Internet Annoyances: How to Fix the Most Annoying Things about Going Online

BEWARE OF EBAY PHISHERS

The Annoyance:

I got an email warning that said I could no longer use my eBay account unless I "verify" it. The email certainly looks like it came from eBaythe return address even ends in @ebay.com. But the message sent me to a web page that asked for my credit card number. Also, the grammar on the page was awful. I know geeks have an aversion to proper English, but something smells funny here.

The Fix:

If something smells funny, turn up your nose and run. You've been the victim of an eBay "phishing" attack (see Figure 10-7). The perpetrator has spoofed an eBay email address and mimicked eBay's web site in an attempt to get you to hand over your credit card number.

The following tips will help you spot the difference between a "phisher" and eBay:

• eBay will never ask you to send your credit card number, password, or other sensitive information via email.

• If you arrive at an eBay page via an email link, check the web address before you sign in. The URLs of most eBay sign-in pages begin with http://signin.ebay.com/. Also, make sure the page URL has .ebay.com right before the first forward slash (/).

  If you have any doubts at all, ignore the email. You can always go straight to the eBay web site and log in. If eBay wants to verify your information, they will ask you upon sign-in. Finally, if you do get a fake email, forward it to spoof@ebay.com.

  Another way to check whether the site you're visiting is truly run by eBay is to download the eBay toolbar (http://www.ebay.com/ebay_toolbar). In addition to letting you easily search and track auctions, the toolbar has an "Account Guard" feature that warns you when you're on a potentially fraudulent site. It also lets you report the site to eBay with a click.

WHEN IS CASH NOT CASH?

The Annoyance:

I just found out that cash isn't really cash. I always thought that a cashier's check from a bank was as good as gold, so when I received one in payment for an item I sold on eBay, I immediately shipped the goods. When I deposited the cashier's check, it showed up in my account balance. However, the bank later told me it was forged, so I'm out the money. How can I tell the real thing from a forgery?

The Fix:

Unless you're Frank Abagnale, Jr., it's pretty hard. In short, treat a cashier's check like a check, not cash. Even though the deposit initially showed up in your account balance, the check still had to clear before you could access the money. Next time, wait for the cashier's check to clear your bank before you ship the goods. Check your account balance online and then call the bank to confirm that the money is indeed in your account.

ADD A MOVIE TO YOUR AUCTION

The Annoyance:

If a picture is worth a thousand words, is a moving picture worth a thousand dollars? I've heard that video clips help you get higher bids when you sell on eBay, but I'm not Steven Spielberg. How can I create a video for the auction site?

The Fix:

Auction Video (http://www.auctionvideo.com) helps you record and store video clips up to 60 seconds long and then posts them to your eBay auction. Plug in your webcam and microphone, head to the site's "recording room," and record your video. The service costs $9.95 per month for one item, $19.95 per month for two items, and so on.

GET A GREAT DEAL ON A LABTOP OR CAMRA

The Annoyance:

I'm a big fan of eBay, but my best friend always manages to buy items at far lower prices than I do. When I ask how he does it, he mysteriously murmurs, "Can you spell digital camera?"

The Fix:

Discover your inner misspeller. When people misspell product names, prices plummet because few potential buyers find the auctions (see Figure 10-8). People have found great deals by searching for "labtops," "camras," and many other misspelled items. So when you search eBay, try misspellings first.

BECOME AN EBAY SNIPER

The Annoyance:

In the last month, I've lost four eBay auctionsand each time, the winner made the winning bid in the final two minutes. How can I beat out these Johnny-Come-Latelys?

The Fix:

They're using a technique called snipingthey bid at the last possible moment. If you'd like to win auctions by sniping yourself, here's how to do it:

1. Synchronize your computer's clock with the eBay clock.

   To win at sniping, you must bid at the last possible minute or even second. To get the official eBay time, click the Site Map link at the top of the eBay home page. Next, click the eBay Official Time link at the bottom of the Buy column. To synchronize your system clock with the eBay clock, double-click the time display at the far right in the Windows Notification area (AKA, the System Tray) of your PC and set the new time.

2. Go to the auction page of the item you want to bid on about 15 minutes before the auction closes.

   Check the high bid, and then every few minutes press Ctrl-R to refresh the page. If the bids stay the same, there may be no other snipers present. When only five minutes remain, refresh your browser more frequently to see if the bidding gets hot and heavy.

   ---

   Tip: When you bid at an eBay auction, it's easy to get caught up in the heat of the moment. Ego gets involved, and you often find yourself wanting to win at all costs. But if you buy an item for more than it's worth to you, you haven't won the auctionyou've lost it. So set your maximum price, and don't bid a penny beyond it.

   ---

3. Open a second browser window.

   You need two browser windows open to snipe: in one window you do the actual bidding, and in the other window you constantly check the current winning bid. Wait until the last possible moment to click the Place Bid button in the bidding window.

   ---

   Tip: Sniping can be time-consuming and nerve-racking. If your timing is off even a little, you may not win your auction. However, you can buy sniping software that will automatically bid for you at the last possible moment. PowerSnipe (http://www.powersnipe.com) costs $45.99 for a one-year subscription, and AuctionSentry (http://www.auction-sentry.com) goes for $14.95. Both companies offer free trial versions.

   ---

BEWARE OF EBAY SHILLS

The Annoyance:

The last three times I've bid on an item from a particular seller on eBay, the same two or three bidders swooped in near the end and outbid me. It seems awfully coincidental that they always outbid me on auctions from the same person. Is something funny going on?

The Fix:

It sounds like someone is doing shill bidding to artificially raise the price on auctions. In shill bidding, a person opens up several eBay accounts under different names, and then bids on his own auctions to raise the bid price. In some cases, a seller has friends act as shill bidders.

Sometimes shill bidding backfires, as it did in your case, and the seller ends up with the high bid. But he'll just auction the item again, and again bid up the price using shills.

How can you spot shill bidding? If you see the same user bidding on one person's auctions over and over, that's a warning sign. Search eBay to find all the auctions the person has bid on. If he only bids on one or two people's auctions over and over again, you've probably found a shill bidder.

To do the search, write down the bidder's eBay ID, and then click the Advanced Search link in the top-right corner of any eBay page. Click the Find a Member link in the lefthand column, and type the person's eBay ID in the search box (see Figure 10-9). Click the Search button to see all the auctions on which that person has bid.

If you find a shill bidder, report the person to eBay. Go to http://pages.ebay.com/help/contact_inline/index.html and fill in the form. eBay will investigate. The first time it finds a shill, eBay issues a warning. If it happens again, eBay will suspend the user.

DID I PAY TOO MUCH FOR THOSE OPERA GLASSES?

The Annoyance:

I just bought an old pair of opera glasses on eBay, and I thought I got a good deal. Was I wrong! I recently saw a similar pair for sale in a local antiques shop for eight dollars cheaper. I thought the whole point of eBay was saving money. I hate getting taken for a ride!

The Fix:

If you do your homework, you'll be able to figure out the right price for just about any item on eBay, including old opera glasses. Follow these steps to avoid overpayment next time:

• Search shopping sites for the lowest price. Sometimes, you'll find the same item for less money elsewhere on the Web, especially if the item is new. Price-comparison sites such as PriceGrabber.com (http://www.pricegrabber.com), mySimon (http://www.mysimon.com), and BizRate.com (http://www.bizrate.com) scour the Internet for the best prices on new goods and compile their results for your perusal. (For more information about these sites, see "I Can Get It for You Wholesale!" earlier in this chapter.)

• Find the price at online specialty sites. If you're planning on bidding on a specialty or collector's item, such as rare stamps, search Google to find a site that specializes in those goods.

  If you use PayPal to pay for an item on eBay, you get much better fraud protection than eBay offers. PayPal offers $500 fraud protection with no processing fee. For more details, go to https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=p/gen/ua/policy_pbp-outside.

• Find the price at other auction sites. eBay may be the biggest auction site in the world, but there are other auction sites out there, including some that specialize in certain items, such as rare coins or comic books. To search for an item at several different auction sites simultaneously, go to http://www.bidfind.com.

• Do an eBay search. See if similar items are for sale or have been sold on eBay. How much did they sell for? Find out by searching through completed auctions. Click the Advanced Search link, type your keywords in the search box, check the "Completed listings only" box, and click the Search button.

• Check the bidding history on eBay. Check out the bidding history for items that have already sold and those that are currently being sold. The bidding history not only shows you the winning bid at each auction, but also every bid leading up to the winning bid. By examining bidding histories, you can tell how many people have bid on each item and get a sense of the item's overall popularity. Head to the eBay Search page and search for the item. From the results page, click on an individual auction, and then click the History link to see the complete history of every bid made.

Once you do all this, you'll have a good idea of what the going price should be on those opera glassesand you won't overpay again.

DON'T GET BURNED ON EBAY

The Annoyance:

My mother told me not to trust eBay, and maybe she was right. I sent a Western Union wire transfer to pay for a set of speakers, but the seller vamoosed with my cash. What can I do?

The Fix:

You've committed a big eBay no-nonever, and I mean absolutely never, pay for anything using a Western Union wire transfer. That's as bad as sending cash in an envelope. Once the person gets the money from the wire transfer, there's no way to trace him; the money's gone. Even Western Union tells people not to use wire transfers to pay for auction items. If someone on eBay says that they only accept payment via Western Union wire transfers, look for another seller. If possible, use PayPal when you buy anything on eBay, since it offers a measure of buyer protection.

To make matters worse, you're not eligible for the eBay Buyer Protection Program when you pay using a Western Union wire transfer. Normally, eBay will pay you part of the money you lost. If you're victimized, the protection covers you up to $200 per auction (shipping and handling not included), minus a $25 processing fee. For example, if you pay $150 for an item you never receive, eBay will reimburse you $125. If you pay under $25 for an item you never receive, you won't get back a penny.

You're not covered if the item is picked up or delivered in person, and you're also not covered for items damaged or lost in shipping. And, as you've just found out to your chagrin, you're not covered if you pay in cash or use a money transfer service.

To get compensation from eBay when you do qualify, go to http://pages.ebay.com/help/tp/isgw-fraud-alert.html, read the instructions for filing, and click the "File a fraud alert" link. You have to do this between 30 and 60 days after the auction ends.

GET IT CHEAPER FROM THE POLICE

The Annoyance:

Jack Benny is my patron saint. I don't like parting with a buck (or even a dime), so I spend a lot of time on eBay. But even those prices are too high for me. Is there an auction site with better bargains?

The Fix:

Police auctions, once held in dimly lit basements, have gone high-tech. Now about 300 police departments around the country, including New York City's, let you buy goods online at http://www.stealitback.com. It works just like a regular online auctionand given our nation's crime rate, thousands of items of all sorts and descriptions are constantly coming on sale (see Figure 10-10). You buy directly from the site, which makes the deals with individual police departments. When you buy an item, they ship it to you from the site's warehouse.

You'll often find oddities for sale here. Where else, after all, can you bid on 30 pounds of cell phones, pagers, and accessories? Another auction site worth checking out is http://www.policeauctions.com.