Safety Centre

Everything you need to know to sell safely on eBay – payment scams and protection, managing listings, validating identities and ensuring safe delivery for your buyers

• Payments
• Managing listings
• Identities
• Safe delivery

Please let us know about unreasonable buying behaviour. Report a problem with a buyer

Payments

• Don’t get caught by fake payment emails and always confirm you’ve received a PayPal payment before sending an item – check your PayPal account and ensure the payment icon in your My eBay is highlighted
• Don’t be fooled by buyers who say they need you to make payments into their accounts prior to them sending money – this approach is often associated with untrustworthy payments made through Western Union or MoneyGram
• Make sure you understand the current requirements for PayPal Seller Protection – these may require you to send items using a trackable delivery method
• For more information and suggestions, check our guide to avoiding payment problems

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Managing listings

• Manage the types of buyers who can bid on your items by using Buyer Requirements in My eBay during the listing process
• You can cancel suspicious bids if you need to – but remember that you have to have a valid reason for doing so

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Identities

• Fraudsters impersonate buyers asking for refunds – always check My eBay Messages to validate any claim before refunding and always use the original payment method
• Don’t become an accomplice to fraud – criminals approach eBay users to sell items on their behalf, without any intention of sending the items. Remember, when buyers complain, it’s your reputation on the line, not the fraudster’s. If you sell an item on behalf of someone else, make sure you understand what you’re getting into

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Safe delivery

• Pack and weigh your item before setting your P&P charge to ensure you set the right cost to cover delivery – unreasonable P&P costs discourage buyers and reduces the likelihood of your item selling or achieving the best price
• Offer a range of delivery services – a low cost option encourages buyers whilst a faster delivery service is attractive for buyers that are happy to pay more to receive an item more quickly
• Remember that PayPal Seller Protection can provide extra safety cover against potential losses due to buyer claims, chargebacks or reversals
• Use a delivery service that provides online trackable proof of delivery
• Use My eBay to print postage labels for delivery services that offer online trackable proof of delivery – simply tick the box next to each item sold

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