ebay advice

Like many other people these days I am a regular user of ebay services (usually purchasing). I find the facility of great benefit for saving money and getting rid of unwanted presents. Recently, I wanted to purchase a popular brand of vacuum cleaner to replace one that had been destroyed by overenthusiastic usage. Pleased to acquire a new item at a bargain price close to home and from a reputable seller, I arranged to collect it rather than pay the postage. On the day of collection, I made my way to the collection address to be greeted by several burly gentlemen rather than the timid housewife I was supposed to be collecting from. As I tried to gain access to throhgh the garden gate of the property, the gentlemen indicated that they were the 'people' I was looking for. They carried over a box from the rear of the car which certainly had the right brand name on it. I quickly opened the box to inspect the contents and saw that the contents were as expected. I hurriedly shoved the box into the car boot, the cash into their hands and made a quick exit. Whilst I am now the owner of a new machine that I can register and have started using, I wonder about the origins of the machine and whether it fell off the back of a lorry.

I am lucky in the sense that I wasn't beaten up or in receipt of counterfeit goods. So if you are considering purchasing on ebay, stick to the golden rules; never buy off anybody with less than 99.9% feedback and a reasonable number of transactions to their name(50+). Look at the price of goods plus delivery rather than just the selling price. Don't go collecting without anybody to accompany you. Use paypal wherever possible when buying. Keep a record of the transaction in case you are hauled in front of a magistrate for handling stolen goods. Finally read the ebay guides which can be an invaluable source of information about the latest scams.