Don't Get Burned on eBay

Chapter 5. Don’t Get Burned by Other eBayers

Ah, you thought it was just about money and stuff, didn’t you?

No, cupcake. There are people behind the money and the stuff. And just like the people with whom you interact every day, the people on eBay can sometimes make things very, very difficult.

Perhaps their intentions are pure—and perhaps they’re purely malicious—but you’ll have to deal with the fall-out either way. It can be as minor as a smudge on your feedback record, or as major as the loss of your eBay account.

Save the Drama for Your Mama

Years of experience on eBay and countless hours spent reading the stories of others in the community forums have taught me this: some people have the ability to take a perfectly uncomplicated situation and make an utter mess of it.

It’s a special gift, really. I’ll bet you know someone who has it. And I’ll bet you avoid him whenever humanly possible.

In case you were wondering, he spends his free time on eBay. I’ve bought from him and sold to him—and so have millions of other people. He’s a busy boy, that one.

If you know the warning signs, you can sidestep him and the drama he brandishes like a sword.

That’s where I come in.

I’m a big fan of drama-avoidance in general, especially when it comes to people I can’t see. Nothing looks crazier than a woman muttering obscenities to a computer monitor.

So I go out of my way to be on the lookout for such things before they happen.

If all else fails, you can always stick pins in a doll named after the person. ...