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On 3/5/2004 9:17:58 AM mhtv wrote:
why should a buyer be any MORE careful buying from a vendor on ebay as opposed to any other vendor???
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In premise, he shouldn't......the buyer should be as careful buying from any vendor.
However, the nature of eBay makes it much more prone to abuse than traditional store front vendors. It's much easier to check out a traditional vendor than one who can hide behind the anonimity that eBay provides.
Also, eBay provides a platform that makes it easier for less scrupulous people to gain access. In the traditional vendor world, it takes a bit of legwork to lease space, set up a location, get it "looking" like a store front, etc.....having to go through all that effort just to pull off a scam. That legwork tends to "filter" some of the fraud.....it tends to discourage the lazy. eBay circumvents that legwork, so it's a prime ground for abuse.
That's not to say there are some great and ethical vendors on eBay...they are. The only point is, the system is more easily exploited and abused than traditional means, hence the warning.