At first glance, selling and buying items online would appear to be as easy as sending an email or downloading a song after a few clicks of the mouse. But with the rate at which several online auction and shopping websites pop up and disappear, and the growing number of bidding frauds done online, one can say that online auctions are getting to be risky undertakings.
The popularity of auction and shopping sites trivialized the issue of security against fraudulent transactions. As online companies such as eBay continue to pile up on customer complaints of varying degrees, online sellers, buyers or bidders should enter into online transactions with a discerning eye, and armed with at least the basics of online auctions.
Essentially, there are two parties to an auction. One is the seller, and the other one is the bidder. They come to an agreement as to the purchase of the item involved by one party from another. For the seller, the main motivation is the amount of the maximum winning bid. On the other hand, the bidder’s motivation is the item subject of the auction. While it involves different transactions, both are exposed to the risks attendant to online...