Set-up a completely seperate bank account/debit card for paypal use only. One that has absolutely NO connection to your regular checking, savings or any other accounts. Immediately transfer out any money you receive there, and only put money in it about 15min before you actually buy something.
If you do nothing else, at least do this. If there is a buyer complaint following a PayPal transaction, the
first thing PayPal will do is try to charge the amount back against your checking account. This can happen anytime - even weeks later - and with
no notice! One minute you've got money in your account, and the next minute . . . . oops!
Set up a separate account for PayPal and keep no more than a few dollars in it. Withdraw any PayPal deposits
immediately and transfer them somewhere else!!!
As for buyer feedback, forget about it. It will soon be useless, since eBay no longer allows negative feedback to be left for buyers.
My best advice for eBay bidders is always to communicate with your seller, send them an email, ask them questions. If you get back nothing, or something that's completely unintelligible, then you know to
stay away. I'd suggest doing the same thing as a seller. Put a notice in your listing saying that buyers
must email you prior to payment or the payment will be returned and their high bid will be cancelled. (Yes, you
can do this!) Make up a question for them to answer - anything, it doesn't matter what. For example, "Please confirm you mailing address in an email to me prior to checkout." Or, "Prior to going through checkout, please send me an email to let me know if you want your purchase packed in shredded newspaper or styrofoam chips." Okay, it doesn't have to be
that stupid
- it just needs to be something - anything - that will allow you to discover if your bidder is who they are claiming to be. Even if you just flat out ask to speak to them: "Please send me an email with your telephone number so I can speak to you before shipping." Your best protection against scam artists is
communication.
