Google seen making move to sharpen attack on eBay - MarketWatch

Google seen making move to sharpen attack on eBay - MarketWatch

A Bear Stearns analyst indicates that Google may be planning to quietly "de-emphasize" (read: kill) Froogle in favor of some new version of Google Base. This move is purported to be an eBay killer. Perhaps, but that seems like wishful thinking, at least on the part of Google investors.

I don't know about you, but I never use Froogle or Google Base. When these features were first released, I took a look, was disappointed and never went back. In fact, I don't know anyone who regularly uses either service. Frankly, Google Base just seems like a mess. This stems from its attempt to be a generic online database of items, from jobs to reviews to recipes to collectible tea pots. I suppose it is trying to be craigslist, but somehow it falls flat.

eBay has its own problems, but at least it's clear to consumers precisely what they do. That is a huge advantage. Imagine trying to explain Google Base to your parents.

Local Woman Falls for eBay Scam

WKRC 12 Cincinnati - Local Woman Falls for eBay Scam

We've said it before and we'll say it again. It's never a good idea to complete an eBay transaction off eBay, no matter how good the deal promised may be. In fact, the better the deal promised, the more it should be greeted with suspicion.

In this case, a woman was presented with a second chance offer, but was instructed to complete the transaction off eBay using a Money Order. Adding to the potential risk was the fact that the seller was located outside the US. Needless to say, she sent the money but never received the goods and because the transaction was completed off eBay, she has no recourse through eBay.

Don't let this happen to you. It's easy to get excited by an apparent deal, but don't forget some of these basic rules of thumb when buying something off eBay:

1. Never complete an eBay transaction off eBay
2. Never pay by personal check or money order, always pay with a credit card through PayPal
3. Avoid transactions outside your native country unless you know exactly who you are dealing with.

and most importantly...

4. Use gumshoo! :)

When you search for and view eBay auctions with gumshoo, you get a second pair of eyes that are scanning auctions for a variety of warning signs. Risks like foreign sellers, suspicious descriptions, excessive shipping charges, seller reputation and much more are brought to your attention faster than you can say "Buy it now!"

gumshoo is also a great way to learn eBay shopping best practices that can keep you out of trouble. Our alerts offer specific warnings and specific advice to help make you a smarter eBay shopper.

We hear about stories like these nearly every day. They're unfortunate, but they reinforce our belief that there is a real need for our service. If you use and enjoy gumshoo, we encourage you to let your friends, co-workers and family know about us. If you've never used gumshoo, we encourage you to give it a try today.

Why is gumshoo just for eBay buyers, not sellers?

We recently received an email from an eBay seller who feels that the site is unfair to sellers since it does not offer a mutual forum for both the eBay buyer and seller. Here is an excerpt from our response. We think it does a good job of summarizing our position and the guiding philosophy behind gumshoo.com:

There are several Web sites available to sellers that, for a fee, will help weed out potentially bad buyers. gumshoo.com was created to offer buyers a similar resource (for free). By design, gumshoo.com is a site for eBay buyers. We've made this choice because it allows us to offer our users unbiased information. While it is true that sellers sometimes receive negative feedback through no fault of their own and that sellers can also be the victim of scams perpetrated by buyers, it is also true that transactions in which sellers have a low feedback score, a negative feedback trend, high shipping costs, or other risk factors, are more likely to result in an unsatisfied buyer and, occasionally, outright fraud.

We feel that the mutual forum you describe is already available on eBay. In fact, all of our alerts encourage buyers to use eBay's 'Ask the seller a question' feature before bidding. This gives sellers the opportunity to explain their position, while it protects buyers from entering into transactions before they are fully aware of the risks (or lack thereof).