Tip #4376 - eBay Buying Tips
Printer Friendly Version | E-Mail This Tip
Q:
I like to buy things on eBay sometimes, but I never seem to win any
auctions. Do you have any tips you can give me that might help me
with my eBay purchases? Please help!
A:
That's an excellent question! I know a lot of
you are eBay users and being one myself, I know how frustrating it
can be to see an item you really want taken away from you because
someone else outbid you. I also know that some of the bidding options,
etc. on eBay's Web site can be a little confusing, which makes it
even harder to win an auction. Well, all of that frustration and confusion
is going to end today, because I've got some great tips that should
really help you out the next time you want to buy something on eBay.
And hey, you can even use these tips on WorldStart's auction site
here. Let's
get started!
It's no surprise
that we all like eBay so much. I mean, they offer a little bit of
everything, from clothes to cars to electronic devices to sports memorabilia
to boats and everything in between. Unfortunately though, a lot of
eBay shoppers are obsessed with winning auctions, which can make it
pretty difficult for a new user to win anything. Plus, when you're
caught in the last moments of an auction, you may feel pressured to
spend more money than you originally planned on. That's when these
following tips can really come in handy!
First of all,
it's a good idea to research an auction before you bid on it. When
you first go to eBay's Web site (www.ebay.com),
click on the Advanced Search link located next to
the main searching area. This will help you decide on a fair bidding
price before you do anything outrageous. Just fill in all of the criteria
for what you want to search for, but before you hit the Search button,
make sure the "Completed listings only"
box is checkmarked. That way, you will be able to see some past bids
on similar items and you can then go from there to set a decent bid
on the item you want. This will also help you avoid bidding wars.
Once you have
a bid in mind that you're comfortable with, you can set it and then
walk away. For instance, if you research an item and find that $50
is a good bid for it, you can go right in and place that, no questions
asked. You can then leave that bid in place, only adjusting it if
someone overbids you. If that happens, you will receive a notification
e-mail that your bid has been exceeded and you can then go in and
change it. Now, what's even better about eBay is that even though
you place that $50 bid, there's always a starting bid of something
much lower, say $20. If that particular auction stays at $20 the whole
time, you will only have to pay that amount, even though you placed
a higher bid in the beginning. This method is a good way to stay out
of bidding wars. Just set your price and walk away. If you don't win,
chances are, someone else will be selling the same thing on down the
road. Don't let yourself get caught up in the heat of bidding!
It's also a good
idea to bid for an item that has very few bidders. When there aren't
a lot of other bidders, you can usually get away with a very low bid.
That's especially true if the auction ends in the middle of the night
or on a holiday, because most people aren't around their computers
during those times. You can use the Advanced Search link to help you
with that as well. You may also want to look into using an automated
sniping tool that will place your bid for you in the final seconds
of an auction. It also keeps you hidden so that other people won't
even know you're interested in an item. A good one we've come across
is eSnipe.
You should also
pay close attention to the person selling an item. You should check
out their ratings and comments from other users before doing business
with them. If a seller is new or if they've had trouble with other
buyers in the past, you may want to look at other sellers who have
more experience or a better reputation on eBay. If you deal with a
bad seller, you could run into problems with late shipping, poor service
or even no shipment at all. No one wants to deal with that kind of
stuff, now do we?!
Now, if you don't
like the idea of bidding, eBay also offers a Buy It Now option for
a lot of their auctions. If you're happy with the price an item is
set at, just hit the Buy It Now link and you'll be
able to purchase it on the spot. That takes the stress out of bidding
and it ensures that you'll always get the item you want. One more
thing: it's a good idea to consider buying your eBay items locally.
That can really save you on shipping costs or it's possible that you
can go and pick up the item on your own, which means no shipping costs
at all!
All in all, if
you do your research on an eBay item you want to buy, you'll be much
better off. If you take the time to look at all the important parts,
such as locality, customer service, prices, etc., you'll be all set.
A little research can take you a long way when it comes to eBay shopping.
Give it a whirl on your next big purchase!
~ Erin
Want To Comment On This Tip? Click Here! We'd love to hear from you :-)
Like These Tips? Get 'Em Free In Your E-mail
