Most of us bagaholics like to shop via auctions. But we need to be safe in our bidding. I have been scammed before and vowed never to be so again. I can, I have, and I will pursue anyone who scams me again to the ends of the earth to get my deserved justice.

These are my red flags as a buyer:

* Seller only accepts wire transfers, money orders or cash transactions, e.g. Western Union.
* Seller requests that the money be sent outside the United States.
* Seller doesn't offer PayPal as a payment option. (Many fraudulent sellers have been banned from PayPal.)
* Seller requires the Buyer to call or email them before or after bidding on an item.
* Seller suggests through external contact that the Buyer completes a transaction outside the confines of an auction.
* Seller has excessive negative ratings or no ratings. Always read a seller's ratings.
* Seller has no contact information (Contact info is only provided after winning an auction).
* Seller is not located in the U.S.
* If anything seems suspicious, do not complete the transaction.
* If a person contacts you via email and offers to sell you an identical or similar item for a similar or lower amount, do not complete the transaction and report the user to the auction overseer.