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Well, as most WiseShe-ers know, I’m a online shopping fanatic and Ebay s one of my most preferred sites. I have realized that a lot of us may actually prefer online shopping for a lot of reasons like hectic schedules, staying away from the city, lack of the desired outlet/brand in our cities, etc. But again a lot of us shy away from this option after hearing about certain scams, cheats, incidents which resulted in loss of considerable amount and other such very valid reasons which make us wary.
I have been a regular and ardent fan of Ebay because of the wide range of products offered to us. I have been able to purchase brands which are not easily available here in india and enjoy this. I personally don’t mind paying the tiny bit extra for shipping since I get access to such awesome products. It’s taken me a while to understand how to shop on ebay, working through the loopholes, ascertaining which products are fake or genuine. Some things can only come with experience and the main point is not to shy away or feel scared to experiment. After all, You’ll never know if you don’t try it out right? 
This post has been pending since so long and also many have asked me to do such a post. So finally, here it goes…. Any suggestions or comments are welcome here since any discussions and doubts can only help us make WISE decisions 
- Check Seller Feedback. Always check seller feedback before buying. This is not just to verify the genuineness of the product, but also to ensure that the seller delivers fast and his/her reputation for sending the product in good condition. If buying from a foreign seller then check the seller rating. Sellers marked ‘Power Sellers’ should always be preferred!Power sellers are those with a positive feedback of 98% and above.
- Always have a good look at the picture of the product.- Never buy a product if the picture hasn’t been included. This could mean that the product is either fake or the seller is attempting to con someone and doesn’t actually have the product.
- Avoid expensive buys until you’re accustomed to online shopping - If you are buying for the first time, don’t buy products which are too expensive. Try purchasing a cheaper product. Once you have gone through the entire process of buying and have received the goods, you’ll get a good idea of how this works.
- Don’t limit yourself to local sellers. Check out foreign sellers products as well through Global Easy Buy. A lot of the time you’ll find a cheaper deal there than on the India site.
- Products are not necessarily overpriced. Products on GEB have shipping included in their price, so don’t write it off thinking that the product is overpriced. Do remember that even if you purchase it off another site, there are heavy shipping charges levied.
- Contact Customer Care incase of any problems. Incase of any mistake during billing like double payment made or incomplete transaction, contact the customer care asap. The ebay customer care service is really prompt and courteous and will 100% help you out. Call them or chat with them through the chat feature on the site instead of mailing them. This will hasten the process.
- Beware of used products being sold as new. If the pictures of the products include a picture of the swatch on the hand then there’s a good chance that the product has been opened and used. Hence, mail the seller and check this out since it’s also a possibility that the seller may have the same shade and just swatched the same for the prospective buyers benefit.
- Cheap products don’t always mean fake products. At times the price of a high end product seems ridiculously cheap. Don’t discredit this right away. Check with the seller as to why this is so since a lot of the time some products get dented or the outer covering is damaged due to which they cannot sell it at the stores. So don’t miss the chance to buy a gr8 product for less.
- Check Logo and Location of make. Incase of purchasing higher end products always check 2 things: the logo and the location where made. For Eg, MAC logos can be faked. Hence enlarge the picture and compare the logo with a genuine product you may already have with you. The location check is equally important since China-made fake products can be sold off whose logos look perfect.
- I once bought a MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack which even had the MAC logo printed correctly. I didn’t realise I’d bought a fake. What I received was a gel line in an tub similar to ELF ones (the square dibbi) with a brush. It was later that I realised MAC Fluidlines came in round tubs and never came with a brush. When I confronted the seller I was told this was the ‘Indian MAC’…Hehe…funny right? Whats the deal with Indian MAC and Foreign MAC???
- Check seller details while buying expensive products. When buying expensive products like electronics, always verify the sellers contact details and speak to them first. You can get the seller’s details on this link: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQtZvbQQsofindtypeZ9
- Never buy pigments online even if they are being sold at the price you think is high and genuine. They are 80% fake and there have been cases where buyers have received an old MAC pigment bottle filled with colored Rangoli
- Original selling price doesn’t indicate genuineness of product. Understand that just if a high end product is sold at a higher price or a seemingly genuine price, this doesn’t mean that they are genuine. MAC, YSL, Gucci are brands which have very convincing fakes which are sold at the genuine rates. So always do a comparative research. If a brand new YSL lippy is actually 1800 INR and is being sold at 700 bucks, its definitely fake.
- Avoid buying expensive jewellery online. It’s never safe since sellers can also withdraw their name after selling and you may end up without much of an option to track them.
- Always check the size and quantity of the product. A lot of people sell sample sizes which they have received free of cost at a high price. So this basically means that you’re buying freebies which you can get yourself. For Eg, many sellers have been selling the make up boxes, hampers and pouches received free from Revlon or Maybelline.
- There was this one instance when I purchased a set of 6-7 glosses from Smashbox. By looking at the picture, I though the glosses would be short but chubby bottles with considerable quantity. But when I received them I realized that they were part of a sample collection and the tube was so tiny that the entire thing measured from the tip of my little finger to the middle knuckle
- Avoid purchasing fragile items like perfumes or large electronic items. If you have to then remember 2 things:
- Always check with the seller regarding which courier service they would be using. Local services treat packages very badly whereas reputed ones like Bluedart can be trusted.
- Its preferable to buy such items from a seller in your your own city or a near-by city.
- Check the Expiry date of products. This is important when buying cosmetics and skincare products to avoid risk of allergies or any other reactions. Always check with the seller regarding the expiry date. If the item is a new release then you need not do so, but in cases when the product picture looks a bit old or the you suspect the product is an old outdated piece, do check this.
- Ebay regularly has free shipping offers. So always be on the look out for this since this offer lasts about just 3-4 days. So remember that patience does pay. If you like an item which is plentiful in stock, then transfer it to your watchlist or saved searched and purchase them when this free shipping offer comes up.
- Leave feedback for items bought. This will help another buyer in the future and is a good practice to follow.
- Always remember that sellers are also human and at times mistakes do happen. Cases of delayed delivery may be because of some genuine reasons so in cases of delay always check with the seller. Only in cases of no response, go ahead and lodge a complaint with customer care.
- .Buyer Rights. This is specially for those who are skeptical about shopping on Ebay. Keep in mind that Ebay has buyer rights. The fundamental right is to receive your goods’ if you don’t receive them due to any reason like seller frauds, loss in transit, you are liable to get a refund or a replacement. So, feel secure in your right to buy.
- Ebay is one of the most reputed online shopping portals. And the safest. I find it so because its only here that the buyer has to confirm once the products is received and here, the feedback is taken seriously and affects the feedback of the sellers. Additionally, I haven’t seen any other customer Care responding as quickly as that on Ebay.
Hope some of your doubts have been cleared. Do let me know incase you have any further queries I could help with.
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very useful post ana
sorry author of the post is our Zara
hehe okies!! zara
Thanx tulips
Good post!!
Kejal recently posted..I wanna be Blue! No, I wanna be Lavender!
Glad u like this kej
You’re right…I have seen global sellers offering great deals and local ones ripping off with their high prices. I once got a package from DTDC and if the things are fragile, they pack it themselves and ship it(you’ve to pay extra for it) and it is a part of their priority service, I think. When I received it, the glass was broken into tiny pieces as if somebody got over a truck and dropped it on the road from there
It was a photo frame and I had to throw away the whole thing because of bits of glass 
Emm recently posted..Online Shopping Experience With Snap it today
i have never expeirenced that but i am surely not ordering any fragile product from them Emm.
This is so true..I once ordered a perfume which got smashed..the entire parcel was smashed akin t urs…since then m very careful bout ordering such items..
Very very useful
Thanks a lot Anamika
Poornima recently posted..New Launch – Ellis Clips
Its Zee post Poorni .do u shop from ebay?
Hey poornima! How r u enjoyingur Sunday?
Very helpful post Zara. ebay really baffles me. each time i go there, i get so confused that i just leave it. there are so many things to see.
i know 1st time one think is so confused..its amazing how zee got to know so much of ebay all by herself
seriously. i havent purchased a single thing cos of this. now i”ll jutao some himmat. zara is ebay queen
u must..it is so much better than Indian stores.. all phorein ka maal at yur door step
haha! yeps..all firangi maal..its gr8 if u like trying out new things
hey Ash…u shud try once..as i mentioned na..just buy something inexpensive first…just so that u can get the hang of it
I am a regular shopper frm Ebay… And i do ll the thngs u mentioned above,..
ance-leftright:
thas so awesome..what so u buy generally from there?
i buy everythng Ana, u will feel silly if u hear my list,
uh:
It includes penstand, banglesatnd, lipsticks , and i buy oriflame too products from ebay, i have even purchased Dove soap from ebay
OMG !!!!!!!!!! i guess u have defeated Zee also then
No Ana, nothng like dat.. she is the queen. I used ebay before urbantouch, an other shopping sites. It was long time bak. Nw i use ebay for non cosmetuc stuffs only..
and for oriflame
hmm ohh ..ok then let me put back the crown on her again.
haha! naa..at the rate we all shop we shud all be given baby crowns! mmost gals r shoppaholics!
i too bought my bangle stand from the ebay Vishu! i luv their stuff…hehe..i used t buy tupperware also b4 i found a consultant here
its amazing as to how many things u can buy there na?
so true zee.. Ebay made me shoppaholic… They got everythng.. I am happy to see partners in crime
haha! Haath milao!!!
Wow..such a helpful post. Thanks, Z! I will keep all these points in mind!
Hey Swati,
Wat plans today?
glad u liked this post swats..hope it helps while shopping
Tips from the online shopping queen…this post is bookmark-worthy!
awww…thanx swats!
this is such a helpgul post Zara. i always shy away from ebay due to a lot of confusion . ‘ll definitely give this a try now.
jyoti recently posted..Shshhhhhh… Can You Keep a Secret!!!!
do try it out jyoti…hav u tried shopping from other sites?
hey vishu! Ur a regular on ebau too??? Cool..any additional tips u hav pls do share wid us
ya, i also do bidding like u.. hehee
.. i do most of the thngs u mentioned, other than that, i dont remembr anythng nw. if i do , i will share for sure. Like u said I always contact the sellers if i am buying an expensive stuff, When i saw mAC on ebay, i contacted the seller, he honelstly replied me that its from China, not original one. So before buying expensive stuffs , contacting sellers is a better option, i feel
thas an awesome tip for sure
so true Vishu…after getting conned with MAC i realised its always wiser to contact the seller first..
hmm my seller is u naa… i just mail u wether to buy the stuff or not
khikhikhi…wo to haii…
:makeup: :makeup:
errrr… i meant helpful
jyoti recently posted..Shshhhhhh… Can You Keep a Secret!!!!
Zee…..very help ful one.I always get confused, whenevr i open Ebay………thanq so much for the review
thanx sri…if u want any help or any doubts when shopping on ebay do leme kno..
ill surely help u out..
post*
great post Z….u r fantastic :makeup:
thanx megs
Very thoughtful post Zara
. This is surely gonna guide many many ppl in shoppin wisely. Thsnks a ton 
thanx nafisa
i do hope this helps…so many get confused while shopping on ebay…especially since its so vast…do u shop online?
Haven’t yet. But u n ana r really tempting me to do so….
haha…try karna to banta hai…try shopping on Ut or orher sites where COD is available first..just t build confidemce
oops! i meant..thanks a ton
awsmmmm possttttt :clap-n-jump: :clap-n-jump: :clap-n-jump: Zara—> :king: (Queen of Online Shopping Kingdom) :smoke:
Upasana recently posted..My First Nail Art !! Silver French tip ..
i sweat it is and i wonder how many people r going to refer back to it again and again when buying online
i’m toh surely going to cram each nd evry point lol
i dnt wanna mess wid online shopping :nono:
Upasana recently posted..My First Nail Art !! Silver French tip ..
well i thought the same but i have 2-3 times
its inevitable re…but after 1-2 mistakes, u automatically learn the shop wisely
i do hope this has helped A…there r so many things one can go to ebay to buy…endless possibilities
i swear..its so heavenly
hehe..especially when we get nars, physicians formula and other such brands so easily
haha! queen of online shopping kigndom?? haha!!! too much switty!
Upasana recently posted..My First Nail Art !! Silver French tip ..
Great Post Zeeee :clap-n-jump: :clap-n-jump:
thanx paddy
Hi Zara,
Dat was such an insightful read….I was once duped by a seller on ebay India and now I’ve learnt how to weed out the bad and shop from sellers who put up genuine items….
Hi Sophia
welcome to wise she .Hope the post helps
u too Sophia? haha! i guess alot of us hav gotten duped one time or another…happens t d best of us…the most impt thing is that we atleast get a tad bit mor clever…
thanks zara……………….. its a very important post……………………….
Ani recently posted..Streetwear Color Rich nail color : review
ur welcome Ani…how was ur weekend?
waise jaise type……but on next tuesday i am going to buy oriflame…
………………… tumhari????????????
Ani recently posted..Streetwear Color Rich nail color : review
mine was fab..huge haul comin up
howd dad now ani?
he is ok zara…………………………………..
Ani recently posted..Streetwear Color Rich nail color : review
so handy…thank you Zara..!!!
Vaishnavi recently posted..Meshing bloodlines
ur welcome vish
Online shopping queen….Hats off to you..such a detailed and helpful post…
MOKP!!! where r u these days???? miss u babes….
thanx re..i hope this helps some shoppers
very useful post zara , very informative
thanx Siri
awesome post zara..I generally prefer paypal..I guess its safer..
hey Bhumika..thanx
Ive never used paupal actually i dont even kno the first thing about it! 
1-derful post Zara….very informative
Thanx dhanu
Glad u liked it..ur an ebay shopper too?
Yes, i do Ebay global and amazon (for US shipments)
useful post Zara
i have never done online shopping in my life.