How to Avoid Getting Scammed on eBay

eBay was rated by The Observer as the #1 website that changed the internet and is used by over 168 million users. It is a utopia for used goods, but it is also a nesting ground for ill-intentioned scammers. Being scammed (paying for an item but not receiving it, or buying a damaged item) is a very rare circumstance that is generally easy to avoid.
Steps
The first step is to check the user’s feedback. It can be found on the right side of the screen. This tells you how many items the user has sold, and what percentage of users were pleased with their service. It is reccomended that you only buy from users with a percentage of 95 or greater.
Then, if the user has negative feedback, click “Read Feedback Comments” to see what the issue was. Normally the problem is something along the lines of “Arrived Late” or if there is a serious problem, you can read the seller’s explanation of the issue.
Next, you should check how many items the user has sold, if the user had just created an account, sold one item, and has 100% feedback, it isn’t saying much. The number next to the seller name is how many items they have sold and bought, and the symbols next to the number represent the titles the seller have. If a user is a power seller, they are a trusted member of the eBay community, and you can expect excellent service from them.
Next, you should check what methods of payment that the user accepts. If the user only accepts cash or money orders, then you should be slightly suspicous. The safest method is PayPal. It draws money from your bank account and puts it into the seller’s. If you are scammed, you will be refunded (partially) by PayPal. The best part, is that the seller gets none of your personal information.
All the previous steps are to protect yourself from not receiving the item. Another way you can be taken advantage of is by being sold a damaged item. The best way to avoid this is to pay attention.
Read all of the descriptions, especially the fine print. If the condition of the item is stated correctly in the description, you cannot receive a refund.
Look at all of the pictures. What may look like a reflection could actually be a large scratch.
If you do receive an item that was inaccurately portrayed, you should contact the seller, demand a refund, and send the item back.
If, despite all of these steps, you are still scammed, or the seller refuses to refund you, then fill out an eBay fraud report, you will either get your refund and return the item, or if you never received the item you will not get all of your money back, but you will get a percentage, and the seller’s account will be shut down.