Just how safe is eBay?
Published November 25th, 2005
ONLINE auction house eBay has more than 68 million shoppers, and has just launched its Christmas advertising campaign.
But if you are planning to buy your presents online and have not used eBay before, it can be a daunting experience and can leave you open to fraudsters and scams.
The biggest problem for eBay shoppers is that you are not covered by the same consumer rules that protect you when you are buying from a High Street store, or indeed another online trader.
Neither the Sale of Goods Act – which says everything you buy should be fit for its purpose, as it was described, of satisfactory quality and able to be returned if faulty – nor Distance Selling Regulations, which entitle you to send back something you bought online if it is not what you expected, apply for eBay.
This is because it is essentially the same as buying from a car or antiques auction, where the principle of Buyer Beware applies.
