As eBay grows in popularity, so does the number of fraudulent sellers targeting shoppers with illegal scams. Dishonest merchants and identity theives continue to find new and creative ways to bilk us out of our hard earned dollars. EBay officials are faced with the increasingly difficult task of trying to keep up with them, but they can't do it alone. The best thing we can do to protect ourselves is to learn how to recognize these scams before it's too late.
The embroidery community is one of the hardest hit by scams. Every day there are literally hundreds of auctions selling illegal designs and pirated embroidery software. Expensive embroidery machines are certainly no exception either. Scammers are selling machines for big bucks with no intention of shipping any of them.
There are many legitimate sellers on eBay, but it’s important to know the difference. The best way to protect yourself from fraud is by being an educated consumer. Not only do you want to prevent monetary losses, but you don't want to be a party to purchasing illegal or stolen goods. Being aware of copyright laws and understanding them to some degree will help you avoid those sellers that offer illegal embroidery designs.
Whenever you see an auction for thousands of Disney designs a red flag should go up immediately. Very few companies have the rights to use or sell Disney designs and some unknown seller on eBay is surely not one of them. To my knowledge, Brother is the only company licensed to sell Disney embroidery designs. Any designs you see for sale that depict copyrighted or trademark logos or characters are almost certain to be illegal. Other examples besides Disney might be NASCAR, colleges and universities, major league sports teams, Harley Davidson, automobile manufacturers, Looney Tunes, Nike and so forth.
It is unfortunate that so many eBay sellers find profiting from the work of others a lucrative enterprise. As long as a market exists these illegal auctions will continue, but ultimately it's the consumer who winds up holding the bag. These sellers come and go like the wind. If the designs are no good there is usually no recourse. Once you find out you've been taken it's too late. Not only that, but the actual digitizers are losing money. Soon they will be out of business and there will be no one left to create new designs. If you recognize embroidery designs on eBay as being the work of someone you know, be sure to alert them. They can have the auctions removed through the eBay VERO program.
Another big item eBay scammers are selling illegally is embroidery software. On any given day you can normally find multiple auctions offering copies of PE Design for around $20.00 or less. Every one of them is a pirated copy. The sellers make all sorts of false claims about the software they are selling, but the biggest lie is that their software does not require a reader/writer box. If the software will run at all without the reader/writer box it’s because the software has been hacked - another illegal operation.
More times than not these copies do not work and you are entitled to zero support from Brother without a licensed copy of their software. The scammer depends on the buyer's lack of knowledge about the product and unwillingness to go after him for a mere $20.00. Legal copies of PE Design will not run without the reader/writer box attached. Only authorized Brother dealers can legally sell this software. Brother does not permit any of them to sell online.
Possibly the largest money makers for these scam artists are embroidery machines. They offer non-existant machines to unwary eBay shoppers. Read the ads carefully and watch for signs that the auction might be a scam. One of the easiest ways to spot a scam is if the seller asks you to wire transfer money to him.
Never wire money to anyone as payment for an item you won on eBay. Doing so is little more than giving a complete stranger a handful of cash. You probably won’t see the item you won, nor will you ever see your money again. If the seller does not want you to use any of the accepted payment methods, such as PayPal or credit cards, chances are very high the auction is a scam.
Here are a few simple things to keep in mind when shopping on eBay:
- If it sounds too good to be true it probably is.
- Learn to recognize and avoid illegal sales of copyrighted designs.
- Visit and review the seller's web site if they have one listed.
- As much as possible deal only with sellers you are familiar with and have done business with in the past.
- Understand that no one sells legal copies of $700.00 software for $20.00.
- Always check a seller’s feedback. Read it! See what they have sold and what buyers had to say about it.
- If anything is unclear ask the seller for clarification - don't assume.
- Check shipping charges. Inflated shipping charges are often unseen scams used to boost profits.
- Never go outside of eBay to make a deal. This is not only against eBay rules, but is dangerous. You will have no recourse should something go awry.
- NEVER wire transfer money to sellers!
- Always remember – BUYER BEWARE!
Above all use common sense when bidding. If anything at all doesn’t seem right, let it pass. Go with your gut feeling. Don’t bid if you have any doubts what-so-ever. Rest assured you won’t have to wait long for another one to show up for sale by a legitimate seller.
If you’d like to read more about eBay scams, click the link below. It will take you to a recent news article I found that might interest you. It explains in greater detail some of the methods these scam artists are using to steal your money. The article also suggests that women are easy targets.
Scam Kit: Women Make Easy Marks on eBay
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