Input needed. eBay warns buyers to beware when a seller asks for payment thru Western Union. What has your experience been and what do you think the best method of paying is? Thanks.
Paypal is by far the most secure. The only Ebay problem I have had is that Ebay the company only covers fraud to a point. Example: When I worked for a small import store here locally someone posted "coil over adjustable springs" out of Cali. for almost every make and model car there is. After purchasing the coil overs customers came to me and said "well I ordered these off Ebay and received a set of Honda Civic coil overs for my 03 VW Passat". The hitch being they don't make a set of straight coil overs for this vehicle because the top end pig tails and tapers making a coil over fit impossible. When my customers called Ebay to complain the only thing Ebay said was they could give a seller a bad rating and leave a message about what had happened. Ebay's official word was "you ordered coil overs and got coil overs the parts fitting the vehicle are not guarenteed by Ebay." Buyer beware. I have found the best thing to do is send the seller an Email with very particular and direct questions. The coil overs in question were purchased from a warehouse that burned, the Ebay supplier had purchased 150 sets of Honda coil overs at $20.00 per set, then listed them under every car he could think of for $150.00 per set, taking advantage of a wording loophole in Ebays protection plan. By the time the fraud was discovered he had sold out.
I look at the seller reputation on eBay before deciding if I will be making a bid on a part. Bad sellers are far few than most people think. I have had nothing but good experiences on eBay, and have found great deals in the past. For new parts, I buy locally whenever I can. If I have to buy it on line, I use www.rockauto.com .
My few dealings with Ebay have been good as well Junk, this was a while back (the fraud that is). I too look at the sellers rating and history and email with very specific questions and even ask for more pictures if possible. There are definitely some good deals to be had. I will check out Rockauto too.
After making a purchase using my credit card from Rock Auto, I found a $1000 charge on my account from some resort in CA. Master Card removed the charge for me and it did not cost me anything(GA law). Of course I can't be sure it was connected to my credit card transaction with Rock but it was very coincidental. Anything I buy online these days, I use a "virtual" account number obtained from Master Card and linked to my account. Beware....just saying.
I will never complete a purchase with a seller who demands Western Union money orders. I'll use PayPal, USPS money order or even a direct wire transfer to the seller's bank account, but not Western Union. There are just too many scammers out there and there is no recourse through Western Union.
As others said paypal works for ebay and also good for most any internet sale as long as the seller takes paypal. I use my american express card for businesses online as they offer fraud protection. I also will use a usps money order usually with forum sales but only with a member that has been around for a while. But like everything online its still a gamble so it is look wrong walk away.
I didn't word my thread very well. The transaction in question is NOT thru eBay. It is an individual who is asking that money be sent thru Western Union for parts. Without a mailing address this seems weird. Thoughts?
