Members can no longer see other members' e-mail addresses. Instead, they must communicate through a forwarding system. Many members are furious, suspecting that this move will make it harder to detect shilling. Along with the auction interference rule, the ban on members' e-mail addresses also makes it harder for defrauded parties to band together. All auction sites encourage the use of payment or escrow services to help transactions go more smoothly.
Most sites also provide some kind of insurance coverage.
Bidder Beware Instances of Internet auction fraud may decrease over time, but that doesn't mean that shoppers should be any less cautious. Our communication about a fraudulent seller on EBay was halted and made it impossible for new users, especially, to know what was going on. For the time being, it seems, scammers will continue to find and exploit cracks in the system. And until the sites do more to protect buyers, fraud victims like Maxon are sure to remain disgruntled.