In this day and age virtually everyone seems to shop online; it is as common as drinking a cup of coffee it seems. Ecommerce truly has come a long way over the years, and it is only getting more secure as time goes on. However, I still hear a good deal of stories about people getting ripped off when buying electronics online, especially on eBay.
Basically you are pretty safe purchasing electronics from most of the big online retail stores (walmart.com, bestbuy.com, staples.com, and so on). However, it is places like craiglist.org and eBay that you have to be a bit more cautious about, at least when purchasing electronics. But know this: these are probably the 2 cheapest places you will ever find on the internet for the most part.
Since craigslist is quite a bit different than eBay, and generally does not have many electronics listed on it, we will just give advice for eBay. So with that said, when using eBay, the first (and probably most important) thing to look for, is the user feedback rating, which is prominently displayed at the top right side of the auction page(s). basically if they do not have 99% positive feedback or more, then move on, as it is not worth the risk. It really is that simple.
Another big thing to take into consideration is the return policy, especially when dealing with electronics. Many electronics, for example, the popular electronic airsoft guns, have a fairly high chance of being defective. But as long as the product is backed by a reasonable return policy, you should be safe 99% of the time.
One more thing worth mentioning, is that you really need to read the whole auction/product description when shopping on eBay (or on any similar website). This is because is it fairly common on eBay to list an item (especially electronics), but leave out important details in the title, such as flaws, missing pieces, or generally defects etc. This is why you need to thoroughly read the description; people like to try and hide things in the fine print of the details sometimes, so watch out. So basically just use common sense, and have a sharp eye, and you should be very safe buying electronics on eBay (or on the internet in generally, for that matter).
Basically you are pretty safe purchasing electronics from most of the big online retail stores (walmart.com, bestbuy.com, staples.com, and so on). However, it is places like craiglist.org and eBay that you have to be a bit more cautious about, at least when purchasing electronics. But know this: these are probably the 2 cheapest places you will ever find on the internet for the most part.
Since craigslist is quite a bit different than eBay, and generally does not have many electronics listed on it, we will just give advice for eBay. So with that said, when using eBay, the first (and probably most important) thing to look for, is the user feedback rating, which is prominently displayed at the top right side of the auction page(s). basically if they do not have 99% positive feedback or more, then move on, as it is not worth the risk. It really is that simple.
Another big thing to take into consideration is the return policy, especially when dealing with electronics. Many electronics, for example, the popular electronic airsoft guns, have a fairly high chance of being defective. But as long as the product is backed by a reasonable return policy, you should be safe 99% of the time.
One more thing worth mentioning, is that you really need to read the whole auction/product description when shopping on eBay (or on any similar website). This is because is it fairly common on eBay to list an item (especially electronics), but leave out important details in the title, such as flaws, missing pieces, or generally defects etc. This is why you need to thoroughly read the description; people like to try and hide things in the fine print of the details sometimes, so watch out. So basically just use common sense, and have a sharp eye, and you should be very safe buying electronics on eBay (or on the internet in generally, for that matter).
About the Author:
This article was brought to you by internet veteran, William Elmiric, who has been securely shopping online for well over a decade now. When it comes to purchasing electronics from eBay, follow his advice, and you are sure to be safe 99% of the time or more. Just follow his advice outlined in the examples above and you will be safe.