With her sad story, the pug lady Edda became known worldwide

This means you have a witness in the event of a dispute. The consumer center of Saxony also advises a receipt for private purchases. When buying expensive goods such as cars or allotments, a sales contract is recommended.

Check the seller

If you would like the goods to be delivered to you, check the seller carefully. Check the joining date on his profile. If the account is still young, it could be a fraud who changes profiles frequently. If he also sells many similar items, it could be stolen goods.

Telephoning is safest

If the buyer is pushing with excuses to communicate by email, then you should stop. Better to break off contact. The best option is always to make a phone call. Ebay also advises that one should be suspicious of sellers who exclude personal contact.

Do not pay in advance or cash on delivery

Never pay in advance on Ebay classifieds. In an emergency, it becomes so difficult to get the money back. Also avoid cash on delivery: fraudsters often fill parcels with stones. This usually becomes clear after the parcel has been accepted. Then it is very unlikely to get the money back from the post office. If possible, you should open the package in the presence of the supplier.

A safer option is payment via PayPal. There is what is known as buyer protection. If you do not receive the goods, PayPal will help you. You may even get the money back from the payment service.

Be careful "Triangular fraud"

There are also a few things to consider on the seller side. Among other things, the “triangular fraud” is currently a popular scam. It works like this: A supposedly interested buyer contacts you and asks for payment details. At the same time, the fraudster advertises your product online himself. If a third person wants to buy this product, the scammer gives the prospect your payment information.

As a result, you receive the money from the third person, assuming it came from the scammer, and send the product to the criminal. The third party could now demand a repayment of the money from you. This is particularly critical if the payment was made via PayPal. Because of the buyer protection, the third party can get their money back more easily. So become suspicious if you receive money from a third person or, from the customer’s point of view, are supposed to pay to a third person.

Watch out for "Advance fraudsters"

There are also so-called on Ebay classifieds "Advance fraudsters". Like the consumer portal "Onlinewarnung.de" reports, alleged buyers feign interest. The goods should be sent abroad.

Upon approval, the buyer sends an alleged confirmation of payment for the agreed purchase price plus shipping costs. However, scammers are asking to cover the shipping costs with cash transfer services like "MoneyGran" or "Western Union" Advance to a transport company selected by the fraudster. Only when the money has arrived there is the amount supposed to appear on the account. But the companies don’t exist. A transfer from the buyer will never take place. Instead, the transport costs end up with the fraudster.

Watch out for fake transfer confirmations

You can often recognize fake bank confirmations by grammar or spelling errors, writes "Onlinewarnung.de". Even if an alleged PayPal message ends up in your e-mail inbox, check directly with the payment service to see whether money has actually been received. If in the "PayPal"-Mail statements are available like "The money will not appear until you have sent the package", it is a fake. There is no such function with PayPal.

Trouble with Ebay classifieds: Dealers demand exorbitant prices for toilet paper and Co. New user record: Coronavirus epidemic causes boom on Ebay classifieds Ten years of online flea market: The craziest offers on Ebay classifieds

Do not ship abroad

Generally avoid shipping abroad.gmo argumentative essay Especially when the "Buyers" is willing to pay more for the product. Stories like "I am abroad for work and urgently need the product" thought up.

Off to the police

If you are a victim of fraud, go to the police. If the advertisement can no longer be found, contact the customer service of Ebay classifieds. They can send you a copy.

Sources used: Safety information on Ebay classifieds articles on "Onlinewarnung.de"Contribution of the consumer center SaxonyNotes on buyer protection from PayPalOwn researchAdditional sourcesShow fewer sources

In an unobserved moment, a six-year-old bought a monster truck on his father’s notebook for around 21,000 euros – despite all the efforts to exchange it, the father apparently has to pay for the truck.

It may be convenient to have your Ebay account and PayPal account passwords stored in your computer – but it also involves an expensive risk. A 45-year-old man from Wallsend in Great Britain found out the painful way the British news site did "Chronicle Live" reported. 

Mohammad Faraji had let his six-year-old son play on the laptop alone. Faraji’s computer was probably still registered with Ebay and Paypal – because apparently his son scrolled through the offers of the online auction house and successfully bought a real monster truck.

Unnoticed, the son successfully bid for a monster truck

According to his own statements, his father only noticed this when he received the bill: he was supposed to pay 19,000 British pounds, the equivalent of a good 21,000 euros, for his new giant vehicle.

The purchase occurred back in March and may have seemed like a funny mishap for Faraji at first. The anecdote has now become a serious problem for the father. Because apparently he actually has to pay for the giant truck!

Faraji says that he did not receive any confirmation of his son’s unnoticed purchase at the time. The PayPal customer service that has been contacted in the meantime sees it differently and also refuses to reverse the payment. Faraji may contact Ebay and the seller to fix the problem. Until then, PayPal now requires payment of the 19,000 pounds. But the man says he doesn’t have that at all.

The seller was also not convinced that the purchase was a mistake and refuses to cancel the purchase. Instead he could come and pick up the truck.

Apparently the father has to pay – but he can’t

Faraji is frustrated and sees PayPal as a duty: "Paypal should work more like my bank card. You should check whether I have that much money in the account or whether there are any suspicious actions."

Faraji realizes that it was his mistake that led to the disastrous purchase. "I’ll pay a fine if I have to. But not the full purchase price."

Offer on Ebay: Seller does not have to give BMW out for one euro Rare copies: That is why iPhones on Ebay now cost thousands of euros Fraud or bargain ?: When you should be skeptical of eBay classifieds

It is not clear whether this possibility will exist. According to Chronicle Live, PayPal has already hired a debt collection company to collect the debt.

Sources used: Chronicle Live: Wallsend dad furious after son, 6, bought £ 19,000 monster truck and Paypal sent in debt collectors

A bottle of disinfectant for 300 euros: In Italy, some online retailers use the fear of the coronavirus for shameless usurious offers. Now the police have searched eBay and Amazon offices.

The Italian financial police have confiscated documents and computer data from the online retailers Ebay and Amazon because of profiteering around the novel coronavirus with horrific prices for respiratory masks and disinfectants. The Italian consumer association UNC welcomed the investigation by the authorities. "It is a national shame to speculate on the backs of the Italians"said UNC President Massimiliano Cona. Criminals and profiteers in Italy had exploited fear of the virus to their advantage.

"The problem is not only the astronomical price of the products, but also the sale of masks that do not comply with regulations and would not even protect if a person infected with the coronavirus wears them"added Cona.

Protective masks and disinfectants sold out

Because of the continued spread of the lung disease Covid-19 from China, the Italians had thrown themselves on protective masks and disinfectants in the past few days – the items were hardly to be found in pharmacies and supermarkets. Fear of the virus led to bold price demands: On Tuesday morning, for example, an Internet user on Ebay offered a one-liter bottle of disinfectant for 300 euros.

Coronavirus news blog: All information at a glance Corona outbreak: Coronavirus causes crisis conditions in northern Italy Second wave in Germany: symptoms, transmission and course

Italy is now the largest source of infection for the novel corona virus in Europe. So far, more than 370 infections have been detected within a few days. Twelve infected people died of the pathogen by Wednesday. In China, where the coronavirus started in December, authorities have counted more than 78,000 infections and more than 2,700 deaths so far.

Sources used: AFP news agency

The pug lady Edda has a hard time. It was first seized by the city of Ahlen. Then it was sold on Ebay. Now the buyer is suing the city. The bitch is not healthy.

This pug is causing a stir

Photo series with 6 pictures

With her sad story, the pug lady Edda became known worldwide. According to its own statement, the city of Ahlen has seized the dog. An employee sold them to police officer Michaela Jordan on Ebay for 690 euros. But the new buyer realized: Edda is not a healthy pug.

Now the buyer is suing the city. The corresponding lawsuit against the city of Ahlen has been received by the district court, said the court director. Michaela Jordan wants to get the purchase price and the veterinary costs reimbursed. Before a negotiation can possibly take place, both sides can comment on the matter. 

The proceeds of the Ebay sale went to the city treasury

There has been a dispute over the sale for days. According to the city, the dog was seized from a family in Ahlen because they owed a lot of debt to the municipality. The proceeds of the Ebay sale flowed into the city treasury. Jordan bought the animal, which was advertised as healthy, and only then found out that it had, among other things, a serious eye disease.

The city now offered on its website to reverse the seizure and sale. "Neither my client nor the previous owner want that"said Jordan’s lawyer Wolfgang Kalla. His client is about getting her damage reimbursed. "It is irrelevant how the city treated people and animals here", he said. He is confident that the lawsuit can be successful.

Contrary to what Michaela Jordan had initially announced, they wanted to refrain from filing a criminal complaint for fraud for the time being. However, should the trial at the district court reveal specific indications of criminal misconduct on the part of the city, the files should be sent directly to the criminal investigators after the trial is over, the lawyer announced. According to the local court, a hearing can be expected in a few months at the earliest.

Research on the computer: Michaela Jordan wants to sue the Westphalian city of Ahlen. (Source: Guido Kirchner / dpa)

NRW Interior Ministry criticized the sale 

It is controversial whether the animal should have been sold on Ebay at all. According to the NRW Interior Ministry, the young bitch should have been auctioned off in public. Anyone who offers a seized animal on a private Ebay account does not meet these requirements. 

However, the ministry itself has no knowledge of its own about how the sale actually took place. You haven’t checked that.

Can pets be pawned?

Numerous media had reported about the incident, which even made headlines internationally and the city received massive criticism. Many readers would have volunteered to help the family from whom the one and a half year old Edda was seized to get the dog back. According to "Ahlener Tageblatt / The Bell" the Wülfratherin wants the young pug lady with him "Blessing of the Ahlen family" to keep. 

divide Pinning Tweet To press To mail editorial staff

Your opinion counts!

We look forward to lively and fair discussions on this article.