I have never bought any major item from someone online. Any of you more experienced orgers have any tips to minimize risk of buying from a seller on a forum? What are the best ways of shipping, payment, ways to make an agreement, and what information to get?

Any advice would be welcomed. Thanks!

 

I have over 100 purchases on eBay, mostly camera items. PayPal is an excellent method of payment will and cost you nothing. The payment can be direct from your bank account or charged to a major credit card. You must provide your checking account # when you sign up for PP, even if you always charge things to a credit card. Be aware that PP will `default' to checking account each time and you must select `credit card' as method of payment.

As for shipping, it really depends on size and weight. UPS (United Parcel) and the USPS (Post Office) each have advantages at one point or another especially if you do not need the stuff RIGHT NOW! If you buy on eBay the shipping price and method are explained in the listing or should be available from the seller upon request. Do not buy/bid on anything without a commitment on the shipping method and price.

 

Thanks for the advice. I finally just signed up for paypal, but have just made a minor purchase thus far. Just a bit worried about items that are many hundreds or thousands of dollars.

 

if buying from ebay..make sure the seller has a top rating..like 95% or higher..that guarantees u an excellent chance of having no problems..and make sure they have done a lot of auctions

 

^^^Right. Some sellers can have a high approval rating, but then if you look and they have only sold a dozen items or so, it doesn't really mean much.







Also, a post like this should probably go in OT, rather than General Maxima.

 

is there not a sticky about online transactions in the classifieds section? how does this realte to Maximas?