Take action if you get ripped off

You've followed our advice, but somehow, they gotcha anyway. The bastards! Now you need to make the best of it and try to get even. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to seek retribution (and legal ways at that!):

1. Clarify the situation with the seller. Often, there is simply a misunderstanding and the seller has every intention of shipping the item. Or maybe he/she has already shipped it, but there's been some sort of delay. So when you make a deal, always ask the seller for a tracking number so that you can locate it if need be. Major carriers like Federal Express and UPS allow customers to track shipments online.
   
   
2. If that doesn't work and you're sure that the seller is trying to defraud you, then you should write negative feedback about him/her on eBay. This will prevent others from getting screwed by the same person and will make the users auctions much less popular. There is no need to falsify or exaggerate your negative feedback about the user, as this may shed doubt upon the truth of and motive for your comments, but simply explain the situation and why it is your opinion that no one should do business with that user ever again.
   
   
3. Although negative feedback may keep others from being screwed, it won't get you your money back. Fortunately, eBay offers $200 in insurance, minus a $25 deductible, to any user who has been defrauded. "Defrauded" means either you paid for an item and never received it, or you received an item that wasn't exactly what you had in mind (you got a fake Rolex instead of a real one). In order to receive the insurance though, eBay has a few requirements, including that both you and the seller were in good standing at the time of the transaction. If the problem is that the buyer and seller do not agree on the terms of the auction, eBay suggests using a service like SquareTrade.com in order to arbitrate the dispute.
   
   
4. Other ways of getting even include issuing a complaint with the FTC, the National Fraud Information Center, or - if the seller is a business - the Better Business Bureau.
   
   
5. Finally, contact the seller through other means. If you know that the seller is trying to screw you and you have previously contacted him only through e-mail, then this is when it will be useful to have his White Page listing. Call him over the phone! If the seller happens to be a kid (despite eBay's 18-year-old age limit), then you can speak to their parents in order to resolve the situation. Explain that you would like the item shipped or your money refunded, and that if the seller fails to comply, then you will contact their local authorities. The seller will probably do as you say in lieu of a potentially embarrassing appearance on COPS. Note: These measures should only be taken if the seller refuses to discuss the issue. If the matter concerns a disagreement over the terms of the auction, then arbitration should be sought instead of getting the police involved.

Well, by now you should be a savvy auctioneer, ready to take on the dangerous yet rewarding world of Internet bargaining. Go get 'em Tiger. Just make sure they don't get you. And if you see Jimmy out there, please tell him that the banana trees are a big hit!