Buying goods online is never 100 per cent risk-free, but popular auction site eBay has moved to protect its community by increasing buyer protection for purchases up to £500.
eBay and its online payments division, PayPal, has announced that if you are buying from a 'qualified seller', you can expect your money back if your goods don't arrive or are not as described, up to a value of £500.
To become a qualified seller in eBay, you need a 98 per cent postive feedback rating, and have at least 50 feedback points.
eBay is introducing the measure on the back of research from pollsters YouGov, which found that many online shoppers lack confidence when shopping online.
Of those who had reservations about online shopping, more than half thought they wouldn't be protected if there was a problem, and 45 per cent were concerned that the goods would not arrive at all.
"Knowing you're protected if things go wrong should be a basic requirement when shopping online," said Gareth Griffith of eBay.co.uk.
"Using PayPal will not only offer buyers the reassurance that their financial details will never be shared with anyone, but now they'll also be able to rest safe in the knowledge that protection is available in the rare instance that something goes wrong," he continued.
Back in May, eBay and PayPal introduced additional measures to protect buyers, offering protection for amounts up to £150 on any purchase made through PayPal, whether from a qualified seller or not.
PayPal was bought by eBay in 2002.
www.ebay.co.uk www.paypal.co.uk
Topic: eBay purchases protected to £500 (Read 1094 times)