paypal yet, because of this intimidation factor. To make things worse, I am a cop, so I am inherently suspicious from the jump. I know a lot of us have gotten some really good parts from ebay. How about telling me a little about how it works. You can email me or pm me or respond here. I have no one here that really knows or can guide me correctly. I need to know the good basics of both buying and even selling on ebay.
Thanks.


_________________
KEN
Factory 65 Galaxie 500 390/4v:

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: v8shadow on 3/8/07 6:49am ]</font>

I have had great success with Ebay. First things first


#1 ALWAYS ENCRYPT YOUR PASSWORDS!!! this is very simple say i use your sn for a password it would look like this V8s5H2Ad9OxW

#2 NEVER RESPOND TO E MAILS IN YOUR PERSONAL E MAIL BOX ALWAYS Use Ebays mail on your My Ebay page because scammers send you fraudlent e mails to your personal e mail address and when you click the go to e bay link it sends you to a phishing site and steals your personal information after you sign in. These sites look just like the real Ebay.


#3 If you suspect that someone has gotten your info, report it to Ebay imeditally and change all your passwords on Pay Pal and the Ebay site


#4 NEVER USE THE SAME PASSWORD FOR OTHER SITES AS YOUR E BAY PASSWORD . Espically if it is for your banking online etc as what happens is they crack your Ebay account and then try the same password on other sites they have phished for and bam everything is gone ..


Hope this all helps I love e bay and havent had any problems to date !
[addsig]

Over all I'm very happy with eBay.

I have done 354 transactions on eBay (that have given me feedback, actually more than 354 total) I have never yet received or issued negative feedback and I've only been screwwed over once ... ended up losing about $110.00 by the end of the whole mess.

Below is a link to that mess if you find a mess interesting you can read it. bottom line I ended up paying $200.00 for a set of pistons I didn't need and sold said set for $91.00. Oh and the guy did wind up with mail from the Maryland State Attorney Generals Office regarding his screwing me over ... Fortunately I have friends in high places who can keep me pointed in the right direction to get some nasty $hit happening. I don't know the final results of that yet.


This link is to the auction where I sold the item in an effort to recoup some of my $$$ ... the story is in the description section.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=170064404062

_________________



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: MonsterMach on 3/8/07 10:07am ]</font>

Ken, don't worry about Paypal or E-bay, of the two Paypal is MORE secure and safer but they are both good tools!

I have bought and sold nearly 1,000 items on E-bay, I began selling in England (U.K.) way back in 2000, I love it and wished my feedback from there could have followed me here.

The rules above are good to follow. These are mine, follow what mustang and I have to say and your e-bay account will never be compromised.

#1. NEVERE EVER SIGN INTO E-BAY FROM: An e-mail message, or a hyperlink from anyone, anywhere, ever! never sign in to e-bay while browsing e-bay, if you need to sign in to VIEW an e-bay item IT IS FAKE. (or under the adult section but that's a diffrent sign in procedure [img]/forums/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img] ) In essence don't ever sign into your e-bay account from any place other than ebay.com it's self. Also don't sign into e-bay from a link in a forum post. Remember if you have to sign in to see and item it's NOT REAL. if you are bidding you MUST sign in but do it from e-bay.com.

#2. If you want to keep your e-mail address from being known when asking questions on e-bay items just click the box next to the submit button.

#3. Ignore all e-mail from e-bay that do not show up in your "My Messages" box in your e-bay account. If it's a question from a bidder or a prospective bidder it will be in your "My Messages" section and you still haev the "hide my e-mail address" box you can click when replying.

#4 Paypal is very secure, follow the same rules for paypal, never sign in from a link to paypal, be it from a diffrent web page or an e-mail or a forum post. Except of course, for the confirmation e-mail from them about your account setup and verification.

BUYING:

Buying is relative easy, if it does not seem real, then e-mail the seller, 99% of the time you will not get a responce back that is in decipherable english... LOL, if it's real share it with an uninterested party and ask them. There are many of us here on the board you can ask for help and we will not encroach on your find, and try to take it from you.
Also, you'll likely be doing more browsing than selling on e-bay once you've had a few transactions. Reason behind that is after the sale to you is complete you have a direct link to that person via telephone and e-mail and address so they can hook you up with whatever you need should they come across it.
I have several Mopar guy's out there for me that I bought one thing from on e-bay, and hundreds or pieces off of without going through ebay because they are out near the older yards daily and like making money by telling me what they have rather than paying listing fees for something they know I need... It lessens the competition for me andlowers the cost a bit and he still makes money.
There are many more thiungs that can be said but with the replies you have already we should have your back covered.
E-mail any of us for further help if you have specific questions, or general ones. [img]/forums/images/smiles/icon_tup.gif[/img]


FE

_________________
I'm so depressed... My doctor refused to write me a prescription for Viagra. He said it would be like putting a new flagpole on a condemned building...

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: FEandGoingBroke on 3/8/07 9:28am ]</font>

Also,
1. don't use your regular name as a logon
2. Change the password often
3. If it's to good to be true, you know.
4. Never pay in cash. Some still do.
5. Personal checks with only someone you lareday deal with or has a good rating and done it for awhile.
6. Report spoof emails to paypal and ebay.
7. I rarely do any overseas buying. They have to have a very good rating and be a company.

Low and bad ratings and new members are always suspect.

Never give your credit card number unless in the address bar you see https which means it is a secure site.

Start a bank account for e-bay/paypal transactions only. Do not keep extra money in there. If it ain't available, it can't be stolen. Paypal wants you to pay from this bank account but I always use my credit card which too is set up just for paypal.

I have never had any problems because I am cautious. But then again I also am a defensive driver and I keep my eyes open to my surroundings, especially those plain Crown Victorias!

And if you decide to sell on e-bay, you can make specific stipulations as to method of payment. I do accept personal checks but I let people know that the check must clear before the item ships.

Later!
Mr. Ed
[addsig]

Ken, i am new to this site. i belong to two other ford truck sites, but i will tell you this. On ebay, as long as you read all the details and ask question, review the feedback ratings, you are pretty sure to be treated right. I bought my 78 bronco from ebay, great process, i have since built darn near the entire truck off ebay. I purchased a part from ebay, and recieved an email from their fraud dept, tellin gme the seller was banned the item removed, and if i had already paid request a refund. They gave me a link, they monitor to ensure i recieved the refund. I could not be happier. If you are building any hobbies Ebay and Paypal are a must.

Craigslist can be a good resource as a "classifieds" type site also and you can choose the locales to deal with. Stu

I dont know if anyone said this I did not want to read the ramblings of paranoid people DONT use paypal if you are worried if you are only buying use money orders they can be tracked to if and where they were cashed so if someone is trying to screw you over you can at least verify it.