How to read a seller's feedback page and spot a fraudulent seller

[eburtonlab]

Before making a purchase, it is always a good idea to examine a seller's feedback page to learn a little bit about the seller's history.

This seller has been registered for four years in China, and has 100% feedback, and enough feedback for recent sales to have detailed seller ratings stars visible.

Not a prolific seller, with only 16 positive feedback in the last year, and nothing in the last month, but that is not terribly suspicious for a small-time seller that sells one or two items per month.

Let's look at some individual feedback comments and see if we can notice anything:

Private listings by themselves may not necessarily be a red flag -- many sellers prefer to protect their buyers' privacy if they are selling high end antiques or artwork, or possibly medical or personal items -- but this seller is selling very ordinary household consumer goods with no privacy implications. Such private listings prevent other users from seeing exactly what the seller has sold previously, and for how much. So this seller could have been selling furniture... or key chains. There is no way to tell.

Now look closely at the buyers. The usernames are obscured, but look at the feedback numbers. All the feedback left is from users with one or two feedback. Lots of feedback only from single digit feedback users is a definite red flag; either experienced buyers are avoiding this seller entirely, or someone is padding their feedback using new accounts. If you read some of the comments, they appear to be cut and pasted from elsewhere on the page, and several are exact duplicates. Compare this feedback page to the page of a legitimate seller and the differences are stark.

At first glance this seller has good feedback based on the number and percentage, but a closer look reveals serious warning signs of a fraudulent account with padded feedback.

[Anonymous]

Ebay just seems to be one big(ebay sponsored scam site) these days. They have no interest in blatant scam listings like motorhomes/campers worth £10k+ listed for £3k etc.

There seem to be an awful lot of apparently genuine listings from mainly dealers, who have "suddenly" taken up dealing and yet feedback, whilst lots of it, is all listed as "over a year old" shirley this has to be another scam that can easily be dealt with! How are these people getting hold of so many apparently dormant accounts?

I have set my ebay budget now at £20 as the most I would risk. Thats on sweets 🙂

win, win= I get my sweets, or I dont get em and lose weight instead !!

[*lady*madonna*]

@Anonymous 

This is the Ebay U.S. site. Since you are located in the U.K., you will need to use the Ebay U.K. site.

Sign out of the Ebay U.S. site, sign back in to the Ebay U.K. site >> https://www.ebay.co.uk/

[kh-vince]

Hi everyone,

Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.

Thank you for understanding.