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 Replies: 11 / Views: 1,626 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6326 Posts |
Okay......I've been "against" ANYTHING to do with ebay forever ! Well now I've caved in and signed up. I also signed up with Paypal. I don't have the slightest clue as to what I'm doing though. When someone mails me the coins I've bought......don't they now have my address ? Can't they come and steal what I've bought and my entire collection then ? How safe is my credit card number and my identity on ebay ? I'm actually so afraid of putting personal information "out there" that I kind of regret even signing up really. I don't know .......I really need some advice and feedback ! What are the cautions to be taken ? What are the risks ? TELL ME EVERYTHING I NEED TO KNOW PLEASE !   ***Edited by Forum Dad to move to ebay forum*** |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2049 Posts |
My advice to you is to set up a PO Box with the post office both for receiving items bought and for receiving payments if you decide to sell on there. Make sure you make that your primary/shipping/billing address on file with both ebay and Paypal. It may cost you $30-$40 for 6 months but its worth it. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2049 Posts |
Oh and if you plan to sell on there as well as buy, set up two different ebay accounts, one for each purpose. At least I have heard that is good advice but I havent done so myself. |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
6326 Posts |
Well...... I may buy once in a whole year or six times in a month......I don't know for sure. So, if I see something I want, then I need to run down to the post office and set up the "box" ? hmmmmmm....... starting to sound expensive and harder than I thought this would be and I'm STILL WAITING FOR 56 "MORE" PIECES OF INFORMATION TOO ! LoL Ha Ha
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
12437 Posts |
quote:
How safe is my credit card number and my identity on ebay ?
The seller does not have access to that, only your address- it is all funneled through Paypal. If you are uncomfortable with the whole process, get a number of low dollar transactions(<$20) under your belt so you feel more comfortable when you go to buy more expensive items. Also, make sure you thoroughly read all auctions you plan to bid on and check out the sellers feedback http://www.toolhaus.org/ |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1179 Posts |
Toolhaus.org is a great resource for us Buyers/Sellers on ebay. I honestly wouldn't sweat it too much. You are protected pretty decent with paypal and what not. I buy all the time and I am never really worried about it. I highly doubt someone would come to your place and steal your stuff that you just bought. I think you are getting a little carried away here. Relax and make a few low dollar purchases like Bio said, start to understand the process and before you know it, you'll be buying more often than you think. Good luck. Also pay attention to the ebay forum here too, lots of good info. |
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Valued Member
United States
174 Posts |
I have sold and bought on ebay. I have learned that I do not want to sell to those with PO Boxes-- for some reason I heard that with the PO Box a couple of the buyers have said they never got the items.Sooo, everything is now delivery confirmation/insured. Gussyboy1 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
549 Posts |
People who don't use ebay tend to be scared of it at first, which is understandable. If you're scared of sellers' having your address, just play it a little safer...deal only with powersellers who have great feedback. The sell so many items that your address is just one of thousands to them. You can further protect yourself by only buying from sellers who live far away from your state. As you become more experienced and confident with ebay, you'll likely lose some of the "they're gonna come to my house and steal" fears. The other posters are correct...your credit card and bank account information is completely secure. The only information the sellers will have access to are your email address and your mailing address. They can get your phone number, but that requires them to file a special request and ebay will send you an email letting you know each time a request is made. I don't recommend the P.O. Box unless you're seriously scared of ebay. Not only is it expensive, but most sellers won't ship items over 3 pounds to a P.O. Box (unless the item fits in a flat rate Priority mail envelope or box), because UPS, FedEx, and DHL cannot ship to P.O. Boxes. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
I've got an ebay and paypal account, however, I never use them. Basically for the same reasons you are afraid to do so. There are many here that use it and have no problems. Then there are many that have been robbed and killed due to excessive releases of their personal information. Pay pal is safe? Just who works at pay pal? Don't forget where there are people and a computer with your information, it is almost public knowledge today. Anyone working at Paypal, ebay, insurance companies, etc. have your personal information on their computers. This info is available to everyone in the computer departments or those that have access to those files. True there are many, many, many that use these types of organizations every day. And then there are those that no longer can due to being in a morgue, hospital or just plain old robbed. These are people that usually don't brag about the releases of their personal information. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7123 Posts |
quote:
I have sold and bought on ebay. I have learned that I do not want to sell to those with PO Boxes-- for some reason I heard that with the PO Box a couple of the buyers have said they never got the items.Sooo, everything is now delivery confirmation/insured.
Delivery confirmation comes from the sellers side ,, it can be tracked to my PO box just like my house ,, Keep in mind just because you have a home address does not mean that the mailman put the envelope in the right mail box . don't send to a PO Box then you will never sell me a coin nor any of the millions of people who only use PO Boxes to protect their mail delivery . do you have any Idea how much mail is stolen from home mail boxes each year ? Metalman |
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Moderator
 Australia
16849 Posts |
If you're worried about sellers knowing where you live, there's a couple of other things you can do (besides renting a PO Box). - Stick with the larger sellers and coin specialists. Most coin dealers I know are too busy to go around breaking into people's houses, and too poor to hire a bunch of thugs to do it for them. Choosing sellers that deal a lot in items you're interested in also increases the chances that the seller actually knows what they're talking about. If you're not sure if a particular seller is a coin specialist, read their feedback; look for comments like "lovely coin", "coins well packaged" etc. If most of the feedback seems to be about clothing, software or other non-coin items, take their coin auctions with a grain of salt. - Don't buy from locals you don't know personally. Criminals aren't likely to travel clear across the country on the off-chance of scoring a good haul. If you do buy from folks nearby, ask if you can go to them and pick it up in person rather than have them mail it to you. Most of my ebay purchases have been from overseas dealers, but that's more because the local dealers don't seem to stock the kinds of things I collect. My ebay rating since joining in 2002 is a huge "34", buying only. So take my opinions for what they're worth.  Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1840 Posts |
quote:
When someone mails me the coins I've bought......don't they now have my address? Can't they come and steal what I've bought and my entire collection then ?
I'm not saying it can't happen, but it seems like a lot of trouble for a thief to go through. Especially for the type of coins that I buy (mostly $10-$25). They'd have to establish a ebay account (and a Paypal account to get my business). Then they'd need to get an inventory and hope it sold relatively local. After going to all that trouble, they have no guarantee that the house isn't alarmed, the valuables aren't in a safe, no dog, no gated community, no nosey housebound elderly neighbors etc. quote:
How safe is my credit card number and my identity on ebay ?
Safer than if you used it at a local restaurant. Besides, unauthorized charges are not your responsibility. Just keep and eye on your monthly statement and keep a reasonable maximum on your card. If you are really worried about identity theft, check your credit report regularly. |
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Replies: 11 / Views: 1,626 |
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Posted 02/08/2008 4:10 pm
