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HELP |
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| 7. Secure Trading & Privacy | |
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Tips on Secure Trading |
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About Privacy |
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Handling Dispute Resolutions |
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Tips on Secure Trading
Using Auction Sites should be a pleasant experience. Both buyer and seller will want the transaction to go smoothly and both parties should be confident in a successful end-to-end trading experience. The good news is that the high majority of the time this is the case. Below is a summary of recommendations to assist in ensuring your trading experience goes smoother and you are aware of any potential fraudsters out there. This section is aimed to assist in educating users on how to spot potential trading issues or risks, minimize these risks and ultimately create a safer trading environment for Auction Zone members. Buyers: 1) DO: • Use good common sense and Judgement for all you dealings. • Attempt to contact the seller via Phone/Mobile for more detail about expensive items (for verification and piece of mind) • Note that seeing a deal online that sounds to good to be true, probably is. So be cautious. • Use an Escrow Payment Service if the item is expensive, from overseas or you cannot view it in person. Escrow service will basically withhold releasing payment to the seller until you receive the item. We recommend www.escrowaustralia.com.au as a reliable escrow service. Escrow services do cost the buyer money however see this fee as your insurance policy for the item(s) you are buying. 2) DO NOT: • Never send cash through the post under any circumstances. • Never send Money Orders for expensive Items. (We recommend money orders only for items less then $30. Consider using Registered Post too (It includes up to $100 insurance (or more if you pay for extra insurance) ). • Never pay by online payment companies like Western Union or Money Gram. Many frauds have occurred via these payment methods. • Use payment methods you are not familiar with or that are not recommended below or within this website. 3) SAFER PAYMENT METHODS: • Paypal – www.paypal.com.au/au (for further information) • Paymate – www.paymate.com.au (for further information) • Escrow – https://www.escrow.com/ (for further information) • Personal Bank Cheques or Bank Cheques are good in that they can be traced to a Real Existing bank account. With this payment method it is still a good idea to have postage registered and insured. 4) POSTAL INSURANCE: If you are purchasing a moderate to expensive item, we recommend that you include Postal Insurance and Registered post from Australia Post. Details and other options for this can be found at http://www.auspost.com.au/IXP/0,1465,CH2112%257EMO19,00.html Standard registered post is inclusive of insurance cover for up to $100. You can purchase additional insurance cover up to $5,000. You can also visit a Courier website for their policies/costs regarding registered and insured postage). Therefore, ensure you request and pay for items to be sent by Registered Post. This service will require that a signature required for acceptance of the parcel when it is delivered to the delivery address, The parcel should be in your name so you will need to sign for it. 5) VERIFIED MEMBER: Is the Seller a ‘Verified Member’ of Auction Zone. Do they have the VM icon  next to their username. This indicates they have taken the extra step of providing physical identification to Auction Zone to prove who they are and their address. Click here for more information about the ‘Verified Member’ program with Auction Zone to see how it works or how you can become a Verified Member.6) RESEARCH THE SELLER: Research your sellers trading history by looking at their membership level, number of transactions, their feedback percentage rating and especially their feedback comments coming from other members who have dealt with them in the past. Have they been selling expensive items with no issues, this type of feedback usually indicates a trustworthy seller. If you are in doubt, either try to contact the seller before bidding or do not bid. If the seller is fairly new to the site, we recommend you contact the seller via phone, especially if the item is moderate-highly priced. 7) CONTACTING THE SELLER: Request for sellers phone number/mobile from them after completing transaction if you want to speak to them to ensure they are the seller and to ask a few questions about the item before paying (or even bidding). They may not want to pass this personal info to you though and are not legally obliged to do so. So do not hassle them for it. If they are reluctant, it is with your best judgement to proceed or not, though using Safer Payment Methods would be recommended if proceeding. 8) PAYMENT: • Buyer is to pay for items within 7 days of Auction Ending. • Buyer should pay as per payment methods offered by the seller. • Feel free to notify the seller payment has been made or is on its way, this might speed up delivery if you were hoping to get the item for example, before a birthday. 9) MOTOR VEHICLES/BIKES/BOATS: Ideally we recommend that you view these items in person, as it is difficult to ascertain their real condition and/or if there are issues that are not stated within the Auction. If they are not within a close location for you to view, these transactions become more risky. Try to view these items before bidding/buying. Contact the seller. Note some motor vehicles may be stolen, have a different owner to the seller or have money owing on them. Each state has its own way of knowing if a vehicle is stolen and has money owing or not. For NSW Vehicles, try going to the REVS website with the following vehicle details: registration number (if vehicle currently registered), the vehicle vin/chassis number and engine number. Go to: http://www.revs.nsw.gov.au/ Sellers: 10) DO: • Try to offer various payment methods to keep your buyers satisfied. • Try to describe all items for sale in the condition they are in and disclosing any issues related to items (if any). The more detail the more likely feedback will be excellent from the buyer. • Try to be patient when communicating with Buyers and awaiting payment receipt. • Send items to buyer within 7 days of payment receipt. 11) RESEARCH: Research the Buyers feedback history for any indication of non-payment or other issues to be wary of. 12) BUYERS AND SELLERS: • Try to communicate with each other respectfully and courteously. • Be prompt in payment and sending of goods. • Be patient at times, as seller/buyer might be sick, have internet connection issues or be on a few days holidays. • Keep open communications and deal with each other to resolve and discrepancies. Remember that Auction Zone will not resolve issues between buyer and sellers. • Agree on expected payment for transaction and postal delivery type (stating if includes registered post and/or postal insurance). • Other signs to look for when evaluating any auctions that seem a bit dodgy, or members that seem a bit dodgy, signs may be: - higher value items ($100-$1000) such as Plasma TVs, camera, laptop/notebook computers, video - camera’s etc where user has no Feedback - User has minimal feedback that was left in a short period of time from when an item was listed, sold and feedback was left (usually by a friend or another account). Look into the Auction Item that feedback was left for and check the dates against each other. - Short duration times on expensive items. Why are they listed for such a short time period, 1-3 days? - Seller has zero rating. (Unknowner!!! They need to build a reputation first) - Poor writing skills could be from a dodgy kid or oversea’s fraudster - Seller will not email back or give phone details for a conversation - Seller will not give any Safer Payment Method options - If in doubt, do not bid. 13) PHISHING EMAILS: Phishing Emails: Auction Zone will never send any email to any member under any circumstances requesting information such as: any account numbers, passwords or other confidential information about you via email. Do not click on or give out any personal information about yourself under any circumstance. If there are signs of any fraud on Auction Zone, please email support so we can investigate then consider removing the offender(s) immediately or take other action deemed necessary and within accordance of the law. Email - admin@auctionzone.com.au |
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About Privacy
When registering on Auction Zone, various pieces of personal information is requested upon signing up, such as Name, Address and Phone Number. This information is required so Auction Zone can contact you directly if required. Note that your Address and Phone Numbers are never disclosed to other members of the site in anyway. Only you can give this information out. However your Real Name, Email Address and User Name are sent to other members upon the completion of a transaction via email as this is a minimum security requirement we have. All your personal information given to Auction Zone is kept in privacy and not given out to any external parties outside of Auction Zone. Only disclosure would be triggered if ordered to by law. See Auction Zones 'Terms and Conditions' for more detailed information about Privacy or contact us for more specific information. |
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Handling Dispute Resolutions
If you come across a transaction that has not satisfied your expectations, or you were not paid for an item, did not receive the item or generally have some issue with a transaction we recommend the following course of actions: 1. Communicate with the Seller directly. Try to establish respectful communications and reach agreement to resolve any issues. Give them time to respond, as they might have a personal family problem or are even on holidays. Remember that you have 42 days to leave feedback (that is 6 weeks). 2. Third Party Assistance. If you are unable to communicate with the other member of Auction Zone, you could consider using a Third Party Mediation Service to communicate for you. Again trying to reach agreement/resolution. 3. Chargeback on Credit Card. It is possible with most Credit Card payments to do a 'Charge Back' where the financial transaction is reversed. 4. Item not Received Report. Ensure you file an item not received report to Auction Zone via email if you do not receive your item. Also ensure you leave appropriate feedback against the corresponding member once you have gone through steps above to try and resolve any issues. Feedback will ensure other members are aware of this transaction. Be 100% certain that you have tried every avenue before leaving negative feedback. 5. Last Resort. Law Enforcement Contact the local consumer affairs department and/or the police if you have fair cause and none of the above methods have worked. |
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