eBay UK - eBay Safety Centre: Buying with confidence (2024)

FAQs

Is it safe to buy from eBay in the UK? ›

You're in safe hands when you shop on eBay

In most cases, eBay transactions go through with no problems at all. But we've put safeguards in place to make sure that if anything does go wrong, you will get the item you wanted or your money refunded in full, including postage.

Need to speak to someone? If you can't find the answer in any of our help sections, visit Contact Us and choose a top issue or ask a question. Click 'call' and we'll give you a direct phone number and a PIN number.

Pay using PayPal if possible.

PayPal is the recommended method to buy on eBay safely because it offers more protection for buyers.

The eBay Dispute Center is located in the Help and Contact section, which can be visited on the eBay homepage. There you can file a request on the unpaid transaction or the sale was cancelled.

International sellers can send items to you through regular shipping services, or they may use one of eBay's shipping programs. When purchasing from an international seller, keep in mind that shipping can sometimes take longer and cost more than buying from a seller in your own country.

They are both part of the same company and operate the same platform. One of the differences is in the currency they take and use. Potentially another difference would be types of products that are popular as in American culture, pop culture and consumers are different than that of other countries.

Scroll to the bottom of the screen, click "contact us" Drill down to the topic you need assistance with. Then on the left hand side select chat with automated assistant. When the chat box pops up if live help is needed click "see more" then click "contact an agent".

Concerned about a fraudulent listing? At the bottom of every listing you will find a link saying "Report this item". That takes you to a form you need to fill in to tell us why you are reporting. This includes counterfeit or stolen items, or other suspected fraud.

Check the fine print of any listing that you want to bid on, and be sure you understand the seller's return policy along with whether the item is covered by eBay's money back guarantee. Research the seller's history and inventory for signs that they could be a scammer.

What is safer eBay or Amazon? ›

E-commerce can be a risky business, but overall, Amazon may have more safeguards in place because you don't have to interact with your customers. Amazon handles the payments to the seller. However, both Amazon and eBay have many safeguards in place to protect their sellers and customers.

We'll secure your card and won't share your card details with the seller. If you'd like us to save the card details for your next purchase, select Remember this card for future orders. Review your order, including your shipping details. Select Confirm and pay.

If you can't find the information you need in our Help articles, and would like to get in touch with us, we're here to help. To improve your help experience, please sign in to your account. Select Contact us at the bottom of this page, choose what you need help with and we'll get you to the right agent.

Buyers only get a private seller's address in the event of a return.

If your account was registered in the US, and you're living in the UK you might need to register a new account under the UK region as you will need to add a bank account from the UK eventually to get paid for the items you sell, and if your account was registered in the US, it won't accept a UK bank account.

Goods shipped to the UK from abroad

Effective 1 January 2021, eBay is required to collect VAT on certain orders delivered to UK addresses: Orders up to £135 sent from outside the UK. Orders of any value where the item is located in the UK, but the seller is not a UK seller.

But this is also why we're glad to report that eBay is a safe service to use for all of your buying and selling needs. eBay keeps your payment information secure, using high-level encryption; ensures secure transactions; and takes many steps to prevent unauthorized access.

Using the Auction-style or Fixed Price-style format on eBay.co.uk with FREE domestic postage, will receive 20% off their total Final Value Fees per item listed. Please refer to "What's Excluded?" for more details.