I have never bought anything an eBay, but now I have found something I really want there for sale by a private individual in the US (I'm in Denmark).

[liebach@mastodon.art]

I have never bought anything an eBay, but now I have found something I really want there for sale by a private individual in the US (I'm in Denmark).

I am afraid of getting burned, and I have no clue about eBay, very generally. What do I have to look out for?

#ebay

[sblaydes@bsd.network]

@liebach What is the rating for the seller? It doesn't solve everything, but it is a good start.

Also message the person asking about international shipping.

[davi_dblees@mastodon.world]

@sblaydes @liebach agreed, messaging the seller is a fine and acceptable practice if you have any apprehension at all. And usually you can learn a lot by how they respond. Also, the "Make offer" function seems very under-utilized. (Offer lower, they want to sell the thing.)

[fanden@helvede.net]

@liebach These days, beware of import taxes. If it's a used item, it may be exempt from the Trump tariffs.

[oppen@merveilles.town]

@liebach I use eBay a lot and I always filter for my country only to avoid any issues like this. Stops any customs complications and is also better for the planet.

[holsta@mastodon.art]

@liebach You'll be paying taxes, VAT and handling fee.

Someone wanted to send me a homemade $3 keychain because I helped them. PostNord wanted a small fortune to hand over the package to me.

[mthaastrup@helvede.net]

@holsta @liebach 160 kr. oveni som minimum - så vidt jeg husker

[paradegrotesque@mastodon.sdf.org]

@liebach

What everybody else said: what is the vendor rating? Do they ship internationally and for how much? What taxes would you pay? What is their return policy? And do they insure the shipping for damage in transit?

I have mostly good experience with eBay, but having a firm answer to these questions goes a long way.

[fanden@helvede.net]

@reynir @liebach I forgot the most important advice, don't take advice from people who know diddly squat about economy.

[michael@westergaard.social]

eBay is typically fine. Check the seller is willing to send that far – most are not.

The most typical scam (bid your asking price and transfer more than what you asked, having you transfer the rest back) is for sellers only.

Depending in price, it may be worth considering an escrow – don't use one suggested by the seller (that's another scam for bet sellers and buyers) use eBay's own (I assume they still have their own).

I don't know how relevant this still is, but another scam is to ask to send money via Paypal as "friends and family" for lower fees. Don't actually do that – then you have no purchase protection.

It used to be a good idea to check the reputation of the counterparty, but that's easy to fake these days.

95% of eBay sellers are just AliExpress dropshippers, so unless it's special, check there before buying.