Plastic and escrow. Unfortunately, many individual sellers don't accept credit cards. Online auction houses are trying to lessen the financial risk. Auction Universe will act as an intermediary for transactions on its site, if the user registers with a credit card number. But those ratings can be confusing.
Experts suggest that potential bidders do their own background checks.
Call the seller. Verify as much information as you can. E-mail the seller with such questions as the price of shipping and handling or whether there is a return policy. Some think the auction sites should do more to protect their users. Shysters can be suspended one day, then register again under a new name and begin selling the next day.