Essential Information to Avoid Auction Scams Online

The rise in popularity of online auction websites has led to an increase of online auction scams being used by ruthless, unscrupulous sellers. These scams can sometimes be hard to spot and therefore it can be easy to be caught out.

The Internet provides a degree of anonymity for sellers of ‘dodgy’ merchandise, which is why some auction sites are working hard to ensure their customers are both happy and secure. For example, CQout, the UK’s second largest internet auction site, employs some sophisticated measures to help combat fraud.

‘SecurePay’ is one such measure, giving 100% peace of mind and protection for the Buyer so that in the unfortunate event of a transaction going wrong, you can reclaim your money.

Another is the ‘CQTrusted’ scheme which entails a number of checks to establish the background of Sellers in order to make sure they are genuine before being allowed to display the ‘CQTrusted’ logo in their auctions.

A third is the ‘TradeSeller’ scheme which ensures that Buyers know whether they are buying from a private individual or a trader and ensures that distance buying regulations are honoured.

There are common sense things you can do yourself in order to protect yourself when using online auction websites:

1. Use the Q&A feature to communicate with the Seller, giving you the opportunity to discuss details of the sale to make sure you are totally happy with how things are proceeding.  If you don’t tell the Seller there’s a problem, they can’t sort it out!
2. Always check the seller’s ratings to ensure that they do not have any negative comments or feedback about their transactions. If the Seller has little or no feedback, use the SecurePay option for peace of mind.
3. Don’t try to save a few pennies by agreeing to do a deal ‘off site’: if the sale isn’t carried out through the auction site, you won’t be protected.
4. Everyone likes bagging a bargain, but if something looks just too good to be true, ask yourself why and protect yourself with SecurePay if you decide to go ahead with the transaction.

All of the above methods provide effective protection. Although there is no way of being 100% protected, 100% of the time, CQout works hard to protect both Buyers and Sellers

Auction Sniping and How to Beat It

Online auction websites have become a hugely popular source for people to buy and sell their unwanted items. Some people even forge businesses or expand existing ventures through the medium of online auctions. This has led to increasing numbers of people bidding on similar items and furiously clicking at the last minute in order to win their chosen item.

 

It may well have happened to you. Your bidding on something you have your eye on and it gets down to the last minute. You are the highest bidder and you are going to win the item, but wait! Right in the dying seconds of the auction, you are pipped at the post by someone who bids higher than you, winning the item, and leaving you disappointed, having to start searching, and bidding all over again.

 

It is at this point that it can become frustrating and leave you wondered how someone else’s fingers could be so much faster than yours? The simple answer is that in the majority of cases they weren’t. In fact, it is probable that they were using an auction sniping tool.

 

Auction sniping is a method of placing a bid as late as possible on an item being sold. This can be done by various means for example, by a person, computer program or website service. It involves waiting until the last possible moment and then placing a higher bid than the previous bidder. In the case of sniping software and web services, the user will predetermine this figure so that the agreed limit will not be crossed.

 

In many cases, auction sniping is frowned upon as it can be seen as an unethical means of winning an auction. It’s not only the Buyer that loses out: sniping means that the Seller doesn’t get the full value that their item might have reached if the auction had been allowed to run for longer. It is for this reason that some online auction websites have taken it upon themselves to add anti sniping features into their website framework to avoid such practices. CQout is one such online auction that has employed type of feature.

 

It does this by automatically extending a running auction if a last minute bid is placed, so giving all concerned in the auction the opportunity to react and counter bid if necessary. This gives the best chance of avoiding snipers that ruin an auction for everybody else.

 

So if you’re interested in buying goods through an auction site that prides itself on being there for its customers, choose CQout.