3 On Your Side: What Not To Buy On eBay

(CBS 3) PHILADELPHIA Internet auction site eBay has become "the" online place for new and second-hand items. While you can get great deals on eBay, 3 On Your Side's Jim Donovan reports there are some items you shouldn't buy there.

Ron Larsen buys a lot on eBay, but he also steers clear of some items.

"I bought about a hundred items on eBay over the last six, seven, eight years and I had a couple encounters where I had to track down people's addresses. It was hard to get refunds," Larsen said.

eBay lists 105-million items and posts 6-million new ones daily. But there are some things you don't want to buy from the site.

"One thing you shouldn't buy on eBay is make-up. It's a breeding ground for bacteria and if a seller is selling something that has been used before, you can wind up with an eye infection. We found five postings online of already used make-up," said Patricia Greco, writer for Good Housekeeping.

For designer handbags, make sure they're covered by Paypal's buyer protection program.

"If you think the bag is counterfeit, you can file a dispute with Paypal's resolution center. Paypal will facilitate a discussion between you and the seller. You can make a case about why you think it's counterfeit and potentially get a refund from Paypal," Greco said.

Before you buy kids products like car seats, helmets or cribs, check the Consumer Product Safety Commission web site.

"The CPSC website will tell you if the product has been recalled. We found a crib that was being sold on eBay then went to the CPSC website and found out that it had been recalled in 2005 and then we alerted eBay to the problem," Greco said.

Good Housekeeping recommends not buying a laptop computer or DVD player on eBay because you can't really know its condition.